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Advanced form of culture
civilization
Political unit including a city and its nearby farmlands
city-states
Where did city states develop?
Sumer
Using pictures as a form of writing
pictograph
The region between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers is called?
Mesopotamia
Who were considered the middle class in Sumer?
All free people
What were pictographs and cuneiform used for?
keep track of crops, keep track of goods that were traded, record wars
What was the role of women in Sumer?
taking care of children, weavers, worked in the home, priestess, and they were able to own land
What was bronze used for in Sumer?
Tools
An excess amount of goods
Surplus
What were the roles of slaves?
forced to work, owed money, farmed, prisoners during war
What did Mesopotamians have to trade goods?
Because sometimes they had too much of one good so they had to trade it with another civilization for the things the didn't have.
What did ancient Mesopotamians build their houses out of?
MUD
What are two forms of writing that the Sumerians invented?
Pictograph and Cuneiform
What tools did the Sumerians invent?
The wheel (Wheel Barrow)
The plow (breaks up hard dirt)Pottery Wheel
The majority of people in Sumer belonged to which social class?
middle class
Fertile soil that is deposited by rivers is called?
Silt
using symbols that represent letters, came after pictographs
How did the climate in Mesopotamia affect farmers?
Rain was unpredictable. Sometimes it rained too much and washed crops away. Sometimes it didn't rain at all and the crops died.
Who were considered the upper class in Sumer?
Priests, kings, landowners, officials, and merchants
What is the purpose of creating an irrigation system?
To control the water. If there was too much, they could build a dam to hold the water. When it didn't rain, the would be able to use stored up water to water their crops.
Where were city-states first developed?
Sumer
Who were considered the lower class in Sumer?
Slaves
Someone who was an expert at reading and writing cuneiform
scribe
How did civilization develop in Sumer?
Agriculture allowed people to settle in villages. They didn't have to travel for food anymore.