Key Terms
The Geographic Setting
The First Cities
Sumerian Religion
Mix
100
A profesional writer
Scribe
100
Where was Sumer located?
Mesopotamia
100
What encouraged the growth of cities?
Food Surpluses
100
What is the giant brick building in the heart of a Sumerian city?
a ziggurat
100

What weakened the cities of Sumer?

Sumerian city-states fought each other over land and the use of river water

200

Area good for agriculture; site of the first civilizations

Fertile Crescent

200
Where does the name "Mesopotamia" come from?
Greek words that mean "between the rivers"
200

Although cities in Sumer shared a common culture and language, they did not...

Unite under a single ruler.

200
What were the Ziggurats like?
Pyramids made of terraces
200
How did flooding rivers affect people who settled in Mesopotamia?
They swept away people, animals, crops and houses
300
A city that is also a separate, independent state
City-state
300
What drew people who became farmers and city builders to Mesopotamia?
Rich soil and life-giving rivers
300

Why were scribes important people in Sumer?

They kept records for the kings and priests and had to go to school to learn the skill of writing.

300
The people of Sumer worshipped many (...)
gods and godesses
300
Each Sumerian city acted as an (...)
Independent state
400
The belief in many gods
Polytheism
400

What two rivers surround Mesopotamia?

The Tigris and Euphrates

400
Scribes wrote letters for those who could not (...)
Read or write
400

Sumerian _____ warned that the gods would punish people who angered them

myths

400
Sumer was located in a region called (...)
Mesopotamia
500
A traditional story; in some cultures, a legend that explains people´s beliefs
Myth
500
What is Mesopotamia a part of?
The Fertile Crescent
500
Why did people continue living in Mesopotamia despite the threat of dangerous floods?
Because of the rich soil
500
Who conquered Sumer around 2300 B.C?
The armies of the neighboring Akkad
500
When were the first schools set up?
Over 4000 years ago
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