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Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent (Chapter 3)
Section 1: Geography of the Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia was located in between the _______________ and _________________
Rivers. Mesopotamia means “___________________________”. It is modern day
___________. It is also known as The Fertile Crescent.
The most important geographic feature in Mesopotamia were the _____________. Fertile
land and the nearby rivers helped ___________ grow well. However, unpredictable
________ destroyed crops, homes & animals. Flooding left behind ________, a mixture of
rich soil and tiny rocks. People learned to _______________ the water by using
_________________, a way of supplying water to an area of land. They used ____________
and built up the ____________ of the river to hold back the water.
Irrigation and better tools, such as the _________ and ___________________ led to a
surplus of food. A surplus of food was followed by a ______________________, meaning
workers can specialize in one particular __________.
*Why was Mesopotamia a perfect place for people to settle and create the 1st civilization?
Section 2: The Rise of Sumer
The first group of people to build a __________________ settlement in Mesopotamia was
the ________________________. In time, another society developed along the Tigris and
Euphrates. It was created by the _________________. The Sumerians and Akkadians lived in
peace for many years. But, in 2300BC, the Akkadian king _______________ broke that
peace. He was the first ruler to have a ____________________________. He used that army
to launch a series of __________. He defeated Sumer and many of his other neighbors. This
created the world’s first ______________. Eventually, the Sumerians did regain power.
__________________ shaped society and was very important to the Sumerians. They
practiced _________________, the worship of many gods. The Sumerians believed
everything in life depended on _________________ the gods. Sumerians worshiped their
many gods at a special temple called a __________________. It was in the middle of town
and was the center of Sumerian cities.
The Sumerian society was ______________ by rank of class. ____________ were at the top.
They were thought to have been chosen by the gods to rule. Nobles and ______________
were just below kings. Below them were craftspeople, _______________, and traders. Next,
________________ and laborers made up the large _________________ class. Slaves were
at the bottom of the social order.
Label the social hierarchy of Sumer with the people who were in each class.
UPPER CLASS
MIDDLE CLASS
WORKING CLASS
Development of Civilization
CIVILIZATIONS have _____________________________, ____________________________,
________________________________, ________________________, _________________
and _________________________.
Section 3: Sumerian Achievements
The Sumerians made one of the greatest cultural achievements in history. They developed
________________________, the world’s first writing system. They used sharp tools called
__________________ to make wedge-shaped symbols on ___________ tablets. Cuneiform
was first developed as a way to keep ___________________________________.
The Sumerians also invented the _________________, carts and wagons, the plow, and a
math system based on the number ____.
Section 4: Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
Around 1800BC, a new power rose in Mesopotamia. They were the
_____________________, led by their king, Hammurabi. Hammurabi was a brilliant _______
leader, but he is most well-known for his set of 180 ________, Hammurabi’s Code. They
were important because it was the first set of ______________ laws, each crime had a
specific _______________________, and many of his ideas are still used in laws
_________________.
In another part of the Fertile Crescent was a land known as ___________________. They
created a wealthy _________________ society along the Mediterranean Sea. They traded
__________________, silver, ivory, ________________ dye, and slaves. The Phoenician’s
most important accomplishment was the development of an ______________________. It
became widely spread because of the Phoenician’s widespread _______________________.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Label the map with the two rivers and trace the rivers in blue.
Outline the area of the Fertile Crescent in green.
Label the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
Label the two continents on this map.
Be prepared to
label a map on
your test!