SS Oteri Chapter 3 Unit Test 2020- Questions and Vocab
Mesopotamia
"land between rivers"
Tribute
A protection tax
Ziggurat
A pyramid shaped temple
Sargon the Great
An ancient Mesopotamian ruler who has inspired stories for nearly 4,500 years
Silt
An especially fine and fertile soil that is excellent for agriculture
Polytheism
Belief in many gods
Hammurabi
Created the first code of laws
Ritual
Formal series of acts always performed in the same ways
Through superior iron weapons.
How did Assyrians come to rule so many lands and people?
Cyrus was tolerant and won the respect of the conquered people. He allowed local rulers to remains and he honored local customs and traditions.
How did Cyrus rule diverse groups of people peacefully?
He honored local traditions and customs
How did Cyrus the great treat conquered people?
Darius divides the empire into provinces for more efficient administration. He set regular taxes and he built a net work of roads.
How did Darius rule diverse groups of people peacefully?
They were written down for all to see
How did Hammurabi's laws change life in Mesopotamia?
He was able to invade and conquer Sumer because they were weak from civil wars between city-states
How did Sargon come to conquer Sumer?
By permitting people to keep local rulers and customs
How did Sargon win loyalty with the Arkadian Empire?
Sumerians used food surpluses to trade for natural resources that they lacked, such as building materials of timber and stone
How did surpluses encourage local and long-distance trade?
They learned how's they were expected to behave to ensure fair treatment for all.
How did the Code of Laws that Hammurabi displayed help unite the empire?
Rivers were the primary sources of freshwater. Using irrigation methods allowed farmers to bring water to the fields. A better food supply allowed for people to focus on other aspects of culture.
How did the Tigris and Euphrates rivers make the growth of civilization in Mesopotamia possible?
The organization by social class meant that people looked down on others who held lesser status
How did the organization of Sumerian society affect the way different roles were viewed by others?
It was adopted by the Greeks and then later adopted by the Romans and modified to what we have learned today.
How is the alphabet we use today in the Western world relatedto the Phoenicians alphabet?
Judges heard cases, there were witnesses, you were assumed innocent until proven guilty.
How was Hammurabi's court system similar to the one we have today?
Innocent until proven guilty
How was Hammurabi's court system similar to what we have today?
Into Separate City-States
How was the civilization of Sumer Organized?
Unpredictable
How would you best describe the flooding of the rivers in Mesopotamia?
1. Cyrus demands tribute from defeated people (pay what you can afford). 2. Darius expands his empire from India to SE Europe. 3. Darius divides empire into 20 provinces. 4. Darius builds the Royal Road.
Identify 4 significant events in order that occurred while Cyrus and Darius ruled.
They were fair and the Assyrians were harsh. They had people pay what they could afford and the Assyrians had pay what you are told if not get a severe punishment or even death.
In what ways did the governing policies of Cyrus and Darius differ from those of the Assyrian rulers?
The water supply from the two rivers was crucial to agriculture in Sumer
In what ways did the rivers support agriculture and the city-states?
Chaldeans were semi nomadic, not as organized and they brought beauty to Babylon.
In what ways were the rule of the Assyrians and Chaldeans different?
They were similar because they both had a professional army, iron weapons, chariots, bows and arrows. They both had harsh rulers.
In what ways were the rule of the Assyrians and Chaldeans similar?
City-state
Includes the city and its surrounding land and settlements
Ur has walls surrounding it, appears to have been planned with canals running through it
Look at the visual of the city-state of Ur. What new information can you observe from the illustration that was not in the text?
Iraq, Syria and Turkey
Mesopotamia is made up which modern day countries?
Sumer
Mesopotamia's first civilization
To remember them and to pass them on for future generations to learn from
Mesopotamians were the first people to record their stories. Why would it be useful to have cultural tales written down?
Calendar, Wheel, Alphabet.
Name three major lasting legacies of Mesopotamia?
Social class
Order based on power and wealth
Colony
Outposts of people from one area that live in other areas
Artisan
People who are skilled at making things by hand
1. Kings 2. Priests 3. Skilled Workers 4. Farmers 5. Slaves
Put the Sumerian social classes in order from top to bottom.
Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers located in the Fertile Crescent
Had small land and good harbors, relies on trading and culture over building their military and focused too much on ship building
The Phoenicians were militarily weak because they...
Cuneiform
The earliest form of writing created by Sumerians that used symbols that represented sounds rather than objects
Irrigation
Watering fields using human-made systems
Phonecians
What Mesopotamian people were known for their seafaring skills and extensive trade?
City-State, legal system, writing, calendar, ox-drawn plow, math and science foundations.
What are examples of Mesopotamia's cultural and technological legacy?
Well organized, efficient and everyone knew their role.
What are some advantages that the Assyrians has by having a professional army?
Benefits: flood brings fertile silt Drawback: Floods were unpredictable and could destroy crops
What are the benefits of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers' flooding? What are the drawbacks?
Cuneiform
What basic form or writing based images of objects was first invented by the Sumerians?
They could use powers outside of the control of humans, making things, big, small, good, bad etc.
What context clues in the text tell you what superhuman means?
Established centralized governments and built straight streets, strong city walls and irrigation canals.
What details illustrate the improvements Hammurabi made as Babylon's King?
How big and beautiful it must have looked
What does "the terrace formed of a green mountain that seemed to float in the city" mean?
The Zagros Mountains to the North and East. Euphrates river to the west, Persian gulf to the south
What forms the borders of Mesopotamia?
Fertile Soil
What gave rise to civilization in Mesopotamia?
Purple dye, wood, wine, papyrus, raw materials, luxury goods, alphabet and culture
What goods and ideas did the Phoenicians spread through their sea trade network?
The alphabet
What important aspect of their culture did the Phoenicians spread to trading partners?
Temple, the gods lived up there
What is a ziggurat and why did Sumerians make offerings at the top of ziggurats?
The empire became too big to control. After Sargon died his son took over and city-states started to rebel and eventually enemies from the north invaded and took over
What led to the end of the Akkadian Empire?
He allowed people to keep their local rulers and customs, He standardized weights and measures (making it easier to trade goods and make payments for goods)
What measures did Sargon take to unite his empire?
They watched the stars, moon and sun to see patterns. They felt if they did this, they could predict what might happen in the future
What might Sumerians have considered a benefit to developing a calendar?
They watched the stars, moon and sun to see patterns. They felt if they did this, they could predict what might happen in the future.
What might Sumerians have considered a benefit to developing a calendar?
Poor treatment of people, lack of unifying culture and people did not like the king.
What might have caused the Assyrians to have internal power struggles that led to their defeat?
Farmers created irrigation methods and built canals to bring water to the fields. They also developed the ox-driven plow.
What new methods and technology did farmers in Mesopotamia use to take advantage of fertile soil?
Farmers created irrigation methods and built canals to bring water to the fields. They also developed the ox-driven plow
What new methods and technology did farmers in Mesopotamia use to take advantage of the fertile soil?
Calendar, clock, irrigation systems, courthouse
What other modern day items would also illustrate the importance of Mesopotamia's legacy?
Centers of religious worship
What purpose did ziggurats serve?
Many aspects of life ( love, heaven, air, earth, war, water, cattle, grain, sun, storms, agriculture/vegetation, fire, light, truth, justice etc.
What reasons might there have been for the Sumerians to worship so many gods?
Protection against enemies and floods
What reasons would there be thick walls around the city?
Rituals
What religious practices did Sumerians observe to serve and please the gods?
It was a code of 282 laws that covered all aspects of life.
What was Hammurabi's Code of Laws?
To have many Gods to keep them safe
What was the reason that Sumerians worshiped many Gods?
Along the rivers
Where are the cities in ancient Mesopotamia located?
He was effective to keep in power for 56 years, he was organized, fierce warrior, and commanded respect
Where were most of the cities of the empire located? Why do you think that was so?
Priests
Who sevrved as a link between the Sumerians and the Gods?
To make communication across the empire easier
Why did Darius I have the 1500 mile long Royal road built?
It grew too big to maintain order
Why did Sargon's empire fall?
So they writing would be permanent
Why did the Sumerians dry the clay cuneiform tablets?
To pray for them when they are doing their work
Why did the Sumerians use votive statues?
Respect to honor the Gods
Why do think Sumerians thought that cleansing was necessary before entering shrines?
It is what was available to them
Why do you think scribes used reeds and clay to record the cuneiform symbols?
Because both had leaders that were very cruel and harsh.
Why do you think the Assyrian and Chaldean empires did not last very long?
To pass onto future generations
Why might Babylonians want to tell and record their story of the creation of the world?
They focused on shipbuilding and trading. They did not have a large population or a lot of land.
Why might Phoenicians have been militarily weak?
To keep the ship uprights so goods do not get damaged.
Why might ballast have been important to the condition of goods transported by ship?
They are competing against each other for scarce resources and the best land and each city state wanted the best for themselves
Why might city-states that work together to build canals end up fighting wars?
So it was clear to everyone (poor, wealthy, weak, strong)
Why was Hammurabi's Code of Law displayed in public for everyone to use?
It so we can know when things happen such as when to harvest, when will the rivers rise etc.
Why would developing a system to keep track of time be important to people?
It would make the values consistent so when people pay taxes it was fair.
Why would having once currency be beneficial to an empire?
To keep the empire united it is important to get information out in a timely manner. All Satraps had to be aware of what is happening,
Why would it be important to communicate orders from one province to another in fewer than 15 days?
It's faster and more efficient than drawing pictures. Letters are a clearer way of communicating an idea.
Why would it be useful to have a written alphabet of symbols representing sounds?
When it is written, it is not likely to change
Why would it be useful to have cultural tales written down?
Different places would have different raw materials that people wanted and needed.
Why would the Phoenicians have established trading colonies in faraway places?
To show how powerful he was
Why would the Sumerians record a story about their king encountering a monster?
Famine
Widespread hunger
Empire
a group of different lands and people governed by one ruler
Province
administrative districts that were governend byt Satraps
Satrap
governor
Nebuchadnezzar II
known for making improvements to Babylon including the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Cyrus the Great
known for tolerance that won acceptance and tolerance
Alliance
partnerships
Darius I
ruled Persia at its height, maintained his Empire by dividing it into smaller provinces
Raw Materials
substances from which things are made
Tolerance
sympathy of others beliefs and practices
Legacy
things left to us from the past
