Geography & Rivers
This river system, along with the Tigris, nourished the land of Mesopotamia and supported early settlements.
What is the Euphrates River?
The development of this system allowed for food surpluses and the growth of cities in early Mesopotamia.
What is an irrigation system?
The ruler who created the famous law code for Babylon was this person.
Who is Hammurabi?
One of the earliest writing systems, developed in Mesopotamia, is named this.
What is cuneiform?
Early Mesopotamians faced many environmental problems. Name one problem they faced.
What is that flooding and/or droughts?
The land of Mesopotamia was located between which two rivers?
What are the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers?
The invention of irrigation helped Mesopotamians by—
What is controlling floods and watering crops?
The law code of Hammurabi is significant because it was one of the earliest set of these.
What are written laws?
Mesopotamian scribes wrote on this material.
What is a clay tablet (or what is clay)?
Explain one problem caused by their environment and one way the people solved it.
What is that flooding and droughts made farming difficult, and they solved it by building irrigation canals and levees?
Why was the land of Mesopotamia known as part of the “Fertile Crescent”?
What is because the land had rich, fertile soil shaped like a crescent, perfect for farming between the rivers?
When farming produces more than what is needed for local consumption, it is called this.
What is a surplus?
In Mesopotamian society, temples often devoted to gods were the center of city life and were called this.
What is a ziggurat?
Who invented the first writing system in Mesopotamia?
Who are the Sumerians?
One reason Mesopotamian cities developed is due to their physical setting.
What is “flat flood-plain between rivers that allowed fertile soil and irrigation, leading to permanent settlement”?
Settlements in Mesopotamia emerged in the flood-plain because the rivers deposited this nutrient-rich material.
What is silt?
Because of agricultural surplus and trade, Mesopotamian cities developed specialized workers—like craftsmen and priests. These represent this type of system in which people do different jobs.
What is division of labor (or specialization)?
The region of Mesopotamia lies in the modern-day country of this major Middle Eastern state.
What is Iraq?