Vocabulary
An official writer in an ancient Sumerian city-state
Scribe
They built levees to control flooding and dug canals to let water flow to their crops
When the rivers reached the plains, water overflowed onto the___________, the flat land bordering the banks. As the water spread over the land, the soil it carried settled on the land. The fine soil deposited by rivers is called ______.
floodplain, silt
I created the first Empire in history located in northern and southern Mesopotamia.
King Sargon
What does the name "Mesopotamia" mean?
"The Land Between the Rivers"
The earliest form of writing that uses wedge-shaped symbols that represented ideas
cuneiform
Describe the social pyramid from highest ranking official to lowest class
Kings
priests
merchants, landowners, government
freepeople
slaves
What continent is Mesopotamia located on? Between which two rivers?
Southwest Asia
Tigris and Euphrates
I developed the Code of Laws which were a system of strict laws and punishments that were posted throughout the empire.
Hammurabi
List at least two well-known Sumerian city-states.
Kish
Ur
Uruk
Nippur
An advanced form of culture that includes specialized jobs, complex institutions, record keeping (to name a few)
civilization
Give examples of at least 3 complex institutions that would be found in a Sumerian city-state.
answers vary
What is the name of the mountain range northeast of Mesopotamia?
Zagros mountains
The name of the very first Empire that King Sargon ruled
Akkadian Empire
What is the name of Hammurabi's Empire?
Babylonian empire
a self-governing city with nearby farmland
city-state
What were at least 4 inventions from the ancient Sumerians?
plow
wheel (to carry heavy loads)
pottery wheel
cuneiform writing
ideas in math
Name the large body of water located south of Mesopotamia
Persian Gulf
Sargon ruled over lands that stretched in a curve from the Mediterranean Sea through Mesopotamia to the Persian Gulf. This region is called the____________.
Fertile Crescent
Give examples of at least three types of specialized jobs (besides farming) that existed in Sumer.
potters, weavers, priests, scribes, soldiers, etc
a sharpened reed used to press shapes into clay
stylus
List at least 5 features of a Sumerian city-state (how would a city-state look in ancient times)?
answers will vary
Describe the landscape of Mesopotamia and the climate.
This king appointed governors throughout his vast empire to enforce the laws that he created
King Hammurabi
Why was the ziggurat the "center" of Sumerian city-states?
Worship
Trade/Taxes