The Rise of the Sumerian City-States

Civilization in Mesopotamia developed between which two rivers?

• the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean
• the Tigris and the Persian Gulf
• the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates
• the Euphrates and the Tigris

Why were Sumerian communities called city-states?

• They all depended on each other for water

• Each of them had its own ruler and farmland

• They were all part of one great empire

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

• fighting between villages

• overuse of the soil

• increase in population

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

• building terraces

• moving to the south

• constructing reservoirs

Why did the rivers flood in the spring?

• Ice that had formed on the rivers broke into bits.

• Strong winds blew from the Persian Gulf

• Snow melted in the mountains where the rivers began.

Why was silt a problem for the people for Sumer?

• It ruined the soil for planting.

• It clogged the irrigation canals.

• It wasn't a problem at all

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

The system of levees and canals used to divert water to crops is called __.

• Irrigation
• Agriculture
• specialization
• ziggurats

Conflict over water caused Mesopotamians to ________________________________________ around their cities.

• build walls and moats
• spread out
• build larger farmlands
• move far away from

Using natural resources found in the environment, Sumerians built strong walls with

• bricks made of mud.
• logs with pointed tips
• reeds cut near the rivers.
• rocks shaped into squares.