A Difficult Environment
Mesopotamia is located in the modern-day city of _____ .
Iraq
What allowed Neolithic people to farm in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains?
The region had plenty of rain.
Why did the rivers flood in the spring?
Snow melted in the mountains where the rivers began.
Suppose you are a Sumerian farmer and you don't like having to clean out canals. What might happen if you refuse to help?
The system could clog up and ruin everyone's crops
What is the major flaw in the Sumerian system of canals that flowed through many different cities?
Cities located upriver could block the water flow for cities downriver.
The land of Sumer was _____ and _____.
hilly and dry
What was the major disadvantage to the rapid population growth in the foothills?
food shortages
The Sumerian farmers controlled the water supply with ____, ______, and ______ .
levees, canals, and dams
What caused Sumerians to build communities?
the need to maintain irrigation systems
Why did Sumerians build walls around their cities?
to protect themselves against attacking neighbors
The name of Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was _____ ______ _____.
between two rivers
What solution did people in the Zagros foothills find to fix the problem of food shortages?
moving to the south; to the plains of Sumer.
What was the key to successful farming in Sumer?
controlling the water supply
Why did farmers clean canals regularly?
A clogged canal could spoil the entire system.
kept water away from another city
The earliest settlements in Mesopotamia were like small independent countries. They are called _____.
city-sates
One factor that made farming difficult in the area of Sumer was _____ .
lack of rainfall
What was the chief purpose of dams and reservoirs?
to store water for later use
Why was silt a problem for the people of Sumer?
It clogged the irrigation canals
The people of Sumer constructed moats for what reason?
to protect cities from attacks
The weather of ancient Sumer was ____, and there was _____ _______.
hot, little rain
What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?
increase in population
If you were in ancient Sumer, you might see a levee beside a river. Why was the levee built?
to prevent floods
Why did the villages of Sumer depend on each other?
They cooperated to keep the water systems working.
Using natural resources found in the environment, Sumerians built strong wall with ________ .
bricks made of mud