Sumer and babylon Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is the meaning of ‘Mesopotamia’?
Land between Rivers
What modern country corresponds to the land referred to as ‘Mesopotamia’?
Iraq
What was the Plain of Shinar later known as?
Mesopotamia
What ancient civilization was known as Sumer?
The civilization that arose in the region of Mesopotamia
Which two rivers are significant to the geography of Mesopotamia?
Tigris and Euphrates
Where do the Tigris and Euphrates rivers rise?
Armenian mountains
What happens to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as they approach the Persian Gulf?
They flow into the Persian Gulf
Fill in the blank: The fertile mud plain formed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is known as _______.
Mesopotamia
What does writing enable people to do?
Send messages and read the thoughts and ideas of the dead.
What was significant about the form of writing devised by early civilizations?
It was very important for communication and record-keeping.
What were some of the skills of early Mesopotamian civilizations?
Building houses of dried mud, growing wheat, bartering, spinning and weaving cloth.
Name two cities founded by the Sumerians.
Ur and Kish.
How were Mesopotamian towns typically named?
Usually named after a city, not a country.
What is the most famous flood story from the Bible?
The story of Noah’s Ark.
What natural phenomenon was often remembered in folk tales?
River floods.
True or False: River floods were always disastrous for early civilizations.
False.
What did early civilizations do to manage river floods?
Built earth banks, channels, and ditches.
What significant change occurred when people gave up hunting?
They began to farm.
What language did the Sumerians speak?
Sumerian.
When did the Sumerians move into the Mesopotamian plain?
Between 5000 and 3500 BC.
What is the writing system developed by the Sumerians called?
Cuneiform
Cuneiform comes from ‘cuneus’, the Latin word for wedge, and was created using a triangular nib on soft clay.
In what year did scholars finally succeed in deciphering cuneiform carvings?
1857
What language did the Akkadians speak?
Akkadian
