Sumerian City-States

Which of the following used by rulers of Sumerian city-states? Select all that apply.

• en

• ensi

• marduk

• lugal

The first peoples to inhabit Mesopotamia were known as the _____.

• Babylonians

• Sumerians

• Assyrians

• Kassites

Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of ancient Mesopotamian city-states?

• defensive walls for protection

• a ziggurat as the most important building

• an absence of royal rulers

• between 10,000 & 50,000 people

The Mesopotamia translates to

• Outside of the river

• Between a river

• Between 2 rivers

• Near the river

Sumerians were

• Monotheistic

• Polytheistic

• Atheist

• Unsure

A large, stepped platform topped on top of a temple dedicated to the city’s chief god or goddess.

• Ziggurat

• Temple

• Mounds

• Pyramids

What was the key to successful farming in Sumer?

• hiring workers from nearby communities

• controlling the water supply

• planting crops before the floods came

• growing crops in the foothills and not on the plains

How did Sumerian farmers control the water supply?

• they built levees to prevent flooding

• they dug canals to shape the paths the water took

• they built reservoirs to store water for later use

• all of these

What is the major flaw in the Sumerian system of canals that flowed through many different cities?

• Cities located upriver could block the water flow for cities downriver.

• Cities threw trash in the canals.

• There was no water left in the canal by the time it got to the last city.

• All of the above

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