Download Mesopotamia Background Informationcomp

Mesopotamia Background Information
Worksheet
English IV
1. When did the real king Gilgamesh live? 2700 before Christ
2. When was the story of Gilgamesh written as an epic poem? 600 years
after his rule or 2100 B.C.
3. What is the purpose of all of the questions in the second paragraph of
the first page of the packet? What idea do you think the author is
trying to represent?
The facts are doubtful; we may never know the truth
4. What does the word Mesopotamia mean in Greek?
The land between two rivers.
5. Why is Mesopotamia difficult to defend?
There are no natural boundaries.
6. What Biblical setting is said to have existed in Mesopotamia?
The Garden of Eden
7. Why is another name for Mesopotamia the fertile crescent?
It is easy to grow crops there, which is unusual because the land around
it is desert.
8. Who are the principal Mesopotamian gods and what were they
responsible for? A
Anu – sky god
Sin – moon god
Enki – water god
Enlil – wind god
9. What happened to the land when Ishtar was trapped in the
underworld?
The land’s fertility was disrupted.
10. What did Austrian archaeologists determine after twenty years of
digging?
The site of an ancient Ziggurat or temple tower.
11. Who built the Ziggurat? When?
King Nebuchadnezzar built the Ziggurat 2500 years ago.
12. Which of the seven wonders of the world is discussed in this packet?
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
13. Which two rivers surround Mesopotamia?
The Tigris and the Euphrates
14. What is the present day equivalent of Mesopotamia?
Modern day Iraq and parts of Syria.