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WorksheetsExploring Mesopotamia and Early Humans
Total questions: 65
Worksheet time: 1hrs 14mins
Which two rivers are shown on most maps of ancient Mesopotamia?
Nile and Amazon
Tigris and Euphrates
Mississippi and Yangtze
Indus and Ganges
If a farmer in ancient Mesopotamia broke a law from the Code of Hammurabi, what would likely happen?
He would be given a medal
He would face a punishment written in the code
He would become king
He would move to another country
Why did early humans settle in Mesopotamia?
Because of the mountains
Because of the rich soil and water from rivers
Because of the deserts
Because of the cold weather
How did the Code of Hammurabi help people in Mesopotamia?
It made farming easier
It told people how to build houses
It helped people know what was right and wrong
It taught people to write
Why do you think the Code of Hammurabi was written down for everyone to see?
So only the king would know the laws
So everyone would know the laws and punishments
So people could use it as a storybook
So it could be hidden from enemies
Chariots and the wheel could be which element of culture?
Arts
Government
Religion
Ziggurats relate to which of these elements of culture?
Government
Social Structure
Technology
Cuneiform relates to which of these elements of culture?
Government
Stable Food Supply
Arts
The process whereby people become skilled at different jobs
Specialization of Labor
Agriculture
Domestication
Scribe
What was the first reason Sumerians created Cuneiform?
to write history
to keep track of trade
to write laws
to describe agriculture
Who lived closest to the Ziggurat?
Irrigation Ditches
Priests/Government Officials
Farms/Farmers
Craftspeople/Merchants
Sumerians used levees, canals, and dams to...
control the amout of water in the valley
keep water away from neighboring towns
make ponds where people could wash their clothes
create waterfalls so they had water power
Having more of something than is needed.
Supply
Demand
Civilization
A group of people with the same social status
Caste System
Ziggurat
Scribe
Someone that has no fixed home but wanders from place to place
Scribe
Ziggurat
Hunter-Gatherer
A person skilled in reading and writing
Craftsperson
Priest
King
A Mesopotamian temple of worship
Church
Sumer
Scribe
Bits of soil carried by a flowing river
Irrigation
Agriculture
Levee
What is Domestication?
the taming and raising of wild animals
property and wealth get passed down from father to son
working the land to grow plants
cro-magnon
Sumerians created a complex _______________ system to deal with flooding.
irrigation
levee
agriculture
writing
What did Sumerians use ziggurats for besides religious ceremonies? (choose 2)
for homes
for entertainment
for trade and government
to study the constellations and moon cyclc
to house surplus crops
What common factor led to the collapse of the Akkadian, Babylonian, and Chaldean empires?
Weak rulers made the empires unstable.
Strict new codes of law caused people to rebel.
Enslaved people rebelled against their conquerors.
Religious minorities revolted against the ruling elite
What is one way that early humans survived cold environments
They made clothes from wool.
They trained dogs to help them hunt.
They built cabins made of logs.
They discovered how to make fire.
How did new tools revolutionize agriculture during the Neolithic era?
New tools saved early humans labor and time.
New tools made it possible to produce less food.
New tools allowed early humans to grow plants without water.
New tools helped early humans develop different seeds for planting.
Why did people domesticate plants during the Neolithic era?
to adapt to the climate
to prevent soil erosion
to create a reliable food supply
to eliminate the need to hunt animals
Why did people domesticate animals during the Neolithic era?
Animals were used for labor and farming tasks.
Animals were used during religious ceremonies.
Animals were used to show a person’s wealth.
Animals were used as pets and companions.
What is a characteristic of the social order in early permanent settlements?
All villagers were ranked by their abilities and level of skill.
All villagers were arranged by importance by the village leader.
All villagers placed the highest value on farmers because of their harvest.
All villagers were focused on the harvest, creating an equal social order.
What happened as a result of the Agricultural Revolution?
Increase in population
Lower death rates
Higher death rates
The first complex civilizations developed in what region of Mesopotamia?
Babylonia
Sumer
Persia
Social classes are usually determined by what?
a person's family/relatives
a person's education
a person's job/work
The Mesopotamian calendar was based on _______ cycles.
sun
moon
star
Why are Mesopotamians considered polytheists?
They worshiped by giving offerings.
They worshiped in a temple.
They all had an "Aunt Polly."
They believed in many gods.
How did government in Mesopotamia change after the decline of Sumer?
The Akkadians created the first regional empire, and all of Mesopotamia was ruled by one king.
The Akkadians created the world's first democracy.
The Akkadians created one city-state, and the Babylonians took over the rest.
The Akkadians created new monarchies, and a different king ruled in each city-state.
What principle of justice does Hammurabi's Code support?
Forgiveness should always be granted.
Executions make people obey out of fear.
The rights of Babylonians were above other people.
Punishment should fit the crime.
What ideas from the Code of Hammurabi are still important today? (Choose 2)
having one set of laws for everyone
making punishments more severe than the crime
holding people accountable for their actions
using an oral tradition to pass down laws
Why is the Epic of Gilgamesh important? (choose 2)
It revealed what Mesopotamia
was like, what people cared about, and what they imagined.
It is the oldest story ever found.
It was written about all the gods of Mesopotamia and how they helped the people.
It makes me laugh when I say, "Gilgamesh."
Based on the images, which statement can you infer about Mesopotamian achievements?
Irrigation led to the ability to develop more technology
Written language led to the development of irrigation systems
Ziggurats led to the formation of written laguage
Trade networks and armies created written languages
Based on the passage what can you infer about the social hierarchy of the Sumerians?
Lower class people would not worship the gods
The Sumerians don't have an organized religion
Priests would likely be in the lower class
Priests would likely be in the upper class
Based on the information, how did Hammurabi help to transform society?
His laws got rid of the existing class system
He required that every class be punished equally
He continued the practice of treating women differently from men
His laws were written to include women.
Which of these is NOT one of the 8 features required for a successful civilization?
Government
Writing
Religion
Kings
What is the Epic of Gilgamesh?
the story of the Hebrew's flight from Egypt.
an Egyptian folktale.
a tale about Assurbanipal.
a poem recounting the adventures of a Sumerian hero.
Sumerians made _____ in order to craft stronger tools, weapons, and jewelry.
bronze
river valleys
wheels
Fertile Crescent
The first _____ were solid wood circles that were clamped together.
river valleys
bronze
wheels
Fertile Crescent
A group of many different lands under one ruler is called a(n):
civilization
empire
caravan
Hittite
The "cradle of civilization" :
Mesopotamia
Jericho
Catal Huyuk
Sargon
_____________________ helped ideas spread around the world.
writing
trade
epics
farming
One of the world's first libraries was located here:
Nineveh
Sargon
Babylon
Catal Huyuk
People who study the stars, planets, and moon phases are called:
astronomers
historians
archaeologists
anthropologists
What makes early civilizations unique compared to those that followed later?
Early civilizations were all similar.
Early civilizations did not have a model to follow.
Everyone grew their own food and had enough to eat.
People came together from many different backgrounds.
How did early civilizations control floodwaters?
waterfalls
rainforests
dams and canals
seasonal migration
This carved stone from Mesopotamia records a gift of land from a king.
What were early forms of writing like this used for?
land and other property records
fiction stories
report cards
recipes
How was Hammurabi's code displayed?
Scholars are not sure but many believe that the laws were kept secret
The laws were placed in public so that all people could see them
the laws were carved into hundreds of different stones along the road to the city
nobody knows because the original code was destroyed
One reason Hammurabi's code is famous is that
it was the first set of laws recorded in writing
it was written in a sophisticated code that took years for historians to translate
it was beautifully written on a single giant stone of polished basalt
it was the first set of laws to rhyme to help people remember them
Read these sentences from the text.
In an effort to make the punishment fit the crime, Hammurabi’s Code often required the criminal to receive the same injury that he or she had inflicted on a victim. Such laws may seem harsh today, but they were intended to prevent society from descending into chaos and disorder.
Based on this evidence, what might King Hammurabi have wanted to promote in society?
chaos and confusion
justice and order
anger and violence
wealth and fortune
Who is the original audience of the Code of Hammurabi
Students of history
Historians at Universities
subjects of the Babylonian Empire
Readers of the textbook
Who is the Speaker of the Primary Source?
The Judge inspired by God Shamash
King Hammurabi
Emperor Yu inspired by God Shamash
King Hammurabi inspired by God Shamash
What topic best describes Law 196 If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
Personal injury
robbery
divorce
harboring a fugitive
What topic best describes law 8
If a man has stolen an ox, a sheep, a pig or a boat that belonged to a temple or palace he shall repay thirty times its cost
personal injury
robbery
divorce
harboring a fugitive
The tools that make life easier through inventions and other advancements/achievements are forms of:
specialized labor
technology
social structure
agriculture
This characteristic divides the society into categories, with the highest class being on the top and the lowest class at the bottom.
technology
religion
government
social structure
_________________ is considered by historians to be one of the most important characteristics of a civilization because it introduced the concept of record keeping.
art
writing
religion
social structure
What is true about a reed boat?
It helped the hunter gatherers migrate to different areas around the world.
It was used to help the civilizations trade with other areas.
It was used to help catch fish.
It was used to help create the levees and canals.
