Mesopotamian Culture
What did the Sumerians invent?
The wheel, writing, the arch and dome and the base 60 system we use to tell time.
Sumerian society declined because of what factors?
Environmental factors: drought and dust storms
Which civilization was the first empire in world history?
The Akkadians?
City with its own government, religion and laws
city-state
The first group to settle in Mesopotamia
Sumerians
The belief in many gods
Polytheism
Why did people settle and begin communities in this area?
Excellent land for growing crops
What is Godnapping?
The practice of stealing the gods of conquered nations to reduce morale and hope.
What are some benefits of living by a river?
Food, rich soil/silt, transportation
What were the earliest set of laws called?
The Code of Hammurabi
What is the name of the stone pillar that Hammurabi's Code was carved on?
A stele
Mesopotamia is known as the "Cradle of __________"
Civilization
Who was the first king of the Akkadians?
Sargon the Great
This stretch region extends from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Persian Gulf in the east. It is the birthplace of farming and Mesopotamian civilization?
The Fertile Crescent
The people who conquered the Sumerians
The Akkadians
The largest building in most Sumerian cities was a huge mud brick temple called?
ziggurat
What is Mesopotamian writing called?
Cuneiform
How long did the Assyrian empire last?
1400 years
What did the early Mesopotamians build to help with farming?
Irrigation canals
What societies or way of life became before Mesopotamia?
Hunting and Gathering or Neolithic
This was Mesopotamia's earliest epic?
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Mesopotamia is Greek for:
Land Between Two Rivers
The first major library was located where?
Nineveh in Assyria.
What are the names of the two rivers Mesopotamia is between?
The Tigris and the Euphrates.
The Sumerians were also skilled in what?
writing, mathematics, astronomy