Sumer & Mesopotamia
What was the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers called?
Mesopotamia
Which Babylonian ruler created one of the ancient world's most famous written law codes?
Hammurabi
Judaism was unusual among many ancient belief systems because it taught belief in how many gods?
One — Judaism is monotheistic.
What title was given to the rulers of ancient Egypt?
Pharaoh
Which two rivers supported the development of Mesopotamian civilization?
Tigris and Euphrates.
What writing system did the Sumerians develop?
Cuneiform
What principle is commonly associated with the harsh punishments in Hammurabi's Code?
"An eye for an eye."
What Jewish ethical code contains rules concerning people's responsibilities toward God and other people?
10 Commandments
Why did most ancient Egyptians live close to the Nile River?
It provided water and fertile soil for agriculture (also transportation).
What river supported the development of ancient Egyptian civilization?
Nile
Why did Sumerians construct irrigation canals and dikes?
To control water/flooding and increase agricultural production.
What does the fact that Hammurabi's punishments differed based on social rank tell us about Babylonian society?
People of different social classes were treated differently under the law.
Who led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt according to Jewish tradition?
Moses
Why did Egyptians mummify the dead?
Their beliefs about the afterlife included preserving the body for the deceased.
What geographic feature did Egypt and Mesopotamia have in common that helped agriculture develop?
Fertile river valleys.
Why did Sumer become an important center of cultural diffusion?
Its location encouraged trade with surrounding civilizations.
How did Persia's bureaucracy help rulers maintain such a large empire?
Answer: It helped administer provinces, collect taxes, enforce laws, maintain roads/communications, and carry out government policies.
Explain what the Babylonian Captivity was.
The period when Jews were conquered and taken into captivity in Babylon.
What was one major result of Egyptian expansion during the New Kingdom?
Egypt came into greater contact with peoples of the Middle East and Africa.
Why did geography contribute to Egypt developing a more protected civilization than Mesopotamia?
Egypt was surrounded by deserts, the Mediterranean Sea, and cataracts, which provided natural barriers, while Mesopotamia had fewer natural barriers.
Explain one way environmental challenges contributed to the development of organized government in Sumer.
Large irrigation/flood-control projects required organized labor and management, encouraging stronger governments.
What steps did Persian emperors take to make governing their large empire easier?
They divided the empire into provinces called satrapies and created an efficient bureaucracy to help administer them.
What was one major effect of the Jewish Diaspora?
Jewish people, beliefs, traditions, and values spread into other regions.
Name three Egyptian achievements in learning/science.
Pyramids, hieroglyphics, medicine/knowledge of the human body, surgery, geometry/mathematics, calendar, or engineering.
Explain how the geography of Mesopotamia contributed to the development of both agriculture and organized government.
The Tigris and Euphrates provided water and fertile soil for agriculture, but managing the rivers required irrigation systems and organized labor, which contributed to the development of organized governments.