Mesopotamia

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Mesopotamia

• Study Guide

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1. What are the six elements all civilizations
have in common?

• Cities
• Government
• Religion
• Art
• Class division
• Written language

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2. What is irrigation?

• Method of bringing water from another place to
  water crops

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3. What is a city-state?

• Independent state made up of a city and the
  surrounding land and villages

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4. What is cuneiform?

• Sumerian system of writing made up of wedge-shape
  markings

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5. What is an artisan?

• Skilled craftsperson

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6. Mesopotamia is the land between which two
rivers?

• Tigris
• Euphrates

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7. What is the importance to living in a river
valley?

• The water nearby allowed for great farming
  conditions

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8. What is the name of the southern region of
Mesopotamia

• Sumer

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9. Why did they build a wall around the
city-state?

• Protection

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10. What does polytheistic mean?

• Belief in many gods

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11. What is the name of the temple that was built
to honor the gods?

• Ziggurat

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12. In Sumer, who was in the upper class?

• Priests
• Kings
• Government officials

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13. In Sumer, who was in the middle class?

• Farmers
• Artisans
• Fishers
• Merchants

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14. In Sumer, who was in the lower class?

• Slaves

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15. Why is Mesopotamia called the cradle of
civilization?

• The ideas of the Sumerians spread throughout world

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16. What is a scribe?

• Record keeper

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17. How many months were in the Sumerian calendar?

• 12

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18. Name 3 things Sumerians invented?

• Wheel
• Plow
• Sailboat

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19. Who was the king of Babylon that was the
first to write down laws?

• Hammurabi

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20. What was name of these first laws?

• Hammurabis Code or Code of Hammurabi

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21. If a man broke another mans arm, what would
be his punishment?

• The man would have his arm broken

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22. What was the most common punishment we
discussed in Hammurabis Code?

• Death

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23. True or False? Hammurabis Code is an
important step in creating a fair justice system.

• True

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24. What was the language of Ancient Babylon that
is still spoken in Iraq today?

• Aramaic

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25. What empire took over after the fall of
Babylon?

• Assyria

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26. The Assyrian Army was the first to use these
type of weapons?

• Iron

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27. This was the capital of the Assyrian Empire?

• Ninevah

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28. Who was the king of the Chaldean Empire?

• Nebuchadnezzar

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29. Who did the Chaldeans lose their empire to?

• Persians

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30. Why was Babylon the richest city in the world?

• Located at the center of major trade routes
• Hanging Gardens and Ishtar Gate

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31. What is an empire?

• Group of territories or nations under a single
  ruler or government

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32. The Epic of Gilgamesh is very similar to
which story in the Bible?

• The story of Noahs Ark
• Remember The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest
  known story written down

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33. Who was the worlds first emperor?

• Sargon of Akkad