2. Mesopotamia and Early Egypt Flashcards
What does Mesopotamia mean?
The land between the rivers
Which rivers was Mesopotamia between?
Euphrates and Tigris
T or F: The fertile crescent was contained within Mesopotamia.
F - Mesopotamia was in the fertile crescent
How did Mesopotamians deal with unpredictable water supply?
irrigation, drainage ditches, and all of that bc flooding was not fun (it came from snow melting from mountains)
Which 3 people groups contributed to Mesopotamia?
Assyrians, Akkadians, Sumerians
Who were the first people to live in mesopotamia?
Sumerians
What were city-states?
Cities that expanded to gain politcal and economic control over the surrounging countryside - basic units of sumerian civilization
T or F: The natural defenses in mesopotamia were pretty bad so city states were surrounded by walls.
T - Uruk had a 6 mile wall with towers every 30-35 feet.
Population of Uruk
50000 ppl
What were mesopotamia houses made out of?
Mud bricks
What was religion like in mesopotamia?
Polytheistic
3,000 gods and goddesses
Humans must obey and serve gods, they’re unpredictable
What was a ziggurat?
A temple on a massive stepeped tower that had a lot of purposes. Center of the city physically, economically, and politically. Also had food.
Who had the most power in Sumer?
Priests and priestesses and Kings - it was believed that they got their power from gods.
What stuff did Sumerian people make?
wool textiles and pottery, mostly metalwork
What kind of metals did the Sumerian people use?
Copper, gold, silver - they also made bronze
What did Sumerians barter/trade?
wool, barley, dried fish, wheat, and metal goods for copper, tin, and timber
When was the wheel invented?
about 3000 bc, good for trade
What were the main 3 sumerian social groups?
nobles (royal, priest), commoners (farm - up to 90% of ppl, merch, fish, crafts), and slaves (cloth, grain grind, build projects, farm land for rich)
What writing did the sumerians come up with?
cuneiform with reed stylus and baked clay tablets
what were the main purposes of writing for sumerians
mostly record keeping, some scribe training (scribe is big role bc you can write :O)
T or F: The sumerians wrote the epic of gilgamesh in cuneiform.
T and he never becomes immortal
Tech advancements of sumerians
Wheel, sundial, bronze, number system based around 60 (also hour), geometry, constellations
What is an empire?
a large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories.
Who set up the first empire in world history?
Sargon, leader of Akkadians (around 2340 BC)
How big was Sargon’s army?
5400 men
T or F: Sargon killed off the former rulers of city states he conquered.
F: He used them as governers
Who was Naram-Sin?
Sargon’s grandson who also waged a lot of wars. He called himself the King of the Four Corners of the Universe and declared himself a god. He ruled from 2260 to 2223 bc (he died right around then).
How and when did the Akkadian Empire fall?
Attacked by neighbors - 2150 bc (ish)
T or F: Sumerians and Akkadians were both in power until the fall of the Akkadian empire.
F - the Sumerian city states got super conquered by the Akkadians.
T or F: After the fall of the Akkadian empire, a new empire immediately took over.
F - there was a return to independent city states and a lot of warfare until that happened
How did Hammurabi take over Sumer and Akkad?
- Good army with foot soldiers wielding axes, spears, and copper or bronze daggers
- divided opponents and subdued them one by one
When and what did Hammurabi do when ruling?
1792 - 1750 bc
Called himself the “sun of Babylon,…the kind who caused the four quarters of the world to render obedience.”, established capital at babylon, had a famous code, died
What happened to Hammurabi’s empire when he died?
Weak kings couldn’t keep empire united –> got invaded
T or F: Hammurabi’s code was harsher if your social class was lower.
True
T or F: Punishments were pretty lenient in Hammurabi’s code given today’s standards.
False - they were super harsh and “eye for an eye”
T or F: Hammurabi’s code was forgiving towards public officials.
False (ignore class here): Fail to solve a crime and you give the person what they lost, judge rules wrong and gets punished
T or F: In hammurabi’s code, the builder of the house would be put to death if the house fell on the person inside and killed them, even if there was a natural disaster or something
True
T or F: Marriages were entirely arranged and made legal by the parents.
True
T or F: Mesopotamian society was matriarchal.
False
What gave men the right to divorce their wives under Hammurabi’s code? What happened to women if they neglected the home or humiliated the husband?
Failure to fulfill duties
inability to bear children
tried to leave home to engage in business >:(
drown