GEOGRAPHY OF MESOPOTAMIA
What two rivers shaped the Fertile Crescent?
(Tigris and Euphrates Rivers)
What is a city-state?
(A city and the surrounding land it controls.)
What made the Assyrian Empire powerful?
(Its strong army and use of iron weapons.)
What is polytheism?
(Belief in many gods.)
Why was living near rivers both helpful and dangerous for early Mesopotamians?
(They provided water and fertile soil, but flooding could destroy homes and crops.)
Why was Mesopotamia called the “Cradle of Civilization”?
(Because early civilizations first developed there due to fertile land and farming.)
What did Sumerians build to honor their gods?
(Ziggurats.)
How did the Assyrians control such a large empire?
(They built roads and used governors to rule regions.)
What role did priests play in Sumerian city-states?
(They managed temples and communicated with the gods.)
Why was Hammurabi’s Code an important step toward justice and order in society?
(It created written laws so everyone knew the rules and consequences.)
What geographic feature made the Fertile Crescent good for farming?
(Rich soil from river flooding.)
What was the main purpose of Hammurabi’s Code?
(To set rules and consequences to maintain order in Babylon.)
Who was Hammurabi, and what was his greatest achievement?
(A Babylonian king who created Hammurabi’s Code of laws.)
Why were ziggurats built?
(To honor and worship the gods.)
Which Sumerian invention do you think had the biggest impact on civilization, and why?
(Answers may vary: the wheel, cuneiform, plow, etc.)
What challenge did floods bring to the people of Mesopotamia?
(Floods could destroy crops and homes.)
What were some important Sumerian inventions?
(The wheel, the plow, and cuneiform writing.)
How did the Persians treat the people they conquered?
(They allowed people to keep their customs and religions.)
What was the covenant between God and Abraham?
(A promise that Abraham’s descendants would become a great nation.)
Compare how the Assyrians and Persians ruled their empires. Which do you think was more successful and why?
(Assyrians ruled by fear; Persians ruled by tolerance)
How did people adapt to flooding in Mesopotamia?
(They built irrigation systems and canals to control water.)
How did Sumerians improve farming and trade?
(By creating irrigation systems and using the wheel for transport.)
What was one major contribution of the Phoenicians?
(They developed an alphabet and built a trading network across the Mediterranean.)
How were religion and government connected in Mesopotamia?
(Kings claimed to rule with the gods’ approval and supported temple activities.)
How did the Israelites’ belief in one God (monotheism) make them different from other ancient peoples, and why was that significant?
(They were monotheistic in a mostly polytheistic world, shaping later religions.)