The rise of Sumerian City-States

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was a city-state in Sumer.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Ur

Egypt

Assyria

Persia

Match

Match the following definition with the correct word:

• This word means “countryside”

• This word means "city"

• This person was at the top of the Sumerian Social Order

•  This was the most common job in Sumerian society.

• Belief in Many Gods

Rural

Urban

King

Farmer

Polytheism

• Rural

• Urban

• King

• Farmer

• Polytheism

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Use the map to help you complete the sentence:

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, ​

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, and ​

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​ were all city-states in Sumer.

Open Ended

How might living inside city walls change daily life for families in ancient towns?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best explains why geographic challenges were important in the rise of Sumerian city-states?

• They forced people to develop new ways to manage food and water supplies.

• They made it easy for people to travel and trade.

• They prevented the growth of any large settlements.

• They led to frequent wars between neighboring villages.

Open Ended

What are some challenges that both ancient and modern cities face, and why do you think these challenges persist over time?

Open Ended

How did the challenges faced in the Zagros Mountains lead to the development of one of history's greatest civilizations?

Multiple Choice

What was one major reason people left the foothills of the Zagros Mountains around 3500 B.C.E.?

• Food shortages forced them to leave

• The climate was too cold

• There were too many wild animals

• They wanted to explore new lands

Multiple Choice

What was the main attraction of the plains between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for early settlers?

• The land was promising for farming and settlement

• There were many forests for wood

• It was close to the sea

• There were many wild animals to hunt

Multiple Select

Which of the following were problems faced by farmers in Mesopotamia due to unpredictable water supply?

• Spring floods could destroy crops

• Summer droughts could dry fields

• Rivers changed course without warning

• Too much snow in winter

Open Ended

Compare and contrast the water management solutions discussed in the slides. Which do you think would have been most effective in ancient Mesopotamia, and why?

Multiple Choice

Why did cooperation become necessary for early villages using irrigation systems?

• Because irrigation systems crossed village boundaries and required collective effort

• Because each village had enough resources on its own

• Because irrigation was not important for farming

• Because villages wanted to compete with each other

Open Ended

What challenges might arise when different villages try to cooperate on building and maintaining irrigation systems?

Multiple Select

Which of the following were effects of successful irrigation on early villages?

• Villages grew into larger towns

• More food and people arrived

• Villages became isolated

• Craftspeople, traders, and leaders joined the farmers

Multiple Choice

What was one method early communities used to protect themselves from attacks?

• Building defensive walls

• Moving to mountains

• Hiding underground

• Abandoning their settlements

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes a Sumerian city-state around 3000 B.C.E.?

• A city with its own government, laws, and protection

• A group of villages ruled by a king

• A large empire ruled by one central government

• A nomadic tribe with no permanent settlements

Multiple Choice

How did Sir Charles Woolley contribute to our understanding of Sumerian civilization?

• He discovered the Rosetta Stone

• He excavated the ancient city of Ur and preserved important clues

• He translated cuneiform tablets

• He built replicas of Sumerian temples

Multiple Select

What types of artifacts did archaeologists find at Ur that revealed details about Sumerian daily life? Select all that apply.

• Stone hoes and grinding stones

• Clay boat models

• Weaving looms

• Bronze statues

Open Ended

Explain how the discoveries at Ur have helped historians learn about Sumerian society and culture.

Open Ended

How did geographic challenges contribute to the rise of Sumerian city-states?

Open Ended

What challenges do modern cities face that might be similar to those faced by ancient ones?

Open Ended

What can modern communities learn from Sumerian cooperation?