Definitions
What is an artisan?
A skilled worker
Between which two rivers is Mesopotamia located?
Tigris and Euphrates?
When did the Sumerians first move into Mesopotamia?
3500 BCE
Who conquered Sumer in 2300 BCE?
Sargon I
Why is Mesopotamia called the "cradle of civilization"?
The first civilizations developed there
A city that functions like a state, with its own government and god
In what modern country is Mesopotamia located?
Iraq
What areas made up Sumerian city-states?
The city itself, the wall, and the surrounding farmland?
Writing and religious purposes
How did Mesopotamia influence the writing of other early civilizations?
Other civilizations modeled their writing after cuneiform
What is a levee?
a raised area of soil
Sumer is located in what part of Mesopotamia?
South
Who could attend school in Sumeria and what were they taught?
Sons of the rich; writing
Which group moved into Mesopotamia around 1800 BCE?
Ammorites (i.e. Babylonians)
Why was the plow so significant?
It allowed farmers to grow more food with less effort
What is an empire?
A group of states under one ruler
Sargon I came from which region in northern Mesopotamia?
Akkad
Why did the kingship and priesthood become separate?
Council members voted to be military leaders stopped giving back their power after the war was over
How did Hammurabi create his famous law code?
He took the best laws from each city-state and compiled them into one code
What was the Mesopotamian calendar used for?
keeping track of religious festivals and planting
What does it mean for the kingship to be hereditary?
It's passed down from parent to child
Where did the Babylonians originate?
Syria
How did irrigation lead to the development of civilization?
People had to work together to create irrigation systems which led to them becoming more organized which led to them setting up governments to make laws
Besides his code, what are two other reforms Hammurabi made?
Improved irrigation by building/repairing canals
Made the god of Babylon the supreme god in the empire
Reorganized the tax system
Started a government housing program
Where do we still see the influence of Mesopotamian mathematics?
60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 360 degrees in a circle