Who were in the upper class of Sumerian society? and what were their characteristics?
Kings, priests, warriors, and government workers/ powerful and wealthy
year farming started in Mesopotamia
4,000 B.C.
an amount that is left over after a need has been met
surplus
Where is Mesopotamia?
Land bet/ Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Southwest Asia.
Where was the first known civilization?
Mesopotamia
year Sumerian city states begin to rise
3,000 b.c.
a belief in more than one god
polytheism
year Hammurabi becomes king of the Babylonian Empire
1792 B.C.
Why did the Sumerians invent a writing system (Cuneiform)?
To record business dealings and important events
Are cities in the US considered city-states? Why or why not?
No, cities in the U S are not city-states because they are part of a larger nation.
a Sumerian writing system tat used wedge-shaped marks made in soft clay
cuneiform
Name 6 characteristics of a civilization.
high level of culture & order, social classes, diff. types of jobs, science and the arts, govt, & values and beliefs
Describe the Sumerian contribution to technology.
!st to use the wheel, 1st to build cars which were pulled by donkeys, developed chariots, sailboats, and wooden plows. Invented bronze
How did the Sumerians contribute to mathematics?
Used geometry to measure size of fields & plan buildings. Created place value system based on 60, created 12 month calendar based on moon cycles
Name 5 Sumerian inventions.
cuneiform, wheel, sailboats, wooden plows, bronze
Describe politics for the Sumerian City-States.
Each had a ruler with public buildings, often went to war with each other.
Small particles of fertile soil.
Silt
Describe the Sumerian contribution to writing.
Created Cuneiform, made up of 1200 different characteristics, trusted by scribes to write
What were the benefits of irrigation?
Farmers could grow lg. amts of food & have a surplus. Everyone did not need to farm, some ppl became artisans. Ppl lived together in places that allowed trade.
A way to supply dry land with water through ditches, pipes, or streams
irrigation
How did the Mesopotamians control flooding and irrigation?
Built dams to stop the water, dug canals to let water flow to the fields.
How were city states formed?
As cities grew, they gained control of the land around them. Each city-state had its own govt. It was NOT part of a larger nation. Surrounded by wall.
a pyramid-shaped tower with a temple at the top
ziggurat
Why is 4,000 B.C. an important date in Mesopotamia?
Ppl started farming in the valley bet/ the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Since 7,000 B.C. Mesopotamians hunted and raised animals for food.
What did the Sumerians learn by studying astronomy, or the position of the stars?
the best times to plant crops.
What is the oldest known story in the world that came from Sumer?
Epic of Gilgamesh
a long poem that tells the story of a hero
epic
Who were in the lower class of Sumerian society? and what were their characteristics?
enslaved ppl / no money and no power
a person who copies or writes out documents; often a record keeper
scribe
Who were in the middle class of Sumerian society? and what were their characteristics?
farmers, fishers, and artisans/ largest group
Describe religious practices in Sumerian city-states?
Ppl worshiped many gods. Each city-state claimed one god as its own. City-state built ziggurat to honor the god.
Why did Sumerian cities stand alone?
Sumerians built many cities. The cities of Sumer had deserts around them. Deserts were hard to travel across.
Describe the economy of the Sumerian City-States.
Ran independent from each other. The economies were based off of trading among each other.
How did floods sometimes help farmers?
Floods left the land covered in silt, a rich soil good for farming.
Where is Sumer? and what are the people called?
Region in southern Mesopotamia/ Sumerians
an independent nation made up of a city and the land around it
city-state
Why did the Sumerians build cities with walls around them?
To protect them during war time with other city-states
What did the Sumerians study?
Mathematics and astronomy.
What was the population of the Sumerian City-States?
5,000 to 20,000
Describe 6 characteristics of Sumerian City-State
ruled by a king, grew its own crops, owned surrounding land, formed alliances with other city-states, polytheism but claimed 1 god as its own, had its own govt
What was the basic unit of Sumerian life? Describe
family, Men were the head of the family. Women ran the home and cared for the children.
year Sargon conquers Sumerian city-states
2340 B.C.
Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.