Approximately what years were Mesopotamian civilizations in power?
4000 BC to 500 BC
What civilizations/empires were part of Mesopotamia over time?
Sumerians, Assyrians, Akkadians, Hittites, and Babylonians
What was the oldest Mesopotamian civilization?
Sumer
What empire destroyed Sumer?
Assyrian empire
What modern day country is home to ancient Mesopotoamia?
Iraq
What mountain range is to the north of Mesopotamia?
Zagros Mountains
What deserts are to the south and west of Mesopotamia?
Syrian and Sahara
How did the mountains and deserts of Mesopotamia help the people?
provided natural defense borders and runoff from the mountains brought annual flooding
What rivers flowed through Mesopotamia?
Tigris and Euphrates
What body of water do the Tigris and Euphrates flow into?
Persian Gulf
What are some inventions of the ancient Mesopotamians?
wheel, plow, cuneiform, 12 month calendar
What is silt?
fertile soil that is left behind on the banks of the river after flooding
How did the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers help the people?
brought fertile soil they could use to fertilize their crops and grow enough food to support a city-state
What does Mesopotamia mean?
land between the rivers
The land between the rivers is also known as
The Fertile Crescent
What is irrigation?
a system of ditches, dams, canals, and channels used to control and use water for agriculture
What is cuneiform?
Mesopotamian writing using wedge shaped symbols
What tools did Mesopotamians use to write with?
clay tablets and a stylus
Why did Mesopotamians need to start writing?
to document yearly trade and agriculture records
What is a scribe?
someone that went to school (edubba) for 12 years to learn how to read and write
Who made up the upper class in Mesopotamia?
king, priests, scribes, members of the royal family
Who made up the middle class in Mesopotamia?
farmers, artisans, merchants, craftsmen, fisherman
Who made up the lower class in Mesopotamia?
slaves
What are ziggurats?
religious temples built to honor the patron gods/goddesses of the city-state
What is polytheism?
belief and worship of many gods
What is monotheism?
belief and worship in one god
Who appointed kings to leadership?
the gods
What is the Epic of Gilgamesh?
an epic story about king Gilgamesh, and his quest for revenge for the death of his friend Enkidu and immortaility
Who was Hammurabi?
Babylonian King who created a widely known law code - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
What was Hammurabi's Code?
282 laws as told to King Hammurabi by Mesopotamian god Shamash - harsh punishments encouraged people to not break the law
Who was Sargon?
an Akkadian king that created the world' first known empire. He pillaged and destroyed city states as he conquered them and gained power through terror.
Who was Nebuchadnezzar?
a Babylonian king that allegedly built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
An example of the geographic theme of movement.
trade developed in Mesopotamia between different city-states. People used rivers and roads to move goods from place to place.
An example of the geographic theme of region.
the Middle East
An example of the geographic theme of human-environment interaction
irrigating the land to grow crops
an example of the geographic theme of location
present day Iraq - on the continent of Asia
an example of the geographic theme of place
had ziggurat temples, 2 major rivers, hot and dry, made mud brick houses, worshipped many gods, ate dates and barley, only boys went to school, slept on house rooftops
Explanation:
