The rise of the Sumerian City-States

The name Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was

• in mountain foothills

• near a region of many conflicts

• between 2 rivers

• near Disneyland

Why were Sumerian cities 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 and farmland.

The environment of Sumer was

• low and flat, with little rain

• hilly and dry, with many stones

• thickly forested, with heavy storms

• high and cold, with sharp mountain peaks.

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

• Goats eat grass

• The region had plenty of rain

• Shallow canals watered the fields

• Harsh climates are good for grains

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

• Overuse of the soil

• Change in the climate

• Increase in population

• Fighting between villages

• Both A and C

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

• Building terraces

• Moving to the plains in 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

• Both A and C

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.

• Both A and D

What was the main purpose of of dams and reservoirs?

• to allow travel by boat

• to make it easier to fish

• to store water for later use

• to protect villages from attack

If you were in ancient Sumer, you might see a levee beside a river. Why was a levee built?

• to load cruise ships

• to irrigate crops

• to prevent floods

• to control workers

• Both B and C