mesopotamia

Question 1

silt?

Answer 1

fine particles of fertile soil

Question 2

irrigation?

Answer 2

a system of watering crops

Question 3

surplus?

Answer 3

an amount of things left over after needs have been met

Question 4

bartering?

Answer 4

exchange (goods or services) for other goods or services without using money.

Question 5

city-state?

Answer 5

a city that governs itself

Question 6

polytheism?

Answer 6

a belief in more than one god

Question 7

ziggurat?

Answer 7

a temple to worship the gods

Question 8

cuneiform?

Answer 8

a type of writing that involves pressing a stylus onto soft clay

Question 9

scribe?

Answer 9

a person who writes

Question 10

epic?

Answer 10

a long poem

Question 11

empire?

Answer 11

multiple city states ruled by one ruler

Question 12

tribute?

Answer 12

a payment to someone

Question 13

province?

Answer 13

division of certain countries

Question 14

in what modern-day country did mesopotamia begin?

Answer 14

southern iraq

Question 15

what were the names of the two rivers which surrounded mesopotamia?

Answer 15

tigris + euphrates

Question 16

what two major environmental problems did farmers face in dealing with these rivers throughout the year?

Answer 16

they dried up in the summer.

they flooded in the spring.

Question 17

how did the sumerians overcome these “natural” issues with the rivers?

Answer 17

they made dams and canals

Question 18

what did having extra food allow the sumerians to do?

Answer 18

it allowed people to do other work than just farming.

Question 19

explain the concept of a barter economy. why do you think this type of economy is barely used today?

Answer 19

trading for something without money.

Question 20

describe a typical mesopotamian city-state, and how each city-state interacted with one another.

Answer 20

circle with a wall around it with a ziggurat in the middle.

would trade in peace but they would fight too.

Question 21

explain the 3 social classes and who was included in each in this society.

Answer 21

high class- priests, warriors, kings
middle class- merchants, fishermen, artisans
low class- slaves

Question 22

explain 2 reasons why the development of writing was so important.

Answer 22

• it keeps track of our history

- to communicate

Question 23

list at least 4 major contributions/inventions of the mesopotamians (sumerians included).

Answer 23

• writing
• boats
• wheel
• chariot

Question 24

who was hammurabi and what was his major contribution to society? why was this contribution so important?

Answer 24

the emperor of babylon. he made the first set of laws.

Question 25

describe the concept of an “eye for an eye.”

Answer 25

the punishment should fit the crime.

Question 26

how is hammurabi’s code similar to the laws of the united states? how are they different? provide two explanations for each.

Answer 26

similar- death is involved,

different- no eye for eye, punishments aren’t as harsh

Question 27

why do you this area of southwest asia is nicknamed the “cradle of civilization?”

Answer 27

civilizations first started there.