City states in mesopotamia Flashcards
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What is Fertile Crescent
a regions curved shape and richness of its land
What is Mesopotamia
Land between two rivers
What is City-State
Independent country
What is Dynasty
Series of rulers from the same family
What is Cultural diffusion
Process in which an idea of product spreads from one culture to another
What is Polytheism
Belief in multiple gods
What is Empire
Brings together several countries under the rule of one ruler
Who is Hammurabi
King of Babylonia
What was the Fertile Crescent and why was it important?
The Fertile Crescent is a region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. It was important because it provided fertile land for agriculture, allowing early civilizations like the Sumerians to thrive.
What were the major rivers in Mesopotamia, and how did they contribute to agriculture?
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the major rivers in Mesopotamia. They provided water for irrigation, and their annual flooding deposited silt, which made the soil rich for growing crops like wheat and barley.
What were some of the environmental challenges faced by early settlers in Mesopotamia?
Some environmental challenges included unpredictable flooding, periods of drought, lack of natural barriers for defense, and limited resources for building materials.
How did the Sumerians solve the problem of irrigation?
The Sumerians dug irrigation ditches to carry water from the rivers to their fields, allowing them to produce a surplus of crops.
What led to the creation of city-states in Sumer?
The creation of city-states was driven by the need for defense, control over irrigation systems, and the desire for more organization and leadership. Each city had its own government and controlled its land.
What role did priests and rulers play in Sumerian society?
Priests controlled the earliest Sumerian governments and managed irrigation systems. Over time, military leaders took control and passed power through dynasties, establishing a more centralized form of rule.
What is cultural diffusion, and how did it affect the Sumerians?
Cultural diffusion is the spread of ideas and goods between cultures. The Sumerians engaged in trade with neighboring civilizations, leading to the exchange of products, knowledge, and technological advancements.
What was the Sumerian view of gods and religion?
The Sumerians believed in many gods, each associated with natural forces like storms and fertility. They built ziggurats to worship these gods and believed rituals could protect them from misfortune and disease.
What did Sargon accomplish with his conquests?
Sargon united northern and southern Mesopotamia, creating the world’s first empire, which spread Sumerian culture beyond the Tigris-Euphrates Valley.
What was Hammurabi’s Code, and what did it include?
Hammurabi’s Code was a set of 282 laws engraved on stone, covering topics like crime, family relations, business conduct, and property. It included harsh punishments based on the victim’s social class, with the principle of retaliation applied.
How did Hammurabi’s Code impact Mesopotamian society?
The Code helped unify the empire by establishing a uniform system of laws, which reinforced the role of the government in ensuring justice and protecting the weak. It also provided a legal framework for resolving disputes.
What were the main environmental challenges faced by the Sumerians?
The Sumerians faced challenges such as unpredictable flooding, a lack of natural resources like wood and stone, and the need to control irrigation for farming.
Why was it important for Hammurabi to make the punishments for crimes known to all?
Making punishments publicly known was meant to deter crime and ensure that people understood the consequences of breaking the law, reinforcing social order.
How did Sumerian culture spread throughout Mesopotamia?
Sumerian culture spread through the conquests of rulers like Sargon and later through the influence of the Akkadian and Babylonian empires, which adopted and passed on many aspects of Sumerian culture.
Why was the development of written laws important to society?
Answer: Written laws helped establish a consistent and formal legal system, making justice predictable and ensuring that all members of society were subject to the same rules.
How did interaction with the environment lead to advances in civilization?
Answer: The need to control water for irrigation led to the development of sophisticated engineering techniques, such as canals and dams, which allowed Mesopotamian civilizations to thrive in an otherwise harsh environment.
