Mesopotamia

What were the social classes in Mesopotamia?

There were rural and city residents

How did the social classes of Mesopotamia feel towards each other?

the city residents saw themselves as more advanced and civilized than rural residents

What hierarchies began to develop in the Mesopotamian society?

social and gender hierarchies developed and later became more complex

How were Mesopotamian politics organized?

developed " the state" that was a more complex form of organization of power

Who led the Mesopotamian city-states?

often a family (hereditary kings) or religious leaders

What did the leaders of the Mesopotamian city-states do?

they wrote laws/codes, created more elaborate social hierarchies which led to social division, and created bureacracies and taxation

What natural features of the Mesopotamia area made it difficult to keep the area safe?

it has no natural protective barriers making it a target to invaders from the North

What did the invaders from the North do in Mesopotamia?

they united Mesopotamian city-states into larger empires and spread Mesopotamian culture

What natural features of the Mesopotamian area made the area desirable?

allowed sustained agriculture along the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers

How did the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers assist in agriculture?

the Mesopotamian areas developed to bring water from the fields

What did the development of irrigation systems mean for society?

resulted a steady supply of food leading to in larger-population

What did larger populations mean in the Mesopotamian society?

allows a division of labor, growth of cities, development and writing (cuneiform), epic poetry and literature, and the creation of math based on units of 60-basis of our units for hours and minutes

What did cities of Mesopotamia depend on from the country sides around it?

food produced in the surrounding countrysides

What was the economy in the cities of Mesopotamia?

producing tools and trade

What does Mesopotamia mean and why was it named that?

"between the rivers" because it was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

What was the Fertile Cresent?

the land around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

What made the Mesopotamia area of land so fertile?

the regular flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers created fertile silt but was also unpredictable