Vocab
What is bartering?
Trading goods without the use of money
Who invented the wheel?
The Sumerians
Who picked kings when city-states went into battle?
Priests
Where is Sumer located?
Mesopotamia
How did Sumerian government work?
Priests and later kings were the head of government. Kings were in power because priests said they were chosen
What does irrigate mean?
To supply water to crops
What are TWO inventions that helped Sumerian agriculture?
The plow, irrigation, the seed funnel
Why were priests so important in Sumerian society?
They were believed to be the only people who could communicate with the gods, and Sumerians believed that gods impacted everyday life.
Mesopotamia is located in what area of the ancient world?
The Fertile Crescent
What role did religion play in Sumerian society?
Religion was very important to Sumerians - they believed gods were involved in everyday life, each city-state was looked over by a different god, priests were powerful because they could talk to them.
What are Ziggurats?
Brick pyramid-shaped temples
What inventions helped Sumerians with transportation?
The wheel and sails for boats
What was the social hierarchy in Sumer?
Ruling Family at the top, then priests and skilled workers, then peasant farmers, then enslaved people.
What region of the world is Mesopotamia located?
Middle East/Iraq
What role did writing play in Sumerian society?
Writing in Sumerian society was invented by priests and then later used by kings to record laws and pass down information.
A system of writing that uses triangular-shaped symbols to stand for words, ideas, or sounds
What is Cuneiform?
What metal did Sumerians develop that would lead to huge changes in human advancement?
Bronze
What responsibilities did kings have in Sumer?
They made laws, were judges of people who committed crimes, and they hired workers
What two rivers are on either side of Mesopotamia?
Tigris and Euphrates
Why did civilizations form in river valleys?
River valleys had fertile soil and allowed civilizations to grow enough food to support their growing populations
What does “Prosperous” mean?
When a city has a lot of money, power, or can easily support it's citizens, it is prosperous
How did the surplus of food lead to the creation of cuneiforms?
Priests had the job of keeping track of the excess food and needed an accurate way to keep track of it all.
What kind of relationship did kings and priests have?
A supportive one - kings would not have their power. Priests helped them and said that they were chosen to be king by the gods
What was the land like in Mesopotamia?
Fertile, good for growing crops, flat
How was agriculture important in Mesopotamia?
Advancements in technology allowed them to farm faster and easier caused their population to grow. Also, now that they did not have to worry about having enough food, they could focus on other things like laws, art, government