Mesopotamia Flashcards
Try to answer questions from the study guide that might be on the test.
What does the word Mesopotamia mean?
Land between rivers (Tigris and Euphrates)
What modern day country was Mesopotamia located in?
Iraq
Why did people first begin to settle in Mesopotamia?
Irrigation systems, rivers running through for transportation, good infastructure, fertile soil (silt), and floods which gave fertile soil.
Why do historians refer to Sumer as the world’s first civilization?
It is located in the Southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamia, which is where the cradle of civilization is. Sumer was the first place to have the 5 traits of a civilization.
Why was a ziggurat so important to Sumerians?
Ziggurats were important because it was the center of their religion and city life. They were built so that their place of worship was closer to the heavens.
What is a brief description of the layout of a Sumerian city-state?
Shape of a square, and the ziggurat and king’s palace are at the center. The richer people live in the nicer houses closer to the ziggurat, while the poor live in smaller houses closer to the edge of the city. Built along riverbanks, and a wall surrounds the outside.
What was the first writing system and why was it developed?
Cuneiform was invented because scribes needed a faster way to write down information and keep business records.
What are some achievements of Sumerians?
First to invent writing, wheel, trade, irrigation, plow, abacus, and mud bricks. They also were the first civilization.
What did Hammurabi do that was so important?
Made a code of laws, and formed the first Babylonian empire.
What was the goal of Hammurabi’s Code?
To keep order in his land, justice, and more rights. He did not believe in equal treatment, though.
Why were written laws so important to the city?
- Helped Hammurabi rule the empire
- Everyone could see the laws
- Written laws were permanent
- Justice in the city
- Consistent punishments
What was the Exodus?
The Exodus was when Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt and got the Ten Commandments on the mountain.
What is the Hebrew religion?
A monotheistic religion that believes in Judaism. They had Synogogues which were their temples. They had a leader called a rabbi. They are descendants of Abraham, and they had two religious books called the Torah and the Talmud. They follow the Ten Commandments.
Who were the Phoenicians?
They lived on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and they had to rely on their dye and wood to get them basic goods to live.
Why is the alphabet an important Phoenician achievement?
It helped formed our alphabet and was spread to other places in Mesopotamia.
