Mesopotamia-Rise of the Sumerian City-State

The name of Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was

• between two rivers
• in mountain foothills
• near a region of many conflicts
• . at the site of the earliest cities

 What river or rivers were important to the civilizations of Mesopotamia?

• Nile River
• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
• Amazon River
• Yellow and Yangtze Rivers

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

• Goats can live on dry grass.
• The region had plenty of rain. 
• Shallow canals watered the fields.
• Harsh climates are good for grains.

__________________________________ caused Mesopotamians to move to the river valley 

• cooperation
• uncontrolled water supply
• food shortages
• conflict

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

• overuse of the soil
• change in the climate
• increase in population 
• fighting between villages

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

• building terraces
• moving to the south 
• constructing reservoirs
•  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 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

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