Geography/Climate
Why did the first civilizations start between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?
It was ideal for farming and a source of water.
What is Cuneiform?
Mesopotamian writing
Who wrote a very well-known code of laws?
Hammurabi
The Mesopotamians believed in many gods. This made them __________________________.
Polytheistic
What is IRRIGATION?
The process of watering crops
How would you describe the weather in Mesopotamia?
Hot and dry
For what purpose did the Mesopotamians use mud bricks?
War heroes became the first __________________.
kings
What culture/country believed in one God?
The Israelites
What group of people made jewelry, pottery, metal products, cloth and clothing?
Artisans
Describe the soil in the land near the rivers in Mesopotamia.
fertile
Why did the Mesopotamians create levees?
What groups of people did Hammurabi's laws discriminate against?
The poor and those enslaved. The punishments for harming these groups were less than for other people groups.
For what purpose was the first writing in Mesopotamia used?
To keep track of business transactions
Which workers were the at the lowest level of society?
Slaves and prisoners
Which region in Mesopotamia had rockier soil and increased rainfall?
Northern Mesopotamia
For what purpose did the Mesopotamians use wet clay tablets and a sharpened reed?
Writing - They kept a record of business and trade with it.
Scribes were one of the very few that could __________ and _____________.
read and write
What groups made up the middle class in Mesopotamia?
Fishers, farmers, merchants and artisans
What does MESOPOTAMIA mean?
The land between two rivers
Besides the seas, what two geographical landforms border much of the Fertile Crescent? (especially to the east and north)
How did the Mesopotamians protect their cities from invaders?
They built walls around their cities
The Mesopotamians needed a strong army, laws, control over food supplies, building projects, and organization in their cities, so they created a _________________.
Government
According to the Mesopotamians, who controlled nature and what did the people do because of that belief?
They believed the gods controlled nature. They would offer sacrifices and pray to please the gods.
Where did the silt come from, and how did the silt help the farmers in Mesopotamia?
The rivers left the silt behind after a flood and it improved the soil for the farmers ?
List three ways the rivers helped the people of Mesopotamia.
Fishing, fresh water for drinking, traveling (trade), water for crops, silt for soil, etc.
Which THREE of the following are Mesopotamian inventions? Written language, the wheel, the copper axe, the 60-based number system, fire as a tool
Writing, the wheel, 60-based number systems
What was the first empire?
The Akkadians
Why is Mesopotamia known as the "Cradle of Civilization"?
Describe a Code of Hammurabi that was unfair.
Answers vary (punishments for harming slaves was less than harming a freeman, harsh consequences, etc.)