Download Mesopotamia Study Guide

Mesopotamia Study Guide
Vocabulary
Study all Vocab. Words!!!
Know the following material:
The two major rivers in Mesopotamia
-Tigris and Euphrates – how flooded and left rich soil (silt)
The first civilization
-Mesopotamia – why did it start there? Hint – rivers, rich soil…
The area between the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf
-Fertile Crescent
Important contributions made by Mesopotamia
-Wheel – faster in war, easier to harvest, could travel farther, accomplish more
-Writing system, cuneiform – 1st known writing, kept records, business (scribes)
-Irrigation – levees/dams/ditches/canals – allowed for surplus, led to division of labor
-Money – Lydians – 1st coins – everyone wanted wealth
-Mathematics – kept track of sales, place value (Babylonia)
Why Mesopotamia built such huge religious temples – ziggurats
-show the importance of religion to society –gods lived on top
How Mesopotamia farmers solved the problem of low rainfall
-irrigated their crops/fields
What allows people to control when and how much they water their crops?
-irrigation – important because of dry season
How did the people of Mesopotamia get the things they lacked?
-Trading – Mesopotamia did not have enough natural resources and had to look to other city-states.
Could not travel far by foot because of mud flats and deserts, had to resort to the rivers. Trade was done in
city-centers in the city-states. City-centers was a Mesopotamian creation that helped with trade. Everyone
would meet there. City-states were independent governments, cultures, traditions, beliefs, etc. These were
small areas of people that were separated from others because of the mud flats and deserts. City-states only
answered to themselves and had their own rulers/kings.
How were kings chosen in Mesopotamia?
-Kings chosen by the gods
Who was abandoned on a river, raised by a farmer, and soon became king
-Sargon – created 1st empire in Mesopotamia – conquered entire area
“An Eye for and eye and tooth for a tooth” is part of what set of laws?
-Code of Hammurabi – famous king who conquered 20 of the 30 city-states of Mesopotamia.
Punishment was sometimes cruel. Took into account the status/wealth/social position of the guilty party and
of the victim. 282 laws that dealt with almost every facet of life. He set the path for thorough, written laws.
Polytheism
-Belief in many gods – all of Mesopotamia was polytheistic, except the Israelites (Hebrews). They
were monotheistic (belief in one god). They started Judaism.
The essential element for human development
-Fresh Water
Surplus and how it affected the rise of civilization (vocab. word)
-having more than you need. An extra supply.
-Allowed Mesopotamia to grow and become powerful (city-states, city-centers)
The link between heaven and earth for Mesopotamia
-Ziggurat
The Sumer class system
1. Kings and Priests
2. Wealthy Business people, Government Workers, Land Owners
3. Farmers/Artisans (people who worked with their hands)
4. Slaves
The inventor of the modern alphabet
- Phoenicians
The inventor of the first coins
 Lydians
Babylonia
-what was their advancement in math? Place Value
Monotheism
-Belief in one god