1
Tigris and Euphrates rivers are located in
Mesopotamia
Silt makes the region a good place for
farming
Due to the surplus of food not everyone had to be farmers. People could be
soldiers, scholars, & teachers
People of Sumer invented a system of writing called
cuniform
After years of studying a student became a
scribe
City-states were often at war with each other to
gain control over the rivers
Sumerians practiced polytheism in a temple called a
Ziggurat
Two largest cities in Mesopotamia
Ashur & Nineveh
Hammurabi's code of laws were called
Code of Hammurabi
The Jewish people are descendants of
Abraham & Sarah
God made a covenant with Abraham that he and his children would belong to a land called
Canaan
God gave Moses the ________________ on Mount Sinai
Torah
Many specialized Gods is called
polytheism
Water was moved from the mountains to the city through an
aqueduct
Often at war , a _________________________ would protect itself against attack with a thick wall.
City-state
Farming was made possible in dry areas by use of canal ______________________
irrigation
The region only got a few sprinkles of rain each year causing a _________________________.
The rivers deposit ____________________ as they flow south, making it a good place for farming.
drought
silt
Mesopotamia is a desert due to _________________ of the soil.
erosion
In 2300 B.C. Sargon created the first great ____________________ in history.
empire
God made a special _______________________ with his people.
covenant
The Israelites saw Moses as a __________________ who spoke for God.
prophet
Many Jews were scattered away from their homeland. This was called a _________________.
Diaspora
To protect against floods , farmers built a system of _____________________.
levees
What type of writing did the Sumerians use? Why was it such an important development?
They invented a system of writing called cuneiform. It was one of the earliest systems in the world. It is made by scratching a wet clay tablet with a reed pen.
How did Moses help the Jewish people?
Moses was a prophet who speaks for God. He led the people out of slavery and into Canaan. God gave Moses the Torah which had the Ten Commandments in it.