SUMER
SUMER RELIGION
SARGON I
HAMMURABI
CONTRIBUTIONS
100
What was the main crop of the Sumerians?
barley
100
Roughly how many gods did the Sumerians have?
over 3,000
100
Sargon’s language, Akkadian, became the language of the empire. When was Sumerian used?
For religious ceremonies.
100
How long did Hammurabi reign as emperor?
More than 40 years.
100
How did Sumerians improve land-based transportation?
They invented the wheel.
200
With its own god and government, each Sumerian city was considered a _______ in itself.
a state
200
Why did Sumerians have many gods devoted to the forces of nature?
The Sumerians could not control those forces.
200
What happened to the empire after Sargon died?
The empire fell apart.
200
How did Hammurabi become emperor?
He conquered all the city-states in the region.
200

How did the people of Mesopotamia know when to plant their crops? 

12-month calendar based on the cycles of the moon

300
What was the name of the first city in Mesopotamia?
The Sumerian city-state of Ur.
300
What was the center of Sumerian life?
The temple known as a ziggurat.
300
Besides uniting his empire, how do you know Sargon was a powerful ruler?
He ruled for more than 50 years.
300
How was Hammurabi’s code similar to the system of justice in the U.S.?
People were innocent until proven guilty.
300
How did the Sumerians harness the power of wind?
They built the first sailboat.
400
How did the Sumerians irrigate their farmland?
They built up levees along the Tigris & Euphrates that prevented flooding & allowed them to control water flow.
400
What made Sumerian priests so powerful?
Only they could know the will of the gods; they controlled the land; they ran the schools.
400
By uniting Akkad & Sumer, Sargon created the first ________?
empire
400

Besides religion, what other important way did Hammurabi control his empire?

He created the Code of Hammurabi so laws were the same all over the empire.

400
Sumerians had oldest known written records, written using what system of writing?
cuneiform
500
Why is Mesopotamia considered the “cradle of civilization”?
The first civilizations began there.
500
What did Sumerians believe was their purpose on Earth?
To serve their gods.
500
Where was Sargon from and who did he conquer?
Akkad (in northern Mesopotamia); Sumer
500
How did Hammurabi use religion to control his empire?
He made the god of Babylon the most important, but allowed local gods to exist.
500
Besides irrigation, what great advancement in agriculture did the Sumerians make?
the plow
M
e
n
u