Download Review Sheet for Mesopotamia Test - Hewlett

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Date: ___________
Review Sheet for Mesopotamia Test
Why did people move away from the Zagros Mountains? The mountains were
getting too populated. There was not enough room to farm.
Why did people move to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers? They
moved there because the land was fertile for farming and there was a fresh
water source.
What major problem did farmers have to deal with once they moved to
Mesopotamia? They had to deal with the uncontrollable water supply.
What modern day country is Mesopotamia located in? Iraq
Government
What ruler had a significant impact on the government and law of Mesopotamia?
King Hammurabi
What evidence do we have of law in Mesopotamia? We found Hammurabi’s Code
with all the laws written in cuneiform.
What is one example of Hammurabi’s Code? Was this law harsh or fair? One
example is eye for an eye.
What do Hammurabi’s laws tell us about society at that time? This tells us that
some people were treated unfairly due to their social status. Society was also
strict. People were not looked at equally.
Language
What was the written language of Mesopotamia? Cuneiform
What were the benefits of the written language? Name at least two reasons.
(How did it help the people of Mesopotamia?) The language helped people
communicate. It also helped scribes keep records of crops, trade, taxes, etc.
Who were the people that recorded information? Could anyone have this job?
Scribes were people who could write. Only boys from wealthy families could have
this job.
What materials did scribes use to write with? Reeds and clay tablets.
Advances in Technology
Invention
How did it help life in Mesopotamia?
Seeder plow
Writing
It allowed farmers to seed and plow at the same time, which let
farmers farm faster.
Helped keep records, it helped people communicate
Sail
It helped people navigate across rough waters
Wheel
It helped people move from place to place faster and easier
Number system It helped people keep records, keep a sense of time, to use math
based on 60
Calendar
It helped people keep track of dates, hold religious festivals
Religion
Were the people of Mesopotamia monotheistic or polytheistic? What evidence do
we have of this? The people were polytheistic. We know this because we found
evidence of the ziggurat, which was where they went to pray to multiple gods.
Each city-state dedicated their ziggurat to one particular god although they
believed in many gods.
What was the purpose of the ziggurat? It was used to pray to many gods and to
store/distribute extra crops.
Why was the ziggurat located in the center of the city-state? So that everyone
could see it and it was easier to get to. Religion was at the center of their lives, so
the ziggurat was at the center of the city-state.
Food Supply
What was the main source of food for the people of Mesopotamia? Fish and
farming
How did people control water to help their farms? What is one example of this
process? They controlled it through irrigation. One example is that they dug
canals, built levees, dams.
How did irrigation help form city-states? Irrigation formed city-states because
the canals were originally connected between farms, so farmers had to help one
another. Then they came together to form city-states.
When was irrigation a challenge? Irrigation was a challenge when the silt clogged
up the canals or when the irrigation systems flooded.
Economy
What was the economy of Mesopotamia? Trade
What were some goods that people traded? Oil, textiles, precious stones, grains,
wine
Why did the people of Mesopotamia have to trade? They had to trade because
they did not have enough natural resources.
Name one way that people transported goods and why it was helpful. Through
sailboat, through a cart, donkey, walking, river raft. These all helped people
because it helped transport goods and people faster.
Social Structure
Draw the social pyramid and label it with the appropriate specializations
Upper class: priests, landowners, government officials, kings
Middle class: Merchants, artisans, farmers, fisherman
Lower class: Slaves
People of higher social class lived closer to the center of the city-state.