Mesopotamia Power Point

Question 1

Where was the Fertile Crescent?

Answer 1

The area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Question 2

What were some of Mesopotamia’s important “firsts”?

Answer 2

• Written language
• Law codes
• Important inventions
• Complex cities
• Large public works

Question 3

What are some of the characteristics of a “Civilization”?

Answer 3

• Agriculture
• Social Hierarchy
• Organized Cities
• Organized Trade
• Consolidated Oral Language System
• Organized Religion

Question 4

What is important to remember about the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?

Answer 4

• Overflowed their banks and deposited silt.
• Silt made the soil very fertile.
• Fertile soil was great for agriculture.
• But the rivers would often have terrible floods.

Question 5

Who were the Mesopotamians? Where did they come from?

Answer 5

They originated from Bronze Age nomadic tribes.

Question 6

What bound the Mesopotamians together?

Answer 6

• Language
• Religion
• Trade

Question 7

What were the important Mesopotamian city-states?

Answer 7

• Ur
• Akkad
• Assur
• Nimrud
• Nineveh

Question 8

Which people would the Mesopotamians “give birth” to later on?

Answer 8

• Assyrians

* Babylonians

Question 9

Agriculture was important to Mesopotamia. What were some of the crops they grew?

Answer 9

Barley was the main crop.

Grapes and dates were also grown.

Question 10

What animals were important to Mesopotamia?

Answer 10

Sheep

Question 11

What made trade possible for the Mesopotamians?

Answer 11

Farmers grew more food than they needed.

(Went from sustenance farming to surplus farming.)

Question 12

What were buildings and cities made from?

Answer 12

Bricks—made from clay mixed with water and strengthened with straw, then dried in the sun.
Later fired in kilns which made them stronger.

Question 13

Why were bricks made from clay the primary building material in Mesopotamia?

Answer 13

Wood and metal were scarce.

The soil was full of clay.

Question 14

Mesopotamian cities were well planned. What were they like?

Answer 14

Complex streets.
• Brick walls.
• Housing based on class—both quality and location.
• City center with markets and wells for water.
• Religious buildings such as the ziggurat.
• Cities could hold large populations.

Question 15

What were some of the important inventions of the Mesopotamians?

Answer 15

• Wheel
• Sailboats
• Plow
• Time
• Complex irrigation techniques
• Writing

Question 16

What did the invention of the wheel do for the Mesopotamians?

Answer 16

Used on carts which made trade easier

Use on early chariots—transportation and warfare

Question 17

How did the Mesopotamians measure time?

Answer 17

60 second minutes, 60 minute hours

Question 18

What was important about improvements in irrigation?

Answer 18

Made farming easier and led to agricultural surpluses which led to trade

Question 19

What was Mesopotamian writing called?

Answer 19

Cuneiform

Question 20

When was cuneiform writing developed?

Answer 20

Around 3500 BCE

Question 21

What was writing used for in Mesopotamia?

Answer 21

At first it was used to record concrete ideas: records of kings, battles, floods
Later became more complex: laws, religious texts, social ideas

Question 22

How many cuneiform characters were there?

Answer 22

600-1000 depending on the time period

Question 23

What is one of the oldest surviving pieces of writing surviving?

Answer 23

Epic of Gilgamesh—a compilation of poems about the hero Gilgamesh

Question 24

What was Hammurabi’s Code?

Answer 24

A collection of 284 laws dated to 1753 BCE. Punishments based on the crime and on the class of the person who committed the crime and the victim. Made public on stone tablets throughout the kingdom

Question 25

What were the two regions of Mesopotamia?

Answer 25

North = Akkad
South = Sumer

Question 26

What was the northern region of Mesopotamia like?

Answer 26

• Some natural resources (wood and metal)
• More mountains
• Climate not as harsh as the south

Question 27

What was the southern region of Mesopotamia like?

Answer 27

• Climate more arid (dry)
• Needed to develop complex irrigation
• Few natural resources
• Relied more on trade

Question 28

What did Mesopotamia export?

Answer 28

• Grain
• Pottery
• Textiles
• Baskets

Question 29

How were goods transported for trade?

Answer 29

• River/sea routes as well as land routes
• Trading outposts
• Caravans

Question 30

What did Mesopotamia import?

Answer 30

• Metals—copper and tin
• Wood
• Exotic foods
• Luxury items—gold, silver, jewels

Question 31

Where did imports come from?

Answer 31

India

Mediterranean region

Question 32

What was religion like in Mesopotamia?

Answer 32

• Polytheistic—many gods
• Tried to deal with important questions such as Who are we? What is our purpose?
• Had festivals and celebrations based on celestial happenings, royal celebrations, and religious events.

Question 33

Who were some of the important gods in Mesopotamia?

Answer 33

An (god)
Ki (goddess)
Enlil (their son—most powerful god)

Question 34

Was Mesopotamia mostly rural or urban?

Answer 34

While there were important cities, it was mostly an agrarian society.

Question 35

What were the gender roles?

Answer 35

It was a patriarchal society:
Men worked in the fields.
Women worked in the home. They had rights–could own property, apply for divorce.

Question 36

What are some examples of art that was created in Mesopotamia?

Answer 36

• Pottery—decorated pots and tablets
• Statues—made from stone and clay
• Carvings—made from ivory, bone, stone
• Textiles
• Metal objects

Question 37

What were a few of the interesting architectural features in Mesopotamia?

Answer 37

Glazed brick.
Painted sculptures made from clay.
Brick figures and shapes in architecture.

Question 38

If you are asked to write about Mesopotamia, how many things could you remember to say about this ancient civilization?

Answer 38

1. Civilization of many "firsts" :
 Creators of written language
First masters of architecture
Created the framework for other civilizations in the region
2.  Created early trade routes
3. Complex society:
government structure
law codes
art and architecture
tools
religion and philosophy
4. tied multiple peoples together in a loose confederation through religion, language and trade