2.1 - Mesopotamia

Question 1

Polytheism

Answer 1

A belief in many gods.

Question 2

Fertile Crescent

Answer 2

An arc of rich farmland in southwest Asia, between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea.

Question 3

Mesopotamia

Answer 3

A plain included in the Fertile Crescent where an early river valley civilization formed. It means “land between the rivers.”

Question 4

City-State

Answer 4

A city and its surrounding lands functioning as an independent political unit.

Question 5

Dynasty

Answer 5

A series of rulers from a single family.

Question 6

Empire

Answer 6

A political unit in which a number of peoples or countries are controlled by a single ruler.

Question 7

Cultural Diffusion

Answer 7

The spreading of ideas or products from one culture to another.

Question 8

Cuneiform

Answer 8

A system of wedge-shaped writing developed by the Sumerians in 3,000 B.C.

Question 9

Sargon

Answer 9

Sargon of Akkad, a conqueror, took over the city-states of Sumer in 2,350 B.C., creating the first empire. He controlled land from the Mediterranean Coast to present day Iran. The empire lasted about 200 years.

Question 10

Hammurabi

Answer 10

The ruler of Babylon during its peak, from 1792 to 1750 B.C. He is most famous for his code of laws.

Question 11

Gilgamesh

Answer 11

Some of the richest accounts of Mesopotamian life was written in an epic about a king called Gilgamesh.

Question 12

Identify the environmental challenge the people from Sumer faced in Mesopotamia and the solutions that allowed them to overcome these challenges.

Answer 12

Unpredictable flooding led to the development of irrigation ditches, a lack of natural barriers led to the development of city walls, and limited natural resources led to the trade of wheat and barley.

Question 13

In Sumerian culture, who took control during times of war?

Answer 13

Military leaders and warriors

Question 14

Identify the Importance of Temple Priests.

Answer 14

Priests controlled ziggurats, irrigation systems, and were believed to be able to understand the Gods.

Question 15

Identify the social class structure of Sumer.

Answer 15

From top to bottom: Kings and priests, wealthy merchants, ordinary citizens, and slaves.

Question 16

Which of the following came first?

   - Nomadic warriors, the Amorites, invaded Mesopotamia and established the Babylonian Empire.
   - Hammurabi ruled Mesopotamia.
   - Attracted to good soil and flat swampy land, Sumerians arrive in Mesopotamia.
   - Sargon defeats the city-states of Sumer.

Answer 16

Attracted to good soil and flat swampy land, Sumerians arrive in Mesopotamia.