The Land Between Two Rivers
The name "Mesopotamia" translates to what?
"Land Between The Rivers"
True or False: Floods and arid climate meant that farmers in Mesopotamia had either too much or too little water.
True
Since Mesopotamians could not build with wood or stone, they used what was readily available. What are the two readily available sources used for building houses?
Reed and Mud
Land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Mesopotamia
The vocabulary term for a concentrated flowing of water.
Currents
In ancient times, it was easier to travel by _____________ than by land.
boat
True or False: The yearly floods of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were predictable.
False: the floods were extremely unpredictable
Mesopotamians used two materials mixed together to make bricks that would then be hardened by the sun. These would be much stronger than reed and mud houses. What two materials were they?
Mud and Straw
Flat land bordering the banks of a river
Floodplain
In ancient Mesopotamia, boats could carry heavy loads, and river ______________ helped move boats that were traveling down the river.
currents
Almost every year, rain and melting snow in the mountains caused the rivers to ___________.
During a _____________, the level of the Tigris and Euphrates would drop making it hard for farmers to water their crops.
drought
True or False: Walls, sometimes as high as 25 feet, surrounded the city to keep out intruders from other areas.
True! Mesopotamians lacked the natural borders as well as trees or stone needed to build strong barriers, so they built their own walls using bricks.
Fine, fertile soil carried by rivers and deposited on nearby lands.
Silt
Mesopotamia was a dry region, but ancient people could grow crops still because of the __________ and _____________.
Rivers and Ferile Soil
Less than ________ inches of rain fell each year in southern Mesopotamia, and summers were
ten (10)
As early as 6000 BC, Mesopotamian farmers began to take steps (such as building earthen walls and canals) to control their ___________ supply.
water
Name any two items that would be traded for by the Mesopotamians.
Stone, wood, copper, and tin. Also luxury items such as gold, ivory, ebony, and precious stones.
A type of climate marked by hot summers and limited rainfall.
Arid
Farming villages were widespread across southern Mesopotamia by ________ B.C.
3500
There were two major challenges for Mesopotamian farmers when it came to irrigations. What was one of them?
1) Keeping canals clean
2) Keeping water flowing
_____________________ (two words) organized groups of people to do the work of trading, digging canals, building walls, and farming, at the right time since these were jobs that had to be done over and over.
Community Leaders
Long periods of little or no rainfall when it is difficult to grow crops.
Drought
True or False: Mesopotamia had no forests to provide wood as well as lacked materials such as stone and metals.
True