Download DBQ: Achievements of Ancient Civilizations

DBQ: Achievements of
Ancient Civilizations
Document 1
What were the three accomplishments of the
Sumerians?
The three major accomplishments of the
Sumerians are the creation of complex cities, the
development of copper and bronze tools and
weapons, and the development of cuneiform, the
world's first known writing system.
What impact did Sumerian accomplishments
have on other civilizations.
Sumerian innovation set a precedent for future
civilizations, giving a wonderful example of what
was soon to come.
Document 2
What type of legal system did Hammurabi set up?
Hammurabi set up a consequence-based legal system.
All actions had tangible (often brutal) consequences.
For example, and eye for an eye.
Why did Hammurabi want to set up a system of
laws?
Hammurabi wanted to unify his empire and create
some sense of order.
What impact did the Code of Hammurabi have on
world cultures?
The Code of Hammurabi, like the Sumerian
achievements, set a precedent for future civilization. It
not only showed that laws could exist in an empire, but
that they also unified an empire.
Document 3
According to the excerpt, what technology is
being used?
An irrigation system is being used to water the
crops. Shadufs are part of the process.
How does this technology work?
Farmers dug ditches and canals for water to flow in
and then raised water from pools into ditches with a
shaduf.
How did this technology contribute to later
societies?
It's used in the Middle East today to create more
arable land.
Document 4
Why were the pyramids built?
They were built as a resting place for the spirit of
the pharaoh in the afterlife.
How were the pyramids built?
The pyramids were built with huge blocks of stone
that were moved into place by groups of peasants
and other workers (slaves).
Document 5
How would you describe the Chinese system of
writing?
The Chinese system of writing is, like many early
writing systems, oriented around pictographs and
other symbolic entities.
What impact did a written language have on
China?
Written language helped unify the various lands
and peoples in China.
Document 6
What made the cities along the Indus unusual for
their time?
The cities had an organized plan with separate
residential and business sectors, similar to our
cities today. The cities also contained impressive
engineering feats, notably the integration of
plumbing and sewer systems in most houses.
What impact did this urban planning have on
later civilizations?
It set a precedent and acted as an examples for
later civilizations.