Civilizations
Name at least a type of specialized worker
any of the following are acceptable:
farmer, artisan, soldier, priest, king, etc
Name a technology invented in ancient Mesopotamia
Any of the following are acceptable:
canals, multiple story buildings, wheel, wagon, and plow, potter’s wheel, clay containers, rudimentary geometry, the 60 second minute, the 60 minute hour, the 7 day week, and the 12 month year, the first written language, the first schools, and bronze
Name a social class in ancient Mesopotamia
Any of the following are acceptable:
farmer, artisan, slave, priest, king
What does Mesopotamia mean?
Land between rivers / land between 2 rivers
What are the religious temples called?
Ziggurats
Cuneiform or pictographs (either answer is acceptable)
Name a technology the Sumerians developed that involved time
any of the following are acceptable:
the 60 second minute, the 60 minute hour, the 7 day week, and the 12 month year,
What were kings responsible for?
Must mention: leading the army and ruling the city-state
Can also talk about: collecting taxes, controlling canals, and storing surplus grain/food
What is a drought?
When there is no water
What is polytheism
a religion where people believe in more than one god
What was the first civilization?
Sumer
What is the written language that Sumerians created?
Cuneiform
Name the social classes in order from highest to lowest
King, priests, artisans, farmers, slaves
What does semi-arid mean?
dry, hot, desert-like
Why were the priests important?
They advised the people on how to keep the gods happy in order to prevent disasters
Name a complex institution in ancient Mesopotamia
schools, religious temples, armies,
Note: Hospitals or medical centers do not count as they did not exist back then, although they are technically complex institutions
How did cuneiform develop?
It started as pictures or pictographs used in trade and eventually became a written language
What kind of people were the slaves
People in debt (debtors) and prisoners of war
What is a civilization?
an advanced form of culture
Why did the kings become rulers over the priests?
Because the kings commanded armies and city states during war and the priests controlled them during peace-time. When more and more people attacked Mesopotamia, the kings took control full-time to better protect the people
Name the 5 characteristics of civilizations
advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, advanced technology, record keeping
Why is cuneiform so important?
It records the historical events and culture of Sumer (ex. laws, stories and poems, events, wars, etc)
Why were artisans and trade so important in Mesopotamia?
Because they had few resources and had to trade for the things they needed
What is a city state?
an independent, self-governing city and its surrounding farmland
What were the four main gods they believed in?
the god of freshwater, sky, wind, and foothills