Geography
Vocab
Daily Life
Hammurabi
100
What two rivers were essential to Mesopotamia?
Tigris and Euphrates River
100
What is agriculture?
Farming
100
What was Mesopotamia?
Mesopotamia was a region that was home to the first civilizations
100
What was the Code of Hammurabi?
A system of laws
200
In what modern day day region AND country was most of Mesopotamia located in?
Region: The Middle East
Country: Iraq
200
What was a ziggurat?
A stepped pyramid that served as a religious temple
200
What were the 3 social classes of Mesopotamia? Give 3 examples of jobs in each
1. Upper class - King, government officials, military officers, priests, wealthy landowners
2. Middle class - farmers, merchants, small landowners, builders, free people
3. Enslaved people
200
What was Hammurabi's purpose for creating his code?
To protect the weak from the strong and to bring justice across the land
300
On your map, draw the approximate location of the fertile crescent
300
What is a city state?
A singular city (and the land around it) that acts as an independent country
300
What were 3 common 'rules' for constructing Mesopotamian cities? In other words, what are 3 things that Mesopotamian cities had in common?
1. Surrounded by a wall
2. Ziggurat in the middle
3. Divided by social class
4. Canals and other irrigation systems
5. Built near rivers
300
What is the concept of "an eye for an eye"?
The idea that people people should be punished in a similar way to the wrong they committed. For example, if someone hurts another person, they should be hurt equally badly in return.
400
What are 3 advantages of settling near rivers?
1. Water for crops
2. Fertile soil due to silt
3. Easy transportation
4. Fishing
400
What is irrigation?
A way of controlling water for farming.
400
What was the most common profession in Mesopotamia?
Farming
400
What are some of the values of the Babylonian Empire and how do you know?
Various answers
500
Describe the process of how Mesopotamia developed the first cities.
Use these words: agriculture, fertile, irrigation, surplus, job specialization, cities
People settled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers where there was lots of fertile soil. This meant crops could grow well there, which led to the rise of agriculture. People learned how to plant seeds and grow food, and over time, they developed systems of irrigation to bring water to their fields. Agriculture and irrigation eventually produced a surplus of food and allowed people to specialize in different jobs, like making tools, building, or trading. With different people doing different jobs and plenty of food, small villages grew into larger cities. These cities became the first in the world, with different people working together to build a more complex society.
500
What is the name of the first system of writing?
Bonus: What was the title for people who's job it was to write?
Cuneiform
Scribe
500
Why is it significant that Hammurabi had his code written down and placed all over his empire?
It shows us that Hammurabi wanted all of his citizens to know and understand the laws.