Ancient Mesopotamia Review

Define Surplus

• Not having enough food or supplies.

• Managing resources wisely so that there's enough for everyone.

• Having more supplies than you need to survive.

• Saving seeds after each harvest to replant

Choose ALL statements that represent domestication

• Hunting wild deer

• Cultivating apple trees to grow more fruit

• Maintaining the soil for the next growing season

• Breeding a pig to produce more meet

True or False: Food surpluses from farming made job specialization possible because not everyone had to work to produce food.

• True

• False

Ziggurats were used for:

• Mass, communion, and confession

• Burial sites for kings

• Worshiping the gods, praying, and storing community resources

• Homes for wealthy citizens

Why was Ancient Mesopotamia nicknamed "the fertile crescent"

• Because plants grew easily on the lush plains

• Because water from the Zagros mountains naturally irrigated farm land

• Because dense rainforests in the region were constantly growing.

• Because the flooding from Tigris and Euphrates rivers created fertile soil for farming

Check ALL statements that represent resource management in Ancient Mesopotamia

• Communities made sure there were enough people available to farm the land and produce food.

• Communities let people decided for themselves how to divide resources and assumed people would work it out.

• Communities made sure fertile soil was used responsibly so it could be farmed year after year.

• Communities saved enough seeds each harvest to replant next year.

Who had the LEAST power in Ancient Mesopotamia

• Slaves and military prisoners.

• Farmers

• Merchants

• Kings and Priests

What was the role of Priests in Sumer? Choose the BEST answer.

• Leading worship services, communion, and confession

• Making rules and enforcing laws.

• Praying to the gods for protection and good fortune.

• Running temples, talking to the gods, leading their communities, and managing shared resources.

Why did the Sumerians care about keeping the gods happy? Choose the BEST answer.

• They hoped they would have a good after life

• They hoped the gods would wipe out their enemies if they kept them happy.

• They worried the gods would send a drought and they would die if they weren't happy.

• They believed everything good that happened to them was because the gods were happy and bad things happened when the gods were angry.

What are some way's Sumerian kings promoted social order? Check ALL that apply

• They passed laws to prevent violence and crime.

• They held public forums and let citizens vote on what they wanted for their city.

• They invested in public works projects like walls, dams, and roads.

• They protected their cities during times of war.