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Chapter 4: the Rise of City Sumerian States Study Guide
Ancient Sumer is located in Mesopotamia, an arc shaped region in the Middle East.
the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers run through this region.
Summer is located in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains.
In this chapter, you have learned how geographic
challenges led to the rise of city-states in Mesopotamia.
Food Shortages in the Hills A shortage of food forced people
to move from the foothills of the Zagros Mountains to the plains
between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This plains area
became Sumer.
Controlling Water Supply on the Plains Farmers in Sumer
faced times of flooding and drought. They built irrigation systems
to create a steady water supply. Maintaining these complex
systems required cooperation among villages.
From Farming Villages to City-States As villages grew into
towns and cities, some became large city-states with protective
walls around them.
The earliest settlements in Mesopotamia were
like small, independent countries. They are
called city-states.
The fact that the sun was hot, and there was little rain made
Sumer a difficult environment to live in.
The major disadvantage to the rapid population
growth in the foothills was food shortages.
The need for food drove
people to move out of the
foothills to the plains of Sumer.
The foothills provided conditions that were good
for farming and building shelters. People settled in
one place, and the population grew.