Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent

Question 1

What is Monotheism?

Answer 1

A belief in one god.

Question 2

What is Polytheism?

Answer 2

A belief in many gods.

Question 3

Define Please:

Answer 3

To try to make someone else happy.

Question 4

Define Appease:

Answer 4

To make someone happy by meeting their demand.

Question 5

What are some pros of perment settlement?

Answer 5

• Stronger relationships and communities
• Local Jobs/Businesses (More people to work)

Question 6

What are some cons of permanent settlement?

Answer 6

• Overpopulation (Too many people with more people coming in)
• Social Inequality (People who have stayed there longer think they are better than the newbies)

Question 7

What are the Characteristics of Civilizations?

Answer 7

Architecture, Religion, Cities, Language/Writing System, Art, Job Specialization, Social Hierarchy, and Government.

Question 8

Explain floods in Mesopotamia:

Answer 8

Floods could be unpredictable and very violent and destructive. Farmers were never sure when to plant their crops because of the risk of a flood.

Question 9

What does “Mesopotamia” mean?

Answer 9

“Land Between the Rivers”

Question 10

Where is Mesopotamia located?

Answer 10

In modern-day Iraq, in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Question 11

What is cuneiform?

Answer 11

The first written language made by the Sumerians in 3200 BCE. It uses wedge-shaped marks and is enscribed on clay tablets. It was initially used for record keeping, and later developed for many Mesopotamian languages.

Question 12

What is slavery?

Answer 12

Slavery is when a person is stripped of their freedom and forced to work with no wage under a master’s commands.

Question 13

Why did slavery develop in the ancient world?

Answer 13

So slaves could do people’s work for cheap wage.

Question 14

What does Hammurabi’s code tell us about the Babylonian society? (Be able to write 2-3 sentences on this)

Answer 14

Men were favored over women and people were placed in a social hierarchy.

Question 15

What are some geographic features that surround most Babylonian cities?

Answer 15

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers, semiarid flat-land, and many rivers.

Question 16

Why would people settle in Babylonia?

Answer 16

People would settle in Babylonia because of the fertile land, the jobs, the stable government, and the natural resources (water and crops).

Question 17

Did Hammurabi’s territory grow or shrink by 1750 BCE?

Answer 17

Hammurabi’s territory grew by 1750 BCE because he had a stable law code and he had ruled for many years so people worshipped him.

Question 18

How was King Hammurabi king for so long?

Answer 18

King Hammurabi stayed a king for so long because he had a very stable law code that kept people in order. Also, he made many infuencial changes in Babylonia and untmately gained much of southern Mesopotamia.

Question 19

What led to the rise and fall of Mesopotamian city-states? (Be able to write 2-3 sentences about this)

Answer 19

Wars. The city-states were constantly fighting each other so that would weaken them when they lost and strengthen them when they won.

Question 20

How did the wheel benefit Sumerians? (Be able to write 2-3 sentences about this)

Answer 20

The wheel gave transportation and helped agricultural systems (plows).