Name: ___________________________Date: ____________ Hour: _____
5-2 Note Guide
Part 1
A System of Writing
Cuneiform
Question
Where did cuneiform develop?
Answer
~ Cuneiform was the system of writing invented in
Sumer pg. 108
How is cuneiform like
hieroglyphics?
Like hieroglyphs, cuneiform signs represented
sounds and ideas as well as objects. Pg. 109
How is cuneiform different for
hieroglyphics?
Cuneiform symbols were simplified so they could be
formed more quickly. These symbols looked less my
the images of the items that they represented, like
hieroglyphics.
How did the rules to become a
scribe differ from Egypt to
Mesopotamia?
Egyptian Rules pg. 78
Only boys could
become scribes, and
they began training
when they were about
10 years old. Each
day they chanted
passages aloud to
improve their reading.
Mesopotamian Rules pg. 109
Boys and , rarely girls,
spent years learning
how to make clay
tablets and reed “pens.”
Students practiced over
and over how to write
basic signs of
cuneiform.
City-States of Sumer
(A) Who was Gilgamesh? (B) What beliefs did the Sumerians hold about
Gilgamesh?
(A) Pg. 110 Gilgamesh was an early Sumerian mythical hero.
Chapter 5 Lesson 2
(B) Pg. 110 Sumerians believed that Gilgamesh knew all there was to know,
nobody could build a better brick wall, strong as an ox, part god/part man,
and was the best fighter.
Why did the Sumerians build walls around their cities?
Pg. 110 Strong walls were built to protect against attacks. Citiy-states often went to
war to gain control of precious river water.
What role did the king’s palace play in a city-state?
Pg. 110-111 The palace was where a city-state’s planning and decision making took
place.
How would you compare a Sumerian king with an Egyptian pharaoh? List characterizes of
both lead and use a highlighter to highlight the differences.
Sumerian King



Seen by the people as a person
Made important decisions for the
empire
Collected taxes
Egyptian Pharaoh



Seen as a “god,” a descendent of
Ra
Made important decisions for the
kingdom
Collected taxes to build
monuments (i.e. pyramids)
What trade did the Sumerians carry on with outsiders?
Pg. 111 Sumerians traded with the ancient seafaring people called Phoenicians.
The Phoenicians also traded with merchants from Egypt. Phoenicians swent wine
and timber to Sargon’s city states. In return they received Mesopotamian farm
products and other goods.
Part 2
The Rise of Babylon
What brought on the collapse of the Sumerian Empire?
Sargon died and later a rebellion against the city-states occurred.
Chapter 5 Lesson 2
What Strategy did Hammurabi use to weaken the Sumerians?
Hammurabi dammed the Euphrates River to control the water (either flooding or
cutting off the water) flow to the Sumerians. Once the river was dammed,
Hammurabi would send his troops in to take over the weakened Sumerians.
How did Babylonia affect Sumer and how did Sumer affect Babylonia?
Sumer
Affect
Sumer joined a powerful and wealthy trading
empire
Babylonia
Babylon adopted Sumer’s culture and language
Affect
The “New” Babylonia
What city-state now gained power and where was it located?
Nineveh, north of the Tigris River, now gained power.
What made the city magnificent?
Babylon had massive walls, a ziggurat that rose 100 feet into the air, gridded streets,
a sewer system, and hanging garderns.
Chapter 5 Lesson 2