Mesopotamia A difficult environment
What were the two rivers this section talks about?
Tigris and Euphrates
What was one area that had good conditions for growing crops?
Zagros Mountians
What problem did the farmers who moved to sumer face?
Irrigation systems were helpful but what was the issue they came with?
They were a lot to take care of
The Sumerians progressed from living in small farms to?
city-states
Why was it difficult to live in the northern part of the fertile crestent?
The land was hilly and rainy
What did wooded hills provide for building shelters?
Timber
what did Sumerian farmers begin creating for their fields?
Irrigation systems
The canals were often clogged so the farmers had to do what?
Clean them out
Having enough food
Why was it difficult to live in the plains of the fertile crescent?
The river flooded it often.
What happened when there was not enough land to grow food for the population?
Food shortage
What did they build along riversides to prevent flooding?
Levees
The solution to taking care of the canals is?
working together across the communities
What did the Sumerians build their walls out of?
Mud
What were the 4 major problems did Mesopotamians faces?
Food shortage, Uncontrolled water, difficulties in building, and attacks by neighbors.
Farms can be successful on the plains because?
Water
True
What happened as they worked with other communities?
They joined together into one larger community
What was the major way the Sumerians protected themselves?
They dug trenches around their walls
True or False: Mesopotamians found solutions to their problems.
True
Why did people move out of the foothills and onto the plains?
They needed to grow food.
Once they learned how to control it what did they do with the water?
Collect it
Some towns in sumer became large cities with how many people?
Thousands
What was the main fight with neighbors about?
Water