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What does "Mesopotamia" mean?
Bonus 50 points for correct pronunciation :)
Land between the rivers
Mes-uh-po-tay-mee-yuh
Describe the shape of a ziggurat
Bonus 50 points: Describe any additional physical features of a ziggurate
Pyramid shaped with many stairs leading to the top
Bonus: Sculptures for decoration, could include gardens
Name two inventions that made life easier for Mesopotamians
Wheel, sailboat, lunar calendar, chariot, bronze, and others!
What two leaders held the most power in Mesopotamian civilizations?
Kings and Priests
What is it called when there was more food than what was needed?
A food surplus
Mesopotamia was broken into many different areas consisting of the city and the countryside around it. What were these areas called?
City-states
Describe Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief in many gods
True or false: Mesopotamians were the first to develop a money system in order to make a profit from their surplus of crops
False: Mesopotamians bartered, or traded, their crops for other goods
Where did Mesopotamian political leaders get there power from?
The gods
Name two types of jobs that people may have had in Mesopotamia besides farming.
Blacksmith, weaver, scribe, baker, potter, shipbuilder, etc.
What two rivers surround Mesopotamia?
Bonus 50 points for correct pronunciation :)
Tigris and Euphrates
What did Mesopotamians believe would happen if they disappointed the gods?
They would be punished, perhaps with droughts or excessive flooding
Irrigation brought controlled amounts of water from the flooded rivers to the crops via dug canals
What is the name of the first set of written laws?
Hammurabi's Code
Describe how Mesopotamian civilizations started a division of labor
Food surplus -> More food than needed -> Not everyone needed to be a farmer -> New skills could be learned -> New jobs were created
Describe WHEN the agricultural revolution happened and WHY it created places like Mesopotamia
Partial points will be awarded
The agricultural revolution started after the ice age
Since people learned to farm, they no longer had to (only) hunt and gather for food so they could stay in one spot. This created permanent cities and civilizations, like Mesopotamia.
WHERE was a ziggurat located in a city-state and WHAT was its purpose?
Partial points will be awarded
A ziggurat is located in the city center
It is a temple designed to be the meeting place for people and the gods
What is the main difference between Cuneiform and the Phoenician alphabet?
The Phoenician alphabet has a symbol for sounds and syllables
How many laws were in the first set of written laws?
282
What was the difference between men's and women's roles in Mesopotamian society. Provide more details than just who had more power.
Men had more power, so they could go to work outside of the home and could go to school.
Women had less power, so they could only do housework and raise children.
Name one other major body of water near Mesopotamia
The Mediterranean Sea
Persian Gulf
Caspian Sea
Name any of the gods and what they represented.
Bonus 100 points for any additional gods named correctly (up to 3)
Enlil was the god of the air, god for the city of Nippur, and eventually was considered to be the most powerful god, also known as the King of the Gods.
Nanna one of the oldest gods of Mesopotamia, was the god of the full moon and wisdom.
Marduk was the key god in Babylon and was the god of justice and fairness, in addition to sometimes being known as the god of agriculture and storms.
Inanna a female deity, was worshipped at Uruk, and is the goddess of love and war.
Ninurta was a hero-god and originally a god of agriculture, but became the god of war and hunting after there was conflict about farmland.
Anu was the god of the sky and ruler of the heavens, and was one of the official gods of Uruk.
Enki was the god of wisdom, intelligence, and fresh water, among other things, and is linked to the city of Eridu.
Nergal was the god of death and destruction. People believed he caused crops to die with the sun’s intense heat.
Nabu was the god of wisdom, scribes, and writing.
Utu was the god of the sun, as well as justice.
What are all of the materials needed to write in Cuneiform?
Partial points will be awarded
Clay tablet & Reed stylus
What is a monarchy?
A system of government in which one ruler is in charge, such as a king or queen.
Why is a triangle used to illustrate the concept of social hierarchy?
The people with the most power are at the top, but are the smallest group in society.
The people with the least amount of power are at the bottom, but are the largest group in society.