Vocabulary
What is a surplus?
An extra amount of something
____________ was the world's first civilization
Sumer
This Babylonian king created a set of laws, or codes. This king's name was....
Hammurabi
How did the Assyrians use the technologies of the Hittite people for their own gain?
They learned how to use iron for making spears
What is Polytheism?
the belief in more than one god
"Fertile Crescent" means....
the land between the rivers
What effect did Hammurabi's code of laws have on the further development of civilizations?
They introduced the written law that would emerge elsewhere later in history
Which achievement of the Sumerian culture did the Assyrians improve upon for military use?
They built wheeled carts called chariots
What is a scribe?
a person of high position who wrote in cuneiform to keep record
The people who first settled on the plain of the Tigris-Euphrates valley in 7000 B.C. were....
hunter-gatherers
How did Sumerians use their resources when building their cities?
They combined reeds and mud to form bricks for building homes and city walls
They became larger and more complex
What is a tribute?
a payment made in order to surrender
The first civilizations arose in ______________ because of farming conditions
river valleys
What were the THREE most important advantages of Sumer's location?
Access to rivers, the Persian Gulf, and the invention of the sailboat
Name 3 inventions of the Chaldean Empire
sundial
7-day week
What is an irrigation system?
a system of dams and canals that supplied water to fields
Over time, early Mesopotamian cultures achieved a long-term solution to seasonal climate change by supplying water to fields with dams and canals. This is called....
irrigation
The leader of Akkad conquered all of Mesopotamia around 2340 B.C. What was this leader's name?
Sargon
Describe the causes and effects that led to the downfall of the Chaldean Empire
Poor Harvest, less food to trade, slow trade, short supply of goods, less production of goods, weakened economy