What two rivers are located in the fertile crescent?
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
100
What are the 7 elements of civilization?
Stable Food Supply, Social Structure, Government, Religion, Arts , Technology, & Writing
100
How did the Akkadian ruler Sargon establish the first empire?
He used effective military strategies to conquer land and destroyed the walls of many cities to make it harder for people to rebel
100
Levee
A wall of earth built to prevent a river from flooding its banks.
100
Where does the word "cuneiform" come from?
Cuneiform comes from the Latin word "cuneus," which means wedge. It refers to the wedge shaped stylus that was used to write on clay tablets.
200
What mountain range is near Mesopotamia?
The Zagros Mountains
200
What are two important inventions that led to the creation of a stable food supply?
Complex irrigation systems and the plow.
200
What are two reasons why Hammurabi's code was important?
-This was the first time laws applied to everyone within an empire
-The laws were written down, so that all people would know the rules, and what happened if they broke them
-The laws unified the empire and preserved order
200
Irrigation
A means of supplying land (and crops) with water
200
What is a sledge?
Flat-bottomed carts that were used to carry good before the wheel was invented.
300
Why were there food shortages in the foothills of the Zagros mountains?
The foothills had many natural resources, which made them a good place to live. As the population grew, the amount of available resources lessened. Eventually, the natural resources had been used up, and people had to move to a new area.
300
How did religion influence government in ancient Sumer?
Sumerians believed that their gods chose the kings. This made the kings very powerful, and helped reinforce the social order.
300
What are two achievements of the Assyrians?
-They created new iron weapons and war strategies
-They built the first aqueducts
-They created two dimensional sculptures called bas-reliefs
300
City-State
An early city that was like a small, independent country with its own laws and government
300
The guitar looks similar to what ancient instrument?
A lyre
400
What was the biggest problem that ancient Mesopotamians faced when they moved from the Zagros Mountains to the plains?
The uncontrolled water supply - the rivers flooded unpredictably when the rains came.
400
Why was cuneiform a better writing system than pictographs?
-Sumerians could write about more complex ideas with -cuneiform, and ideas could be expressed more clearly (no confusion of symbols)
400
What was the Assyrian Empire's weakness?
The territory became too large to control - the army was stretched thin, and the Assyrians could not fight off neighbors who attacked them.
400
Culture
A characteristic of civilization that includes beliefs and behaviors of a society or group of people
400
What are 3 modern countries located in the Middle East?
Traditionally includes: Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, & Yemen
500
How did disputes over water lead to the development of city-states?
Disputes over access/use of water often became violent, which led cities to look for a way to protect themselves. Since there were no natural barriers on the plains, they built walls around their cities. These walled cities functioned like independent countries.
500
What is the difference between "culture" and "civilization?"
Civilization refers to a society that has developed arts, sciences, government and social structure, whereas culture refers to the beliefs and practices of the people in a civilization.
500
What are two ways that Neo-Babylonians' inventions impacted our own culture?
-7 day week
-60 minute hour
-Sundials to tell time
500
Economy
The way a region or country uses its resources to produce and sell or trade goods/services to meet the people's needs and wants
500
Based on the information you read in the textbook, which ancient empire seemed to give women the most power?