Mesopotamia questions Flashcards
Why is the Fertile Crescent good for farming?
Access to water helped with farming and trade routes
Who ruled in times of peace and war in ancient Sumer?
Akkadian king
What was the purpose of Hammurabi’s Code?
ensured that there was a consistent system in place for people to solve problems and understand their place within society.
What is Mesopotamia?
“the land between the rivers.”
Why did the Sumerians trade with other cities?
Sumer lacked natural resources like metal and wood.
What are the Sumerian social classes?
Landowners, free people who did not own land and slaves
What makes Mesopotamia the World’s first civilization?
Ancient Mesopotamia is considered the birthplace of writing and with it, recorded history
What are the 3 major challenges the Sumerian cities faced and how did they solve them?
Unpredictable flooding and no natural barriers - built earth walls, called levees, along the sides of the river to prevent flooding
providing water - they dug irrigation ditches that carried river water to their fields and allowed them to produce a surplus of crops
limited resources - traded with surrounding cities
Who was in charge of the irrigation systems in the cities?
Government
Why was writing invented?
keep track of trade
What was at the top of the ziggurat? Who worked there?
A shrine. Only priests were permitted there
Where is Mesopotamia located?
Between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
6 characteristics of a civilization.
- Cities
- Organized Governments
- Art
- Religion
- Class divisions
- Writing system/record keeping
In The Epic of Gilgamesh…
Enkidu and Gilgamesh brought trees back to their city
Why did the gods create humans?
to provide them with food
