Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

From Flashcardlet > 6th - SS Chapter 3 Notes > Flashcards

6th - SS Chapter 3 Notes Flashcards

(72 cards)

Start Studying
0
Q

Is a wide, flat plain in present-day Iraq which lies between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers?

A

Mesopotamia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
1
Q

Is a region of the Middle East that stretches in a large, crescent-shaped curve from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea and includes Mesopotamia?

A

Fertile Crescent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does Mesopotamia mean?

A

Land between the rivers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Where did the world’s first civilization (Sumer) emerge or rose up?

A

Mesopotamia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

About 5,000 BC, farmers from the northern part of the Fertile Crescent began moving south in search of what?

A

More fertile soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Why was this Fertile Crescent such a great place to settle?

A

Rivers provided a permanent source of fresh water, the soil was very rich, and also contain fish which could be eaten.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Before the people could start farming, they needed to solve the problem of the low rainfall. What did they do?

A

They dug many miles of trench and ditches that brought water from the rivers to their fields - developed and irrigation system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

With the development of improved farming techniques, what happened?

A

The population of the villages began to grow and thrive.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

By 3,500 BC, Uruk, Kish, and Ur had become what?

A

City-states

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Why did people no longer need to move around searching for new sources?

A

Due to the surplus of food

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

People were able to become what?

A

Farmers, religious leaders, artisans, crafts people and traders

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What did Mesopotamia consist of?

A

The city-state of Sumer in the South and the region of Akkad in the North.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What was the main difference between the people in the North and in the South?

A

Their language - in Sumer they spoke Sumarian and the Akkad spoke Akkadian (similar to Hebrew)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What was a large Sumarian city-state? Outside of the city were vast farm fields that supplied the city with food.

A

Uruk

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What were the pyramid-shaped brick temples called?

A

Ziggurats

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What was the Sumerians social classes like?

A

There were three distinct classes with the government and religious beliefs firmly connected. The upper class included government and religious leaders, the middle class included farmers and skilled workers and the lowest class’s was mostly slaves.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Who were the first kings of Sumer and why?

A

They were military leaders because protection was such an important issue.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What type of religion did Sumerians practice?

A

Polytheism - the belief in more than one God

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Who did the Sumerians believe were the only ones able to communicate with the gods?

A

The priests - they were very depended on priests to tell them what the gods wanted. As a result, the priests had a very important role in Sumerian society.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Why did Sumerians need to develop a system for writing records?

A

Because they participated in many businesses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What involved pressing a pencil-like writing instrument called a stylus into wet clay tablets leaving wedge-shaped markings?

A

Cuneiform

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What did this groupings of wedge-shaped marking mean?

A

They stood for words, concepts, or sounds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Was writing an important achievement?

A

Yes, it was a Great Leap Forward in the development of civilization.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is an example of literature that Archaeologists under covered?

A

Epic of Gilgamesh - this poem tells about the adventures of a legendary Sumerian King

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
What was another example of an important advancement in technology?
The development of bronze - one of the first cultures to make bronze by mixing copper and tin
25
What did they use bronze for and why?
They used bronze to make better tools and weapons because bronze is a harder metal then copper
26
What did the bronze weapons later play an important role in?
The growth of cities into large powerful states
27
As the Sumerian kings struggled for power, years of frequent fighting amongst themselves allowed for what?
The fighting amongst themselves weaken the Sumerian city-states eventually leading to the conquest of Sumer
28
What Akkadian leader formed the world's first empire by conquering the Sumerian city-states and uniting much of Mesopotamia?
Sargon
29
What did Sargon do to control such a large empire?
He appointed local rulers - each served as king of the land he oversaw.
30
How long was Sargon able to control the Akkadian empire?
More than 50 years
31
After Sargon death, the Akkadian empire decline but what did its contributions do?
Helped other civilizations to advance
32
What was a small unimportant city on the Euphrates River, near present-day Baghdad, Iraq, that was taken over by the Amorites?
Babylon
33
Who became king of Babylon about 1792 BC?
Hammurabi
34
After solidifying his power and building up his army, he launched into a series of attacks against other Mesopotamian city-states. Within a few years, what had he accomplished?
He had united southern Mesopotamia into what we now call the Old Babylonian empire or Babylonia
35
What is Hammurabi best remembered for?
The creation of the Hammurabi's Code
36
How many laws were in the Hammurabi's Code?
282
37
What did Hammurabi's Code establish and enforced?
Rule of law - all members of society - even the rich and powerful must obey the laws
38
What was the basic pattern did each law follow?
First the offense is described and then listing the punishment. For example, if you steal something, your hand gets cut off.
39
Hammurabi was an excellent military leader and a skilled ruler. What did he do to create a strong government?
He sent his own governors, tax collectors, and judges to rule distant cities.
40
What happened to the Babylonian empire?
The empire collapsed after the death of Hammurabi in 1750 BC. But it is remembered as a great empire
41
Where were the Assyrian people centered?
Northern Mesopotamia along the Tigris River
42
From 1900 BC to 600 BC, Assyrians did what to their empire?
Expanded their territory
43
At its largest the Assyrian empire included what area?
It stretched north from the Persian Gulf across the entire Fertile Crescent and southwest into Egypt.
44
Who was the Assyrian's King when their empire was at it largest and most powerful?
King Ashurbanipal
45
In order to control their vast empire, the Assyrians divided the empire into what?
70 smaller units of government called provinces.
46
What was the capital of the Assyrian empire?
Nineveh
47
What did Ashurbanipal build in the capital of Nineveh?
A library - filled it with cuneiform tablets on subjects such as law, literature, mathematics, and science. Some 20,000 of these tablets survive today which is an important source of knowledge about Mesopotamian history.
48
Who did the Assyrians learn iron working from? And why is that important?
They learned iron working from the Hittites. It is important because iron weapons and tools are far stronger than bronze.
49
Enemy attacks lead by whom weakened the Assyrian empire?
Nebuchadnezzar II
50
Nebuchadnezzar spent much money on large building projects in Babylon. What was his most famous project?
The Hanging Gardens - elaborate gardens built on a series of stone terraces
51
However Nebuchadnezzar soon faced a new threat from whom for control of the area?
Persians
52
What was formed to the east of Mesopotamia, in what is now Iran?
Persia
53
In 550 BC, who led the Persians to victory over the Medes and won the Persians' an empire?
Cyrus the Great
54
Cyrus the Great continued to defeat weaker territories to expand his empire with the help of what?
A highly skilled standing army and at its core a force of 10,000 elite soldiers known as the "Immortals."
55
What was the wealthiest province of the Persian empire?
Babylon
56
How was Cyrus the Great as a conqueror? And how did he treat those he conquered?
In general, Cyrus the Great was a fair conqueror. He allowed those he conquered to keep their own customs and religions. For example - Jewish people were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple
57
After Cyrus the Great's death, he was succeeded by serval leaders the greatest of which was whom? And why?
Darius - under his rule Persia grew even larger and he became known as Darius the Great
58
Why was the Persian empire so successful?
They created a political structure that gave local people some control over their own government. There was a central government and local self government.
59
What was different about the art of ancient Mesopotamia from that produced by earlier world cultures?
Art now gave us a palimpsest of daily life.
60
What were used to identify the owner of an object?
Carved stone seals
61
What were two types of sculptures founded during this time?
1. Carved statues of people that for the first time looked like real humans. 2. Relief sculpture - the scene sticks out from the surface of the base material
62
What civilization was located along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea and we'd known as traders?
Phoenicians
63
What was the most important trading post of the Phoenician?
Carthage on the North African coast
64
Who were expert sailors who often sailed out into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa?
Phoenicians
65
What did the Phoenician sailors use to guide themselves?
The North Star
66
Name a few of the things the Phoenician's manufactured.
1. Created cloth that they colored with a rare purple dye made from tiny sea snails 2. Made pottery and glass and metal objects 3. Also used trees to make wood furniture and other objects.
67
Phoenician had few natural resources so what did they depend on for these needs?
Trade so imports were very important
68
Phoenician also used the raw materials to make things which they sent to their colonys. What was this called?
Exports
69
Why did the Phoenician become experts at navigation and travel far and wide in their search for goods and markets?
Because they lived so close to the sea.
70
What did the Phoenician develop to replace cuneiform?
An alphabet consisting of 22 characters each of which stood for a consonant sound.
71
Because the Phoenicians traveled so much their alphabet spread to the Greeks and Romans as a result of what?
Cultural diffusion

From Flashcardlet (217 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions