Unit 2 The Rise of Sumer cities, Ancient Sumer, Empires of Meso

The environment of Sumer was

• Low and flat, with little rain

• Hilly and dry, with many stones

• High and cold, with sharp mountain peaks

The name of Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was

• In mountain foothills

• Between 2 rivers

• Near a region of many conflicts

• At the site of the earliest cities

Why were Sumerian communities called city-states?

• Each of them kept written records

• They were all part of one great empire

• Each of them had its own ruler and farmland

• They all depended on each other for water

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

• Increase in population

• Overuse of the soil

• Change in the climate

• Fighting between villages

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

• A. overuse of the soil

• B. change in the climate

• C. increase in population

• D. fighting between villages

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

• Moved south to the flat plains

• Grew more crops

• Joined villages together

One factor that made farming difficult in the area of Sumer was

• rocky soil

• steep killsides

• lack of rainfall

Why did the rivers flood in the spring?

• Heavy rain fell throughout the area

• Ice on the rivers broke into bits

• Strong winds blew from the Persian Gulf

• Snow melted in the mountains where the rivers began

What was the chief purpose of dams and reservoirs?

• A. to allow travel by boat

• B. to make it easier to fish

• C. to store water for later use

• D. to protect villages from attack

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

• A. to load barges

• B. to irrigate crops

• c. to prevent floods

• d. to control workers