Unit 2: Mesopotamia/Ancient Middle East - Impact of Geography -

What was the first civilization of mankind?

• Assyria

• Egypt

• Prehistoric Nomads

• Sumeria

Where did the Sumerians developed their civilization?

• Nile River Valley

• Tigris River Valley

• Arabian Peninsula

• Anatolia/Asia Minor

• Euphrates River Valley

What body of water do the mouths of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers empty into?

• Mediterranean Sea

• Black Sea

• Caspian Sea

• Persian Gulf

• Red Sea

What is the part of the Fertile Crescent that was called "the land between the rivers?"

• Middle East

• Mesopotamia

• Sumer

• Babylon

What modern country would one find Mesopotamia today?

• Iraq

• Iran

• Turkey

• Saudi Arabia

How did the geography of this area impact the people living in ancient Mesopotamia?

• Unpredictable flooding needed to be controlled

• Flooding left rich silt to enrich the land

• Mountains provided natural defense

• wide plains of the river valleys necessitated the construction of city walls

The Sumerians created the first formal writing system known as what?

• pictographs

• hieroglyphs

• alphabet

• cuneiform

The majority of civilizations of Mesopotamia practiced what type of religious beliefs?

• Christianity

• Monotheism

• Polytheism

• Judaism

What does polytheism mean?

• worshipping Jesus of Nazareth

• belief there is only one god

• belief that there is no god

• belief in many gods and goddesses

Which civilization of ancient Mesopotamia is remembered for first believing in monotheism, that there is only one god?

• Hebrews

• Assyrians

• Sumerians

• Babyonians