The Rise of Sumerian City-States

The environment of the plains 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. Because of this, Mesopatamia means:

• 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, laws, and farmland

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

• Goats can live on dead and dry grass

• The region had plenty of rain

• Aliens

• Harsh climates are good for growing grains

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills, and forced many people to move to the foothills of Sumer?

• overuse of the soil

• change in the climate

• increase in population

• fighting between villages

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

• building terraces

• moving to the southern plains of Sumer

• constructing reservoirs up in the mountains above them

• 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 of Sumer 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 (main) 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