Indicate whether the statement is true or false. 1. Many Sumerians were skilled metalworkers because of the abundance of metal in Sumer. a. True b. False 2. Sumerian city-states went to war with one another in order to increase trade. a. True b. False 3. Sargon conquered all of the peoples of Mesopotamia, creating the world s first empire that lasted more than 200 years. a. True b. False 4. The Fertile Crescent includes parts of the modern countries of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. a. True b. False 5. The Assyrian army numbered around 50,000 soldiers, including infantry, cavalry, and charioteers. a. True b. False Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 6. Which group rebelled against the Assyrians? a. Babylonians b. Chaldeans c. Sumerians d. Hittites 7. The few Sumerians who learned how to write often held high positions in society as what? a. artisans b. scribes c. heads of households d. merchants 8. During the summer in Mesopotamia, a. high humidity kept people indoors. b. melting snow led to flooding. c. snow sometimes fell. d. water was scarce. 9. A Sumerian temple to honor their chief god was called a a. scribe. b. cradle. Powered by Cognero Page 1
c. Gilgamesh. d. ziggurat. 10. Where did the first civilizations arise because of farming conditions? a. in the mountains b. near the sea c. in river valleys d. in the desert 11. The first Sumerian kings were probably a. artisans. b. farmers. c. scribes. d. war heroes. 12. Who wrote a legal code that covered most areas of daily life? a. Gilgamesh b. Hammurabi c. Nebuchadnezzar d. Nineveh 13. The code states that the punishment for allowing one s dam to flood everyone s fields is a. to be sold into slavery. b. to pay a fine to replace ruined crops. c. to rebuild the dam. d. to receive 60 lashes in the public square. 14. Which mountain people captured Babylon in 539 B.C.? a. the Hittites b. the Persians c. the Chaldeans d. the Assyrians Powered by Cognero Page 2
15. According to this selection, what material is the town built of? a. clay b. mud brick c. stone block d. wood 16. What did the Hittites teach the Assyrians that helped make their army stronger? a. how to use bows and arrows and other more advanced weapons such as catapults and battering rams b. how to fight while riding horses c. how to make use stronger metals for weaponry, such as iron d. how to make chariots Powered by Cognero Page 3
17. Based on the pattern in the chart, what would the number 30 look like? a. b. c. d. Powered by Cognero Page 4
18. According to this passage, what is located at the highest point in the town? a. a bakery b. the town gates c. a residential area d. the ziggurat 19. Although most Sumerians were farmers, many made metal, cloth, and pottery because they were skilled a. artisans. b. merchants. c. slaves. d. priests. 20. The calendar developed by the Sumerians was based on a. the number 60. b. the cycles of the moon. c. the Roman calendar. d. the geometry of the wheel. Match each word with its correct definition or description. a. province b. astronomer c. Nineveh d. Nebuchadnezzar e. caravan 21. a group of traveling merchants 22. the Assyrian Empire s capital city 23. a political district 24. Chaldean king who rebuilt Babylon 25. one who studies the stars and planets Match each word with its correct definition or description. a. Mesopotamia b. cuneiform c. city-state d. irrigation e. civilization 26. Greek for land between the rivers Powered by Cognero Page 5
27. complex societies that have organized governments, culture, and writing 28. a method that brings water to crops 29. has its own government but is not part of any larger unit 30. a form of writing developed by the people of Sumer Match each word with its correct definition or description. a. Assyrians b. astronomers c. Gilgamesh d. Nineveh e. ziggurat f. scribe 31. hero of an epic who travels the world performing great deeds 32. site of one of the world s first libraries 33. first large army to use iron weapons 34. people who study the heavenly bodies 35. a pyramid-shaped structure with a temple at the top Powered by Cognero Page 6
36. According to the patterns in this chart, how do the cuneiform symbols change as the numbers increase from 1 to 10? Categorizing Sumerian society had three classes. Each class consisted of people who held certain positions. For example, a person who was a priest was part of the upper class. Below is a list of positions in Sumerian society and a table divided into classes. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the list. Write your answers on the lines provided. Be sure to separate answers with a comma and a space. Powered by Cognero Page 7
37. Middle Class Primary Source Activity MESOPOTAMIA Lesson 2 Mesopotamian Empires The Code of Hammurabi King Hammurabi of Babylon formed his code of law between 1792 and 1750 B.C. This code is a collection of Hammurabi s legal decisions during his reign. However, these decisions were based on Sumerian laws that had existed for hundreds of years. So Hammurabi s code can be seen as representing centuries of legal tradition. The code is made up of 282 laws. These laws cover economic issues dealing with trade and commerce. They also include criminal cases involving assault and theft. In addition, they include civil laws involving slavery and debt1. Hammurabi s code advanced beyond tribal customs. For example, some tribes might support the personal retribution or revenge of one person on another. However, the code of Hammurabi did not support personal Powered by Cognero Page 8
retribution. Instead, people who committed a crime would be given the punishment stated for that crime in the code. However, punishments for similar crimes could differ greatly, depending on the situation2. Directions: Read the following laws from Hammurabi s code3. 1 Babylonian laws. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved on 8/26/10 from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/ebchecked/topic/253710/code-of-hammurabi?sections=253710main&view=print 2 Near Eastern Antiquities: Mesopotamia. Louvre Website. Retrieved on 8/26/10. http://www.louvre.fr/llv/ oeuvres/detail_notice_print.jsp?content%3 87&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500800&b aseinde x=0&bmlocale=en 3 The Code of Hammurabi, by L.W. King. NuVision Publications, LLC, 2007. Accessed via GoogleBooks.com. 38. Analyzing Primary Sources Identifying What is the punishment for the slave of a freed man who strikes the body of a freed man? Powered by Cognero Page 9
39. Why does Enkidu, despite his fear, go with Gilgamesh into the forest of Humbaba? Mesopotamia Lesson 2 Mesopotamian Empires Guided Reading Essential Question Why does conflict develop? The First Empires 40. Sequencing Below is a list of events that led to the development of the world s first empire. Write these events in chronological order in the blanks. 1. Sargon conquered Sumerian city-states. 2. Sargon helped to develop the kingdom of Akkad. 3. Sargon moved his armies south. 4. Sargon united Akkad and Sumer. Powered by Cognero Page 10