Discovery Education, Unit 2, Chapter 3:Mesopotamia

Question 1

Which present day country is located where ancient Mesopotamia once existed?

Answer 1

Mesopotamia was located where modern Iraq and eastern Syria are today.

Question 2

The major cities of anxient Mesopotamia were located between…

Answer 2

The Tigris and Euphrates River

Question 3

What were the 3 important cities in Mesopotamia? Where were they located?

Answer 3

Eridu, Ur, and Uruk. Located along the Euphrates River.

Question 4

Describe the soil of Mesopotamia.

Answer 4

Rich/fertile for crops

Question 5

What 2 things were a problem for Mesopotamia farmers?

Answer 5

The climate and annual floods made it hard to farm.

Question 6

How did they get water for crops year round?

Answer 6

Irrigation

Question 7

What stopped the rivers from flooding?

Answer 7

Irrigation. They had to figure out how to control the water to become successful farmers.

Question 8

Advances in _______ allowed Mesopotamians to become more successful farmers.

Answer 8

agriculture

Question 9

What invention allowed them to plow and plant at the same time?

Answer 9

Seeder plow

Question 10

They domesticated what? How did this help them?

Answer 10

Domesticated animals, they were used for food and farm work.

Question 11

Because of a surplus of food what happened?

Answer 11

Not everyone had to farm. They could do other things for work.

Question 12

Mesopotamia did not produce all the resources it needed. But there was one thing they produced a lot of and traded it. What was it?

Answer 12

An abundance of crops

Question 13

What did they trade?

Answer 13

Grains, oils, and textiles.

Question 14

What did they trade for?

Answer 14

Gems and wood

Question 15

How did people get to trading centers?

Answer 15

By lad or sea. They used boats and donkeys to transport their goods.

Question 16

Trade meant more ______ for Mesopotamia.

Answer 16

growth

Question 17

What religion were Mesopotamians?

Answer 17

Polytheists

Question 18

What does polytheism mean?

Answer 18

Worshiped many different gods, connected to nature and to certain aspects of life.

Question 19

Each city had its own what?

Answer 19

God

Question 20

What was built to workshop their gods?

Answer 20

A ziggurat. They had temples and altars to the gods as well as long staircases for the gods to descend to Earth.

Question 21

How do they believe their kings were chosen?

Answer 21

By their gods. The king and priests were in charge of religious ceremonies that were conducted to please the gods.

Question 22

Who was in charge of religious and administrative matters of the city-state?

Answer 22

Priests and government officians

Question 23

Who was the primary political and religious figure?

Answer 23

The king

Question 24

What did artisans do?

Answer 24

Made goods for the city-state

Question 25

What did a merchant do?

Answer 25

Traded goods among city-states and between different ancient cultures.

Question 26

What did a scribe do?

Answer 26

They were the official record-keepers of society.

Question 27

What did farmers do?

Answer 27

Grew the food that allowed the civilization to thrive. In return, they received protection from the king.

Question 28

Who was at the bottom of the social pyramid and had no power?

Answer 28

Enslaved people

Question 29

Why did many people want to conquer Mesopotamia?

Answer 29

It was a rich land

Question 30

What was Sumer?

Answer 30

A loose group of city-states between the Tigris and Euphrates River.

Question 31

What was the Akkadian Empire? Who was the first king?

Answer 31

The first major empire in Mesopotamia. Sargon was the first king.

Question 32

After the Akkadian Empire collapsed, who conquered Mesopotamia?

Answer 32

The Babylonian Empire

Question 33

What was the largest of the four empires?

Answer 33

The Assyrian Empire. They conquered lands easily but they had difficulty maintaining control of their empire.

Question 34

Who was Nebuchadnezzar? What did he do?

Answer 34

Chaldean Empire’s King. Ruthless conquerer, organized many great building projects in the capital city of Babylon.

Question 35

What did the invention of the calendar do?

Answer 35

Helped them predict floods.

Question 36

How did the cuneiform alphabet make things easier?

Answer 36

One of the first written languages. Made it easier to communicate and keep detailed records.

Question 37

What was the Epic of Gilgamesh?

Answer 37

The first recorded story It deals with many ideas found still in literature today.

Question 38

What 2 inventions made farming easier?

Answer 38

The wheel and the plow.

Question 39

What tools increased the complexity of what they could do and make?

Answer 39

Metal and ceramic tools

Question 40

What did Hammurabi’s Code of Law call for?

Answer 40

Punishment by humans, not gods

Question 41

Hammurabi’s Code established equivalent punishment. What does this mean?

Answer 41

An eye for an eye

Question 42

Were tradesman and lawmakers held to the same standard as ordinary citizens?

Answer 42

Yes. To prevent unfair rulings.

Question 43

Hammurabi’s Code called to protect what types of people?

Answer 43

Orphans, widows, and the downtrodden.

Question 44

Hammurabi’s code provided what for the people?

Answer 44

Stability to the system of laws and punishment. Inspired many other legal systems.