Geography of Mesopotamia
People of Mesopotamia
Hammurabi's Code
The art of Writing
100
Why did people want to live in Mesopotamia? Name 2 reasons. (pg. 30)
Because of the rich soil and the life-giving rivers. (The Euphrates river and the Tigris river.) People could become farmers and city builders there. Sumer is the central location of Mesopotamia which brought many traders. Sumer became one of the most prosperous areas of the ancient world.
100
What was the Sumerians and Babylonian's ancient temple called? (pg. 33)
A Ziggurat
100
What kind of leader was Hammurabi? (pg. 40)
A King
100
What did the scribes of Mesopotamia write on? (pg. 43)
Clay
200
Mesopotamia is part of a larger area. What is the larger area called? BONUS 200 POINTS: Why is it called that?
It is called the Fertile Crescent. Bonus answer: It is called the Fertile Crescent because it is shaped like a crescent moon.
200
The people of Sumer worshipped many gods and goddesses. Believing in many gods is called what?
It is called Polytheism. Poly means many. Theism refers to gods.
200
According to Babylonian legend, how did Hammurabi receive the code of laws? (pg. 40, next to a picture)
The god of justice, Shamash presented him the laws.
200
Where did the scribes of Mesopotamia get clay? Name the 2 major rivers in Mesopotamia.
The Tigris and Euphrates river
300
People coming to visit the cities in Mesopotamia were probably amazed at what they saw. What kind of amazing things would they see? List at least 3. (pg. 31)
They would have seen large walls, large temples, the houses, the busy shops, and the splendid royal place.
300
What were the two biggest empires of Mesopotamia? (pg. 36)
Babylonia and Assyria.
300
What are three specific laws Hammurabi's code had? (pg. 41)
The code had laws about adopting children, practicing medicine, hiring wagons or boats, and controlling dangerous animals.
300
True or False? The shape and size of the tablet depended on the purpose. In other words, if the tablet was used for many people to read then it was bigger and if it was used for personal use, then the tablet was smaller.
True!
400
In which modern day country do the Tigris and Euphrates river meet? (pg. 31)
They meet in southern Iraq. The land between the rivers still continues to be good farmland. Iraqi farmers grow dates, barley, grapes, rice, and tomatoes.
400
Look at the picture on page 32. How do the activities shown in the three rows provide clues about jobs and social classes in Mesopotamia?
There are different classes. Those at the top are the nobles or kings. They had an easy, comfortable life. They told the slaves what to do. Those in the middle were normal people. They worked, but were still allowed to do whatever they wanted. Those on the bottom were slaves. They did a lot of hard labor and were forced to do whatever the normal people or kings made them.
400
Hammurabi's code was based on the idea of an "eye for an eye." Which means whatever you do to someone, you receive the same punishment. But Hammurabi's code was not always fair. Why? (pg. 41)
Hammurabi's code was not always fair because the code gave different punishments for breaking the same rules. So even if a slave and a noble committed the same crime, slaves received harsher punishments and the nobles receive lesser punishments.
400
What is cuneiform?
A form of writing that uses groups of wedges and lines. It was used to write several languages of Fertile Crescent.
500
What was it like living in the Sumerian city? What would you see as you walked around? Was it quiet? Was it crowded? How did they get light? What were the streets filled with? (pg. 32)
There were traffic jams. Narrow streets. People had to squeeze themselves up against the wall to let donkeys by. On hot nights, people slept outdoors. Oil lamps supplied light for the houses. There was no plumbing. The streets were filled with outdoor stalls, musicians, acrobats, beggars, and water sellers.
500
Why did civilizations of Mesopotamia continuously rise and fall? You can use your book but I want you to think about this one on your own. Why do people usually gain power and then lose it?
They would rise as they invaded and conquered another city, but then lose it after constant warfare. Always being at war would weaken the leaders and it exhausted their armies.
500
Why was Hummurabi's code an important step for human mankind? (pg. 42)
Because it was the first time laws were written down. With written laws, everyone could know the rules. All the rules were fair.
500
Why was the development of writing a big step in human history? I want you to think about this one on your own.
It became a very useful means of communication in the land of Mesopotamia and other lands as well. It is a primary source of history. Scholars eventually figured out how to read the tablets in the 1800s which taught us a lot about their history.
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