Vocabulary
Geography
Farming
Civilization in Mesopotamia
Empires and Conquests
100
Urban
City
100
Where is Mesopotamia located?
Southwestern Asia
100
What is silt?
Rich mixture of rock and soil
100
What are two Mesopotamian inventions?
Cuneiform, wheel/wheeled carts, sail boats, irrigation
100
What is an empire?
A conquered area of land of many peoples and places that is governed by one ruler
200
Plateau
High, flat area of land
200
What are the two major rivers that flow throughout Mesopotamia?
Tigris and Euphrates
200
Provide two examples of irrigation.
Canals, ditches, dams, dikes
200
Sumerians had their own religious beliefs. What did they think would happen if they pleased their gods?
They would get a large harvest
200
Who was Sargon?
The first known conquerer and emperor of Mesopotamia
300
Alluvial plain
Low, flat land
300
The northern part of Mesopotamia is a(n) _________ and the southern part is a(n) ___________.
Plateau; alluvial plain
300
What problem did irrigation solve?
Yearly flooding
300
What is cuneiform? Who were the people that were able to use it?
Writing system involving symbols; scribes
300
After Sargon, who was one of the next well-known leaders of Mesopotamia? What was one of the major accomplishments of this leader?
Hammurabi; Hammurabi's Code
400
City-state
A city and the farmlands around it
400
What large body of water do the two rivers exit to? (Located by the southeastern part of Mesopotamia)
Persian Gulf
400
What did the Mesopotamians do with their surplus of crops?
Trade
400
Having a surplus of food caused what to happen?
A division of labor
400
Most wars among early agricultural societies fought to protect their farmland and __________.
Water rights
500
Surplus
Extra supply
500
Why is Mesopotamia also referred to as the "Fertile Crescent"?
It was shaped like a crescent and its rich soil was good for growing crops.
500
What were two effects of domesticating plants/animals?
Reliable food source, clothes/weapons, transportation (helping move crops for trade), made work easier and faster
500
Describe what social classes are, then give an example of who belonged in each class.
Groups with different levels of importance/power; high: kings, priests; middle: carpenters, potters, bricklayers, doctors, scribes (in general, workers); low: prisoners of war, slaves, criminals
500
Why would emperors and other city-state leaders want to conquer other lands? Name two reasons.
Expand population/number of soldiers, more fertile land and water sources, expand power of trade
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