Geography
Mesopotamia was located in the _______ and ______ River Valley.
Tigris and Euphrates (must say both to receive points)
What was the name of the Mesopotamian writing system?
Cuneiform
Name one of the leaders and the Mesopotamian society/empire that they led.
Correct answers include: Gilgamesh/Sumer Sargon/Akkadian Empire, Hammurabi/Babylonian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar/(Neo-) Babylonian Empire
What is polytheism?
Must define as a religion or belief system with many gods (may give examples)
Why was this region called the Fertile Crescent?
Answer must define fertile (re: land/farming) and crescent shape (may describe location)
How was Mesopotamia's timekeeping system similar to that the one we use today?
Answer must explain the base-60 system. Answer might also describe other aspects of the Mesopotamian calendar!
How did the invention of the wheel affect trade?
The answer should explain how wheels work (ex. on carts), and how they could help people carry things more easily and farther ... which means that people could transport goods far and wide to buy and sell them. Answer may explain more about the impact on the economy.
What is a ziggurat, and how was it used for religion, social, or political purposes?
Answer should describe a ziggurat as a large building (shaped like a pyramid with steps). Answer may explain that temples were at the top of ziggurats, and may explain or infer that people performed religious rituals there. Answer may also explain that ziggurats houses governmental offices. Answer may also make an inference about how ziggurats were built and what that shows about technology or labor.
What does it mean that the earliest Mesopotamians domesticated animals?
Answer should convey the idea that: they trained and bred animals to live with humans and meet human needs (answer may give an example) (answer may explain that domesticated is the opposite of wild)
What was the Epic of Gilgamesh?
Answer should explain that this was a long story (poem) about the adventures of King Gilgamesh; answer may explain that (1) he was king of Uruk, a city in Sumer, (2) the story follows his friendship with Enkidu and the journey Gilgamesh takes after Enkidu dies, and (3) the story includes Sumerian gods. Answer may share more details from reading about this story in English class!
What was Hammurabi's Code, and what is something it shows about life in Mesopotamia?
Answer should identify this as a code of laws written and enforced by King Hammurabi and his government. Answer may paraphrase an example law we studied and make an inference about power, violence, strictness, in/equality of social roles (age, gender, class, other), etc.
Name one of the gods of Mesopotamia and what they represented.
Correct aswers include: Ishtar the goddess of love, fertility, war, and other things (also known as Inanna); Enki god of water, knowledge, etc.; Enlil god of air, wind, storms; OTHERS you know that i do not???
How did Mesopotamians use their river environment to develop a farming society?
The answer should explain how the river flooded regularly, providing silt that fertilized the soil, which made the land good for farming... answer may also describe (1) how Mesopotamians developed irrigation to manage the water floods and droughts and (2) other benefits of river water for cleaning, drinking, transportation by boat, fishing, etc.
What was irrigation such an important invention for the people of Sumer?
The answer should explain how irrigation works as a system of managing water, perhaps with examples like canals/dams/dikes/wells/etc. (answer may talk about contemporary irrigation technology as well). Answer should also explain why irrigation was so important for productive and sustainable farming. Answer may also explain how irrigation prevented death and damage by flood.
What is an agricultural surplus, and why was it important to the Mesopotamian economy?
Answer should define a surplus as an excess of food that can be stored for future use (winter, crises, etc.). Answr should also explain how surpluses allow for population growth, wealth accumulation, and/or job specialization.
Describe the social structure (pyramid) of Mesopotamia (4 groups of people)
The answer should describe the following classes or groups in order of power: 1. king and royal family, 2. priests and military commanders, 3. farmers, (fishers,) merchants, artisans, 4. slaves; the answer may evaluate or intepret this social structure, power dynamics, and un/fairness of it; answer may also address gender and the rights that women did and didn't have