Name: ______Period: ______
Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia Study Guide
Fertile Crescent
The region of rich farmland between the Persian Gulf and Asia Minor is sometimes known as what?
Mesopotamia
What two land features gave Mesopotamia its name?
Division of labor is best described as the type of arrangement in which each person specializes in a particular ______.
______was important to the early people of Mesopotamia because it made the land fertile for farming.
Hunter and gatherer groups settled in Mesopotamia how many years ago?
A food surplus means having more/less food than is needed?
Who were the first people to settle in Mesopotamia?
Sumerians
Who served as the link between the Sumerians and the gods?
The world’s first civilization was called what?
The basic political unit of Sumer was called what?
Sumerians first used cuneiform to do what?
What are 3 achievements of ancient Sumerians?
Most Sumerians lived in what kind of house?
What is the Sumerian social hierarchy pyramid in order of importance?
A king known as ______became a legendary figure in Sumerian literature.
Sumerian city centers were dominated by ______.
Sumerians used a sharp ______to make symbols on clay tablets.
Due to their association with the gods, Sumerian priests often became ______.
Sumerians excelled in math and developed a number system around which number?
Sumerians created a system of writing called what?
Babylonians
Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar both built up what city?
Hammurabi is best known for his what?
Which famous king rebuilt the city of Babylon?
Hammurabi’s Code included a total of ______laws.
Despite the growth of cities, society in Mesopotamia was still based on ______.
According to legend, the grand palace in ______had fabulous hanging gardens.
The alphabet we used today is based on the ______alphabet.
The ancient city of Babylon was located near which modern-day capital city?
In Hammurabi’s Code, could punishments be different depending on one’s social class?
Assyrians and Hittites
What technology did the Hittites and Assyrians use in battle?
The Hittites were the first people to master what skill?
Phoenicians
How did the development of the alphabet benefit the Phoenicians?
Other than for developing the alphabet, the Phoenicians were well known for what?
Most of Phoenicia was located in what present-day country?
What was the name of the Phoenician colony located in northern Africa?
Key Terms to Know
Mesopotamia- Greek word for “land between the rivers”
Pictographs- picture symbols used for written communication
Chariot- a wheeled, horse-drawn battle cart
Scribes- professional writers
Alphabet- a set of letters that can be combined to form words
Fertile Crescent- a large arc of farmland
Cuneiform- the world’s first writing system
Social hierarchy- a division of society by rank of class
Irrigation- a way of supplying water to an area of land
Polytheism- the worship of many gods
***Be sure to study the compare and contrast charts between ancient Egypt and ancient Sumer***
*Bonus question will have something to do with the events of November 22, 1963.