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Term
Who
Ch. 1 Section 2 Notes
What
When
Where
Mesopotamia
“Land
Between
Two Rivers”
3,000
BC
Tigris &
Euphrates
Rivers
The Fertile
Crescent
3,000
BC to
present
Irrigation
Walls,
ditches, and
waterways
that bring
water to
crops
Southeastern
region of
Mesopotamia
3,000
BC to
present
3,000
BC
Southern Iraq
City-state
A city with
its own
government
that was not
part of a
larger
government
3,000
BC
Sumer
Ziggurats
Sumerian
temples that
dominated
city-states
3,000
BC
Sumer
Artisans
Skilled
workers who
made goods
by hand.
3,000
BC
Sumer
Sumer
Why Is It
Important?
Iraq
This is the location
where the earliest
know civilization
formed.
Mediterranean The unpredictable
Sea to the
flooding of these two
Persian Gulf
rivers leaves behind
rich fertile soil called
silt.
Anywhere
It allowed farmers to
grow plenty of food
and support a large
population
Because these cities
made contributions
that included the
wheel, sail, and
plow, and legal codes
that still help modern
civilizations today.
Because these cities
were isolated, travel
and communication
was difficult. They
fought each other for
glory and to gain
more territory. They
built city walls for
protection.
They were built to
please the gods.
Their powerful
priests controlled
most of the land.
They produced the
metal goods, cloth,
and pottery that was
traded for
agricultural
surpluses.
Term
Ch. 1 Section 2 Notes Continued
Who
What
When
Where
Cuneiform
Earliest
3,000
know writing BC
system
Epic of
Gilgamesh
Long poem
about a
Sumerian
King
He
conquered
and united all
of
Mesopotamia
Sumerian
City
Sargon
King of
Akkad
Babylon
Hammurabi King of
He created
Babylon the
Babylonian
Empire
3,000
BC
2,349
BC
1,800
BC
1,792
to
1,750
BC
Why Is It
Important?
Sumer
Sumerian record
keepers called
scribes used wedge
shaped markings
and clay tablets to
keep records.
Sumer
It is the world’s
oldest know
example of
literature.
Northern
He set up the
Mesopotamia world’s first
empire which
lasted 200 years.
Mesopotamia The city quickly
became a center of
trade and the
center of a greater
empire.
Babylon
He collected the
best laws from
each city-state and
combined them to
make the first
written legal code.