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Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
Chapter 3 Review Study Guide
Big Ideas:
1. The valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the site of the world’s first
civilizations.
2. The Sumerians developed the first civilization in Mesopotamia
3. The Sumerians made many advances that helped their society develop.
4. After the Sumerians, many cultures ruled parts of the Fertile Crescent.
Review and define the following key terms, people and places.
Fertile Crescent
Rural
Reeds
Surplus
Urban
Polytheism
Social hierarchy
Pictographs
Temples
Hammurabi
Nebuchadnezzar
Irrigation
Epics
Ur
Sargon
Monarch
Alphabet
Ziggurate
Empire
Gilgamesh
Silt
Cuneiform
Chariot
Tigris
Comprehension and Critical Thinking.
Read each pair of the following pairs of sentences, and cross out the FALSE sentence.
1. a. Mesopotamia lay between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River.
b. Mesopotamia lay between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.
2. a. Irrigation decreased the amount of food available to Mesopotamia.
b. Irrigation increased the amount of food available to Mesopotamia.
3. a. A social hierarchy existed among the Sumerians because of wealth.
b. A social hierarchy existed among the Sumerians because of religion.
4. a. Sumerians were the first to build wheeled vehicles.
b. Sumerians were the first to build water-powered vehicles.
5. a. Hammurabi’s Code was important because it provided for equality.
b. Hamuurabi’s Code was important because it was written down for all to see.
Answer the following main idea questions.
1. Which two land forms features gave Mesopotamia its name?
2. Who served as the link between the Sumerians and the gods?
3. Explain why Mesopotamia built canals.
4. Why did city-states fight each other for farmland?
5. What was the resource for which Phoenicia was well known for?
6. What did Sargon’s empire have in common with other Mesopotamian city-states?
7. What was the most likely reason Ziggurats were tall?
8. What was the relationship between trade and the spread of the Phoenician
alphabet?
9. What technology did the Hittites and Assyrians use in battle?
10. What city did Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar both help build up?
11. What present-day city is located at the old site of Babylon?
12. Approximately how long ago did Hunter-gatherers settle in Mesopotamia?
13. Could Sumerian woman become important religious leaders?
14. Which military leaders defeated all the city-states of Sumer and conquered
northern Mesopotamia?
15. What city-state rose to power after the death of Sargon I?
16. What king became a legendary figure in Sumerian literature?
History and Geography: Sargon’s Empire, c. 2330 BC
Review the map on page 61 and answer the following questions.
1. How far west did Sargon’s empire stretch?
2. What factor may have limited the growth of Sargon’s empire?