Vocabulary
What is a surplus?
There is extra or more than needed
Name three things that the Sumerians first invented.
-Use the wheel
-Built carts; which were pulled by donkeys.
-The chariot
-The sailboat.
-The wooden plow
-The potter's wheel
-Make bronze out of copper and tin.
What were the advantages of settling near the Fertile Crescent?
The soil was great for crops.
The river and sea access were good for traveling and trading.
What are the social classes?
Upper, Middle, Lower
What is irrigation?
A method of watering crops by digging canals
How has Sumerian mathematics impacted us today?
The 60-minute hour, 60-second minute, and 360-degree circle. They also created a place value system.
Describe the geography of Mesopotamia.
Two rivers ran through it.
Fertile soil because of the Fertile Crescent.
Mountainous.
Separated into city-states.
Why are most of the middle class artisans and not farmers?
They have a surplus of food so not many people need to be farmers.
What is a ziggurat?
A large temple used for worshiping gods
What is an epic?
A long poem about a hero
What were the two rivers that ran through Mesopotamia?
The Tigris and Euphrates
What was a woman's role in Sumer?
They took care of the home and children. They had few civil rights.
What is an artisan?
Someone who is skilled in a particular trade or job
How did cuneiform help advance the Sumerian culture?
They started to write down their stories instead of telling them orally.
They were able to keep official records of history, mathematics, and technology.
What are the pros and cons of the floods?
Pro- the flood leaves behind silt which makes crops easier to grow
Cons- people can get hurt, it can ruin the current crops, buildings can get damaged
What did city-states go to war over?
Resources, political borders, and glory/territory
What is cuneiform?
An ancient way of writing created by the Sumerians.
Written by cutting wedge-shaped marks into damp clay.
How did Sumerians alter the process of farming?
They created an irrigation system
What do historians know about ancient city-states in Mesopotamia?
They believe each city-state was protected by a large city wall. They know this because they have found artifacts.
Why did it flood mainly in the spring?
There was more rain and the snow was melting from the mountains.