Ancient Mesopotamia test

Were there any important names for Gods?

Each city made their own specific gods and goddesses that they worshiped.

Thinking about the geography of Mesopotamia, how vulnerable was the Mesoptamian civilization to attacks from the outside? To the inside?

If cities near the rivers were vulnerable to flooding, and traveling people from sea. Cities in the middle of Mesopotamia (land cities), we vulnerable to attacks from other cities because the cities were so close together.

How important was irrigation to the Mesopotamians and what sorts of methods did they use to get water to the fields?

Irrigation was very important to the Mesopotamians because this gave them a way of regulating the water to the fields and creating an easy flow straight to the fields. Some methods they used to get water to the fields was digging canals.

How important is religion to the Mesopotamians? Examples?

It was very important to the people and they did lots to please the gods and keep them happy. For example, they had to all pay a temple tax which was given to the gods during rituals they held. They also built monumental structures to please their gods.

How strong was the Mesopotamian military? Did it even play a role in Mesopotamian society? Who fought in the military? Were the armies large or small and how did this impact upon this civilization's history?

Mesopotamian armies were made up of its citizens and followers of the church. It was led by priests. The city-states were constantly at war with each other for resources, land, and control of trade routes. The militaries were strong depending. Because they were made up of citizens they weren't always well trained and most of the military was drafted. the history was affected because now different civilizations were known for their strength in battle or invention of a battle tactic. We still use some of their tactics today.

What does their art and entertainment say about their civilization as a whole? What was on their consciousness? In other words, what sort of fears, delights, and images did they spend time and energy thinking about?

Most of their entertainment was in honor of their gods, so they were probably seeking to also entertain them so they would be blessed with good fortune. It seems that they took their religion very seriously because they wanted to make sure they would always please the gods so no natural disasters would occur. Also the amount of different things they had showed how advanced they were. All of the different inventions they came up with such as the wheel and chariots showed how creative and innovative they are.

How strongly did agriculture impact on the Mesopotamian society?

One very important impact was since food was plentiful, the Mesopotamians could afford to focus on other specialties such as art, architecture, and technology instead of their lives revolving around only finding food. Also, they didn't really have currency, just the trade of goods and services, so agriculture was crucial to them.

Are there examples where language and writing had a large influence on the Mesopotamian people?

Scribes, were considered very important and scribing became a valued profession. People now had recordings on crops and trade sales, and info on things like astronomy, literature, and trade. They could exchange written culture and stories.

What is the religion of Ancient Mesopotamians?

The Ancient Mesopotamians worshiped hundreds of different gods (polytheism). They believed that the gods ruled the earth and humans were there to serve them. They believed that gods had super powers and could control natural disasters.

Where and how did the Mesopotamians build their cities?

The Mesopotamians started to build cities when villages united to build irrigation systems. The cities were structured so that they were built around the Ziggurat. They built their houses out of mud and so that they were close together. They also normally had walls around their city to protect it from invasion. The cities (of Sumer) were built near the coast of the Persian Gulf. Cities were normally built along a river so they could use the water for irrigation.

Were there any innovations in government that they brought to civilization overall? If so, who and how?

The ideas of laws came from Mesopotamia from when Hammurabi created the first code of laws. Also, their social class and ways of ruling and warfare have influenced us.

Was power located centrally or spread out amongst the civilization?

The power was very much located in the center, close to the Ziggurat, and as you go further to the outskirts the people are considered less and less important. The king would decide the regulations for the city and everyone followed suit. Across all of Mesopotamia the power was spread out for each city-state had its own rules, but when they were conquered the power was located in the capital chosen by the overall king.

What was the status of religious priests and scribes? How integral were they to Mesopotamian society?

The priests were very high up in social status in Mesopotamia. They came right after kings. They were very important to society because the people believed that they were the only people to talk to the gods. Also, the scribes were very important because not everybody could write.

What did the social pyramid look like for Mesopotamians? Who was at the top and who was at the bottom?

The social pyramid from top to bottom is: 1) priests and kings 2) landowners, government officials, and wealthy merchants 3) farmers and artisans 4) slaves and criminals

Was their economy strong?

Their economy wasn't very developed because they were just beginning to become civilizations. While they did keep track of accounts, everything was very simple.

Were there distinct leaders who united and governed the Mesopotamians? If so, what were the sorts of ideas and styles of leadership that they brought to the people?

There were several leaders who conquered Mesopotamia as a whole and had their own ways of ruling. The leaders would often make their home state the capital. And appointed their loyal followers as minor kings of states. Hammurabi-Code of Laws Ashurbanipal- Great at war Sargon- first conqueror. Broke down walls, wanted people to like him so that he didn't get conquered Nebuchadnezzar- hanging gardens and rebuilding Babylon

Did the Mesopotamians bring new innovations to both the military and the waging of war? How so? Give a few examples.

They adapted new methods of warfare such as rolling towers to get over walls, or battering rams to break through them. They invented weapons such as slingshots, swords, mace, bow and arrows, etc.

Were the Mesopotamians able to defend themselves from other civilizations? How so? What sorts of methods did they use?

They built walls to help protect their cities. They would pour hot tar on their walls to stop people from climbing. They would build walls with shields and their bodies to defend against enemies.

How did Mesopotamians protect themselves? Were there any inventions that helped them defend themselves?

They built walls to help protect their cities. They would pour hot tar on their walls to stop people from climbing. They would build walls with shields and their bodies to defend against enemies. Weapons that they used to defend themselves were slingshots, swords, mace, bow and arrows, etc.

Why did the Mesopotamians create their own religion? Why would any civilization create a religion?

They created religion to explain the natural occurrences around them. Civilizations create religion to explain what happens when you die. If there is an afterlife, and how your current actions affect where you end up. Also, they want to be able to have people to worship, ideas and concepts to live by, and a purpose to life.

What inventions did the Mesopotamians bring to the ancient world? Are they still around today in our society? Examples?

They created such objects as the wheel, the chariot, a sailboat, a plow, time, a map. All of these objects are still around in our society except for a chariot really.

What sort of entertainment and hobbies did the Mesopotamians enjoy?

They enjoyed playing board games, storytelling, making different arts (such as pottery), various sports, and music.

How intricate and detailed was their infrastructure and architecture? Did they have elaborate roads and sewers etc.?

They had elaborate irrigation systems that used systems of canals to help water their crops. Some cities had extremely intricate architecture like the Neo-Babylonian empire created hanging gardens. Their Ziggurats were all normally very beautiful and detailed buildings.

How did the Mesopotamians structure their government(s) and power?

They had kings that would rule over the cities, but they also had lower government officials that would keep cities organized too. Priests were also considered to have lots of power and were the same social status as kings.

Did the Mesopotamians have epic stories and heroes? Who were they and how do they represent different aspects of Mesopotamia?

They had people that they looked up to just like we did. For example, they all considered Gilgamesh a hero once he killed Humbaba. This represents how our society is so similar to how the Mesopotamians were because we both have different heroes that we look up too.

Were they advanced socially as a civilization? If so, in what ways were they advanced in comparison to the rest of history?

They were advanced because they knew that certain people ruled over other people and had different rights. This compares to other monarchies like England and they came way before England. They also made criminals the bottom of the social pyramid which is kind of like modern times where criminals are looked down upon. Overall, many of the ways they looked at certain groups of people are still around today many many years after Ancient Mesopotamia, so Mesopotamia was very advanced.

What sort of art did the Mesopotamians bring to civilization?

They worked in gold and lapis as well as clay and wood. They made chairs from wood and reeds. They also made musical instruments. The thing that they did best was pottery.

What sort of impact did language and writing have on society?

This language marked the beginning of written history which was a major step forward in the development of civilizations. They used this language to write important religious and scientific works.

Overall, in your estimation, were the Mesopotamians innovative and clever? Would you say that they were advanced as a society?

Yes, I would say that they were advanced because they were the people who started to make discoveries and inventions that have impacted our lives today. Now, people have lots of things and ideas to build off of to help them create things, but back then they had to be really smart and innovative to create something.

Did the government have any affiliation with the religion?

Yes, both the King and the priests were believed to have closer relationships to the gods. They were believed to be the only ones who could talk to the gods.

Did the government(s) dominate society or were they more democratic?

Yes, the governments dominated society because the kings would decide everything for the people and the people didn't have much of a voice. For instance, Hammurabi had very harsh laws that he had put in place that made him dominate society. Also, Ashurbanipal was very war-like and cruel towards his people so he dominated society by making people fear him.

Did the Mesopotamians bring language and writing to its people? How so and in what form?

Yes, they made the language cuneiform which originated from pictographs which were images of objects and people.

What were important structures to the Mesopotamians and why?

Ziggurats were important structures because they were a place of worship where they offered things to gods and prayed to the gods (top of Ziggurat was closest place to the gods in the city).

And their art mediums depicted mostly what? What was mostly the subject of their art?

A lot of their arts depicted murals honoring the gods and goddesses, as well as heroes from stories.