Mesopotamia
Sumer
Hammurabi
100

The two rivers that are essential to Mesopotamia were the ...

Tigris and Euphrates

100

Because Sumer was flat and open, the people built this type of structure around cities for protection.

City walls

100

Hammurabi ruled this city-state, which became a center for trade along the Euphrates River.

Babylon

200

The people of Mesopotamia were able to meet their needs through . . . 

trading

200

The Sumerians divided labor so that some people became farmers, builders, and these trained writers.

Scribe

200

The need to protect farmland and trade routes from flooding and enemies led Hammurabi to build these structures.

Canals and Levees 

300

Writing and record-keeping spread across Mesopotamia on clay tablets written in this early form of writing.

Cuneiform

300

Each Sumerian city and its surrounding farmland formed this kind of independent political unit.

City-state

300

Hammurabi’s laws were written on this durable material so everyone could see them.

Stone Stele

400

Because the rivers often flooded unpredictably, Mesopotamians developed this system to control water flow to their crops.

Irrigation

400

The most important building in a Sumerian city was this temple, believed to connect heaven and earth.

Ziggurat

400

The Code of Hammurabi was an innovation because it was one of the first to do this.

First set of recorded laws

500

The development of this simple machine helped Mesopotamians transport goods and people more easily.

wheel

500

In Sumerian society, kings claimed their power came from these divine beings.

gods

500

The Code of Hammurabi is based on this principle: “an eye for an eye.”

equal punishment

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