Guided Reading Activity 2-1
Why was the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers able to sustain an early civilization?
Because this land had rich soil and abundant crops.
What do many consider to be the greatest invention of the Sumerians?
The greatest invention was their writing, an cuneiform "wedge shaped" system of writing.
What principle was a fundamental part of the Code of Hammurabi?
The principle of retaliation, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
Give the definition of an empire.
An empire is a large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories.
According to Sumerian beliefs , why did the gods create human beings?
Human beings were created to the manual labor the gods were unwilling to do for themselves
Why was writing so important in ancient civilization?
It allowed a society to keep records and to pass along knowledge from person to person and generation to generation.
Who set up the first empire in world history, and how did he do it?
Sargon, leader of the Akkadians, overran the Summerian city-states around 2340 B.C.
What did the Sumerians believe about who it was that ruled their cities?
The Sumerians believed that the gods ruled the cities, making the state a theocracy.
What were the Sumerians the first to do?
The Sumerians were the creators of the first Mesopotamian civilization.
In what three ways did the temples serve as the center of a Sumerian city?
The temples served as the center physically, economically, and politically.
Around 3000 B.C. what was invented that greatly affected the transport of goods in Sumeria?
The wheel, which led to the conversation of wheeled carts.
In what ways were the people of Mesopotamia creative with mud bricks?
They invented the arch and the dome, and they built some of the largest brick buildings in the world.
Describe the dimensions of the Sumerian city of Uruk.
Uruk was encircled by a wall six miles long with defense towers located along the wall every 30 to 35 feet (9.1-10.7 m).