The Rise of Sumerian City-States

The environment of Sumer was

• low and flat, with little rain.
• hilly and dry, with many stones
• thickly forested, with heavy storms
• high and cold, with sharp mountain peaks

The name of Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was

• between two rivers
• in mountain foothills
• near a region of many conflicts
• . at the site of the earliest cities

Why were Sumerian communities called city-states? 

• Each of them kept written records. 
• They were all part of one great empire
• They all depended on each other for water
• Each of them had its own ruler and farmland

Which fact allowed Neolithic people to farm in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains?

• Goats can live on dry grass.
• The region had plenty of rain. 
• Shallow canals watered the fields.
• Harsh climates are good for grains.

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

• overuse of the soil
• change in the climate
• increase in population 
• fighting between villages

What solution did people in the Zagros foothills find to fix the problem of food shortages?

• building terraces
• moving to the south 
• constructing reservoirs
•  joining villages together

One factor that made farming difficult in the area of Sumer was

• rocky soil.
• steep hillsides.
• lack of rainfall.
• growth of weeds.

Why did the rivers flood in the spring?

• Heavy rain fell throughout the area
• Strong winds blew from the Persian Gulf
•  Ice that had formed on the rivers broke into bits.
• Snow melted in the mountains where the rivers began

What was the chief purpose of dams and reservoirs?

• to allow travel by boat 
• to make it easier to fish
• to store water for later use
• to protect villages from attack

If you were in ancient Sumer, you might see a levee beside a river. Why was the levee built?

• to load barges
• to irrigate crops
• to prevent floods
• to control workers