Chapter 3.1 - Geography of Mesopotamia

Which statement best explains why historians chose the name Mesopotamia for the region where Iraq and eastern Syria are now located?

• The region had highly fertile soil.

• The region was bordered by rivers on two sides.

• The region contained the world's first united nation.

• The region was occupied by a diverse group of peoples.

Mesopotamian traders were able to ship goods to other civilizations by sending them

• in the small satchels of passing nomads

• along unused irrigation canals

• on river boats to the Persian Gulf

• by donkey caravans over the Zagros Mountains

The success of ancient Mesopotamia shows the importance of which of these factors for the development of civilization?

• military power

• food production

• mineral resources

• architectural knowledge

The Mesopotamians developed new technologies to control the flooding rivers and bring water to crops. They built tall embankments, called levees or dikes.

In order to build their dikes and levees, ancient Mesopotamians had to solve which of these technological problems?

• how to divert the river for long enough to allow construction workers to do their job

• how to build tall earth walls that would not be easily eroded by strongly flowing water

• how to bring heavy rocks from the mountains to the lowlands where they were needed

• how to mix clay and straw to make bricks strong enough to withstand strong currents

Just northeast of Eridu, the city of Ur was another important settlement. The ruins of Ur lie about halfway between the modern city of Baghdad and the opening of the Persian Gulf in the Arabian Sea.

A wealthy person in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur was most likely to have grown rich by

• selling supplies to river boat owners and sea captains

• importing and selling luxury goods from other civilizations

• owning a large amount of farmland in the surrounding area

• manufacturing and selling clay bricks for buildings and dams

What was the main benefit provided by the floods in ancient Mesopotamia?

• highly fertile soil

• strong natural defenses

• removal of waste-generated pollution

• a steady supply of fresh drinking water

The city of Ur became a major center of trade in ancient Mesopotamia.

Which detail about the settlement of Ur supports this claim?

• It had large temple storehouses and maintained a strong central government.

• It was built on highly fertile soil with an extensive system of irrigation canals.

• It was located near the Mediterranean Sea and forged connections with Egypt.

• It was located on the Euphrates River in close proximity to the Persian Gulf.

The flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers every

brought both benefits and drawbacks. The floodwaters brought fertile silt to the land. But even with this rich soil, it was still difficult to farm. Mesopotamians could not predict when the floods would occur or how high the floodwaters would reach. The flow was so unpredictable that it sometimes washed away crops, or caused the river to change course.

Although flooding caused some problems, it also helped ancient Mesopotamians overcome which problem that modern societies still face?

• disease

• invasion

• pollution

• hunger

Which statement best explains why flood control was important to ancient Mesopotamia?

• Flooded rivers were an important power source.

• The rivers were the main source of transportation.

• Important trade routes cut across the flood plains.

• Annual flooding often damaged crops and settlements.

The technology that helped to create irrigation canals proved to have the greatest impact on the development of the division of labor in ancient Mesopotamia.

Which statement provides the strongest support for this conclusion?

• Irrigation canals brought water to the crops.

• The widespread irrigation produced high crop yields.

• Irrigation canals helped prevent flooding of villages.

• The water levels in irrigation canals could be raised or lowered.