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Honors World History- Chapter 3 Mesopotamia Study Guide
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Vocabulary
You will be responsible for knowing the following terms:
Civilization
Empire
Division of Labor
Social Hierarchy
City-state
Scribe
Code of Hammurabi
River Valley Civilization
Agriculture
Canal
Irrigation
Fertile Crescent
Surplus
Polytheism Silt
Cuneiform
Pictograph
*Note – You will have map questions on this test
Pictograph: symbol that represents a word or phrase; this was the first type of writing before the
sumerians invented cuneiform
Cuneiform: wedge-symbols that were written on clay tablets; world’s first system of fully developed
writing; invented by sumerians
Social hierarchy: divides society by rank or order based on the job they had (today we base it on money
Short Answer Questions:
Directions: Answer the following questions with as much information as possible.
1. What was early writing used for?
-keep business records (trade, growing crops, etc.)
2. Mesopotamia did not receive much rain. Explain (in detail) how people were able to grow crops
there. (4 elements are needed)
-developed irrigation systems to provide h20 to areas of land
-dug canals
-developed plows to increase production and break up tough soil
-silt deposited on farmland from the tigris and Euphrates rivers
3. Who is Sargon? Why is he remembered in history? What about Hammurabi?
Sargon: conquered the Akkadian Empire; created world’s first empire; had a permanent army
Hammurabi: created world’s first written set of laws
4. Describe the type of religion that they had in Ancient Sumer.
Polytheistic religion (belief in many gods); they were based on the elements (earth, water, air) and they
believed that their gods were all-powerful (could bring disaster or prosperity)
5. Describe with detail the social hierarchy of Ancient Mesopotamia. (draw the pyramid)
Kings-supposedly the choice of the gods
Priests-served as the link between the people and the gods in Meso.
Skilled Workers: merchants, traders, skilled laborers; brought in $ to mesopotamia
Farmers-not considered skilled labor, hard work; common person’s job, lived outside city walls
Slaves-do the work no one else wants to do
6. Describe the “eye for an eye” theory behind the Code of Hammurabi. Was it “fair?”
Eye for an eye basically meant that if someone did something to you, you could do it back to them.
The laws in Mesopotamia were not fair to the lower classes-the punishments were not as severe for
the upper classes hurting the lower classes. Also, women were not treated equally under the laws
7. List the 5 characteristics of a civilization. Out of the five characteristics of a civilization,
Give an example of each as it applies to Mesopotamia!
Stable food supply: farming in Mesopotamia created a surplus due to the irrigation systems and floodin
of the rivers.
Social Hierarchy: list the social hierarchy and explain.
Division of Labor: workers specialized in specific jobs to help society function (give examples on test)
Highly Developed Culture: they had system of writing, religion, education, etc.
System of Government: They had a monarchy in which king was supreme ruler
8. Name a few Mesopotamian inventions and what they were used for.
9. Explain what a city-state is and an empire. Compare and Contrast them.
City-state; independent city composed a city and the countryside around it
Empire: many city-states made up of different territories ruled by 1 leader