Vocabulary
What is a city-state?
A large community that acted like a small country with its own laws and government.
What were most Mesopotamian buildings made of?
Mud bricks that had been dried out in the sun.
Which season of the year had too much water?
Spring
What would farmers do when an enemy army was approaching the city?
They would run behind the city walls.
What is irrigation?
A way to control and move water flow
Which seasons of the year did not have enough water?
Fall, Winter, and Summer.
What did Sumerians build to protect their cities?
They built walls and dug moats.
What is a levee?
a wall of earth built to prevent a river from flooding
Describe the area near the Zagros Mountains (Northern Mesopotamia).
Hilly, a lot of rain, a lot of natural resources (wood and stone).
Name two parts of the irrigation systems built by Ancient Mesopotamians.
Dams, Levees, Canals, Pools for collecting water for farming.
What was the main reason why Ancient Sumerians cities had disputes (conflicts)?
They fought over the right to use water.
What is silt?
fine particles of rock and clay (similar to sand)
What happened to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers during the spring?
Snow melted from nearby mountains causing the rivers to overflow and flood the area.
Why did irrigation systems have to constantly be repaired and maintained?
Silt (fine particles of rock) would get stuck in the levees and cause the water to get blocked up.
Why was ancient Mesopotamia a difficult region to defend?
The land was mostly flat with few natural defensive barriers like hills or valleys.
What does Mesopotamia mean in Greek?
The land between two rivers (Tigris and Euphrates).
Why did early Mesopotamians move out of the Zagros mountains?
There was not enough land for farming.