Unit 2: Early River Civilizations I: Civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Rise of Judaism | SECTION 1

The Fertile Crescent is in what modern day countries?

Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.

What was the Fertile Crescent?

Region of the Middle East named for its fertile soil and golden wheat fields. It was considered a crossroads of trade where people and ideas met and mingled. This area had few natural barriers like mountains and oceans.

What does Mesopotamia mean and where is it located?

Means “between the rivers” and is located between the Tigris and Euphrates River (in The Fertile Crescent).

What was Sumer?

Sumer was the world’s first civilization, located in southeastern Mesopotamia (near the Persian Gulf and inside of Mesopotamia).

Because of being near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, what occurred often?

River flooding was common and would wipe away topsoil and destroy homes made from mud bricks.

How did the Mesopotamians solve river flooding?

They built dikes (to hold back water) and dig irrigation ditches that brought water to fields.

What materials did the Sumerians lack?

They lacked timber and stone.

What were the first cities?

Ur and Urak.

What materials did the Sumerians use in order to make homes?

Clay which was then turned into mud-brick.

What early invention did the Sumerians create?

First wheeled vehicles.

How was Sumer divided and what did each of the division battle over?

Sumer was divided into 12 separate city-states that battled over water and land.

What is Bureaucracy?

Divided responsibilities among different groups of people.

What were the responsibilities of the rulers?

They led the army, enforced laws, and employed scribes to keep records. They were also considered the chief servant of the gods.

What is a hierarchy and how was it situated in Sumer?

A hierarchy is a system of ranking groups based on how valued their job was.

Top: ruling family, head officials, high priests (smallest)

Middle: lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans

Bottom: peasant farmers (largest)

Bottommost: slaves

Did women have equal rights in Sumer?

No, but they did hold a decent amount of rights.

What is Polytheism?

Belief in many gods.

What did the Sumerian city-states build to honor their city-states’ god?

They built ziggurats.

What is the earliest known form of writing?

Cuneiform, which is wedge shaped symbols that represented objects, plants, animals, etc and was made by pressing a stylus into a clay tablet.

What math related topics did the Sumerians make?

The Sumerians made algebra, geometry, and the number system based off of 6.

What science related topics did the Sumerians study?

They studied astronomy, named thousands of plants, animals, and minerals, and created medicines that were stored in a catalog that sorted them based on body parts.