Geography
This term means "Land between the rivers" and names the plain where Sumer developed.
Mesopotamia
What is irrigation?
Supplying water to crops (canals/ditches)
What is a city-state?
An independent city and its surrounding land with its own government
What is polytheism?
Belief in more than one god
What writing system did Sumerians invent that used wedge-shaped marks?
Cuneiform
Name the 2 rivers that made Mesopotamia fertile.
Tigris and Euphrates
Name 2 crops commonly grown in the Fertile Crescent by Sumerian farmers.
Barley and wheat
Who held the most power in early Sumerian city-states before kings?
Priests
What was a ziggurat used for?
A temple for worship and ceremonies
DAILY DOUBLE: What tools did Sumerian scribes use to make marks in clay?
A stylus
Explain why the southern part of Mesopotamia had rich soil despite little rainfall.
Rivers flooded each spring and deposited silt, leaving fertile soil.
Describe the seed-funnel innovation and how it helped planting.
A funnel attached to a plow dropped seeds automatically into furrows, making planting easier and faster
Describe how a military leader could become a king in Sumer.
A successful military leader chosen during war sometimes kept power after the war and became king
DAILY DOUBLE: Why did priests have power in Sumerian cities?
Priests communicated with gods, ran temples, and controlled temple storehouses of grain and supplies
What was the importance of the Epic of Gilgamesh?
It was one of the first times cuneiform was used for something other than recordkeeping
Identify one geographic challenge Sumerian farmers faced and how it affected people.
Heavy spring floods could wash away crops and villages (or summer drought baked soil hard); affected food supply and safety
Name 2 technologies Sumerians used to improve trade and transportation.
Wheels on carts, sails on boats, and irrigation canals
Name the writer of the earliest known law code from the reading and one topic the laws covered.
Ur-Nammu
Marriage, slavery, and causing harm
Describe how Sumerians tried to keep the gods happy and why that mattered for the city.
People offered prayers and offerings at temples/ziggurats to please the gods so they would bring good fortune and prevent disasters
Name the long poem written in cuneiform about a hero and give one detail about him.
The Epic of Gilgamesh; Gilgamesh was a hero and king of Uruk who has adventures and protects his people
Name one of each of the following found in the Fertile Crescent.
Body of water
City
Mountains
Body of water: Euphrates River, Tigris River, Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf
City: Sumer, Ur, Uruk
Mountains: Zagros Mountains
Explain how bronze production (mixing copper and tin) affected Sumerian tools or warfare.
Bronze is harder than copper, so stronger tools/weapons could be made, improving farming and warfare.
Explain how kings and priests supported each other's power in Sumerian society.
Kings needed priests' approval to claim divine approval; Priests relied on kings to protect temple lands and maintain order.
What does the Standard of Ur mosaic shows?
It shows leaders celebrating a victory and a feast; It shows the figures of rulers and attendants which shows social hierarchy and military success
Explain one positive impact of better irrigation.
More reliable crop production which led to population growth.