Cry Me a River
What is the Fertile Crescent?
Region of the Middle East that stretches from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea
Why did the city-states fight amongst each other?
Wanted to gain control over more resources
What ended Ur’s rule over Sumer?
Uprising of rebels from the east destroy Ur and captured it’s ruler
How did the Assyrians try to solve the problem of ruling a large empire?
Divided empire into 70 provinces, each ruled by a governor, who reported to the Assyrian ruler
How did geography influence Phoenicia’s development?
Heavily forested mountains down close to the coast, little flat land for farming
Mesopotamia lies between what two rivers?
Tigris & Euphrates
How did Lagash celebrate their victory over Umma?
Looted and burned Umma, captured prisoners to be sold as slaves
What is Hammurabi’s Code?
Set of laws that governed life in the Babylonian empire
How did Nebuchadnezzar strengthen Babylon’s defenses?
Built great walls, gates
What's the difference between an import and an export?
Import: Good or service sold within a country that is produced in another country
Export: Good or service produced within a country and sold outside the country’s borders
What problems did Sumerian farmers face due to Mesopotamia’s geography?
1. Heavy spring floods wash away crops
2. Hot sun baked ground = rock hard
3. Little rain = plants died
How was Sargon able to unite much of Mesopotamia under his rule?
1. Changed… the language used by the government to Akkadian
2. The Akkadian army… conquered other Mesopotamian city-states
3. Placed… loyal Akkadians in important government and religious positions
How did Hammurabi keep the Old Babylonian empire united? (3)
1. Built strong government / He sent governors, tax collectors, and judges to rule distant cities.
2. He spread out his well-trained troops over the empire.
3. He oversaw a number of public building projects and encouraged the growth of trade with other lands.
How did Cyrus the Great win and then expand his empire?
Defeated the Medes, winning the Persians an empire. Then conquered other neighboring territories, expanding eastward
Phoenicia’s location was ideal for _____________________.
Trade
Describe the new way Sumerians planted crops.
Used wooden plow pulled by oxen to cut furrows in the soil and dropped seeds inside using a seed funnel
How did the Akkadian and Sumerians culture spread to other regions?
Trade
After Hammurabi’s death, who united northern Mesopotamia again?
Assyrians
What was the result of the invasion of Kush by Cambyses?
Died of starvation, forced to kill and eat pack animals
What is cultural diffusion?
Spreading of cultural traits from one region to another
Why did Sumer’s population grow and start to form cities?
More dependable food / more food, more people / better agriculture techniques
How was Sargon able to rule such a vast empire?
Appointed local rulers to serve as king of the land he oversaw
Why were the Assyrians such powerful warriors?
World’s first calvary, iron weapons/tools = stronger than bronze
What was the effect of Cambyses’s death?
Darius took the Persian throne, extended Persian rule
What is the difference between cuneiform and an alphabet?
Cuneiform = symbols represent syllables or whole words (hundreds of syllables) / Alphabet = small set of letters or symbols stand for a single sound (22 symbols)