Lesson 4: The Rise of Sumerians City-States

Mesopotamia is located in the modern country of

• Iran

• Iraq

• Turkey

• Jordan

Where was the ancient land known as Mesopotamia?

• in northern Africa near the Nile River

• in Eastern Europe along the Danube River

• in central Asia between the Syr Darya and Amu Darya

• in southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

The earliest settlements in Mesopotamia were like small, independent countries. They are called

• fiefdoms

• city-states

• vassal states

• nations

What made Mesopotamia a difficult environment to live in?

• The daily rain showers made the soil soggy and unworkable.

• The short growing seasons made it hard to grow enough food.

• The sun was hot, and there was little rain.

• Farmland was scarce because of the dense forests.

In Neolithic times, the first people to begin farming in Mesopotamia lived

• in the Pyrenees Mountains

• in the Rocky Mountains

• in the Zagros Mountains

• in the Pontic Mountains

What was the major disadvantage to the rapid population growth in the foothills?

• crowded living conditions

• food shortages

• lack of job opportunities

• competition for land

What drove people to move out of the foothills to the plains of Sumer?

• the desire for a new beginning

• the search for gold

• the need for food

• the need to escape enemies

The foothills provided conditions that were good for farming and building shelters. What conclusion can you draw from this statement?

• People had to remain nomads in order to survive.

• People came to the foothills to learn farming before returning to their homes elsewhere.

• The foothills did not have what was necessary to sustain life.

• People settled in one place, and the population grew.

In Sumer, the water supply was

• inadequate. Farmers never had enough water.

• unreliable. Farmers had either too much water or too little.

• extreme. Farmers had too much water all the time.

• contaminated. Farmers rarely had enough clean water.

What was the key to successful farming in Sumer?

• planting crops before the floods came

• growing crops in the foothills and not on the plains

• controlling the water supply

• hiring workers from nearby communities