Mesopotamian Society

How is the class structure of Mesopotamian society reflected in the law?

• The laws state that slavery is legal so slaveholders cannot be punished.

• The punishment for crimes is dependent on a person's social status.

• The fines are used as a form of punishment against the merchant class

• Physical punishment is supported by the government

Which statement best explains why Mesopotamian kings organized the construction of ziggurats?

• Ziggurats gave the gods a place in the city-state from which they could better protect the people

• Ziggurats showed Mesopotamian's, as well as outsiders, that the city-state was wealthy and powerful

• Ziggurats served as public meeting places that made it easier for officials to conduct government business.

• Ziggurats provided poor Mesopotamian's with food and shelter so that they would not threaten the power of the king.

An intruding army stormed the city-state and destroyed the Ziggurat. Based on Mesopotamian religious beliefs, which of the statements below would best express the feelings of a person living in this city-state?

• The enemy has killed our protector

• The enemy will be punished for treating our god in this way

• We should have done more to build up our defenses

• We must have done something wrong to make our god leave us unprotected

Which of these is the main feature of a patriarchal society?

• People move up the social pyramid

• Priest and scribes have more power than soldiers

• Men run both public and private affairs

Ancient Mesopotamian's believed that the power of the king came from

• the gods

• the people

• his parents

• his intelligence

Religious practices of Mesopotamian people, built temples for the gods to live in, they believed that statues of themselves could pray to gods, and gave credit to the gods for the products of their labor. This provides examples of the Mesopotamians belief that gods and goddesses

• were hateful and terrifying

• regularly interacted with the mortal world

• were perfect and all-loving

• gave people god-like status

Which of these groups of people had the least amount of political power in Mesopotamian society

• artisans

• farmers

• priests

• soldiers

Which statement describes a cause of the fall of the Assyrian Empire

• The empires army was poorly trained and not ready for warfare

• The Persian Empire was a constant military and economic threat

• Nebuchadnezzar invested all of the empires resources in large building projects

• The empire became too large for the military to protect

The Mesopotamian city-state of Sumer was located

• along the coast of the Persian Gulf

• in the Nile River valley

• between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

• on the Arabian Peninsula

Which statement best applies to polytheism

• There is a heaven

• There are many gods

• The spirits control your life

• The universe is merely an illusion