Geography and Climate
Mesopotamia lies between which two rivers
Tigris and Euphrates
Ancient Mesopotamia had what kind of government? (name and definition)
Theocracy, which is a government in which religion plays a central part
True or False: When the Akkadians took over the other city states, they forced them to assimilate to Akkadian culture and way of life
False, the Akkadians adopted much of the Sumerian culture and ways of life from the city states they conquered
Name 3 technological innovations that helped Ancient Sumerian city-states grow
plow, wheel, cuneiform, irrigation systems
What order did the empires of Mesopotamia rise power
Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians
The Ancient Sumerians faced hot, dry summers and uncontrollable flooding in the wet season. How did they fix this problem?
Created complex irrigation systems
List 3 of the king's duties
1. Collect Taxes
2. Lead the army
3. Appoint Government officials
4. Enforced Laws
Name 3 jobs that women could hold in Ancient Sumer
priest, judge, jury/witness, scribe, doctor, lawyer, shop owner, etc.
How did cuneiform come to be used? Like what was the original purpose of writing?
They needed to record how much stuff they had
The Capital city of Babylon was know for being...
The center of trading goods and cultural thoughts and ideas.
Ancient Sumerian city-states grew rapidly due to urbanization. Why did people want to move to cities?
For more opportunities--better jobs, education, a better life.
Also, protection and you are closer to the temples/the gods
The temples of Ancient Mesopotamia are called
Ziggurats
Ancient Sumer Exported _____________ (list 1)
and imported_______________ (list 3)
Export: Clay pottery, bricks, textiles and grain
Import: Timber, precious stones, metals, spices, material to make fabric
1. Calendar
2. Tax collection system
3. weights and measures
4. Built and maintained roads to create a postal system between cities
He led the Akkadians to create the first Empire of Mesopotamia
Sargon the Great
The Ancient Mesopotamians believed their natural world was caused by the gods and whether they were pleased or angry. Provide an example from The Epic of Gilgamesh that demonstrates this belief
Ishtar wanting to send the Bull of Heaven to create drought
The flood story
Kings validated their power through something called____________, which was _____________
Divine Right, Kings and priests working together to say the gods have chosen this king to rule and so they have the god's blessing
Under the Babylonians what types of things flourished?
Trade, wealth, art, equality, women's rights, learning, ideas, culture
This empire developed aqueducts that carried drinking water to the capital city of Ninevah that was over 30 miles away
The Assyrians
The Assyrians rose to power due to military strength. Name two military strategies they used
1. They went on the offensive instead of waiting to be attached
2. Perfected weapons: horseback riding, archery, chariots and iron weapons
3. Siege Warfare
4. New ways to attack cities (like battering rams and rolling moveable towers)
5. Terror tactics: Mass executions, impalements and deportations
The Fertile Crescent is surrounded by 5 major bodies of water. Can you name at least 4?
1. Mediterranean Sea
2. Caspian Sea
3. The Black Sea
4. the Red Sea
5. The Persian Gulf
Hammurabi ensured no one questions his law code by doing what
Claiming the gods had instructed him to create the laws. Since they were made on the gods' will, they could never be changed.
Sargon's daughter Edhunnana is considered to be the worlds first...?
author (who wrote in first person and narrative writing).
Name two technological advancements/innovations the Ancient Sumerians invented that we still use today. (Besides: wheel, plow, and irrigation)
1. 60 based number system for time
2. Our calendars with 7 day weeks and months
3. Zodiac constellations
4. Architecture: arches
5. Algebra and Geometry--360 degree circle
Which two empires rose to power again after their initial rise and fall?