Name _________________________________________
Date _______________________
Period __________
Mesopotamia Study Guide
Mesopotamia Background. Match the problem with the solution
Not Enough Food in the Mountains.
Create a system of irrigation canals,
tunnels, and mounds
Mesopotamian Towns are fighting over
limited resources
Mesopotamians build walls around their
cities.
The irrigation system is getting filled with
silt or soil
The People moved to the river plain
The river is flooding and lessening
unpredictably
Towns work together to maintain the
canals and trenches
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story about ___a king_____ from the city Uruk. He meets his
friend _________Enkidu_____________________ and goes on an adventure to find
___________eternal___________________ life.
Modern Day Country - ___________Iraq_________________________________
Mesopotamia means: meso - _______Middle_____________ potamos - _________River_____________
Another translation is: “The Land _____Between_______________ the ______Rivers______________.”
The ________Fertile_________ _____Crescent__________ is a green strip of land in the river valley.
It is bordered on the west by what body of water? ________Mediterranean Sea______________
It is bordered on the east by what body of water? _______Persian Gulf_______________________
7 Aspects (parts) of Civilization
Stable Food Supply
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Farming is required
Supports a larger population
Invention of the Plow,
Social Structure
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Different jobs and social levels
Your status affects your quality of life
slavery appears in the lowest classes
Government
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Makes life orderly
Protects and Guides the people
Creates and enforces laws
Religion/Philosophy
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A set of beliefs
A common way of life
Values
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Art forms such as music, art, architecture,
and literature
Proof of advanced thinking strategies
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Practical tools and inventions
Creations to make life easier
Wheel created in 3500 B.C.E.

Created from a more basic form:
Pictographs
Detailed written language
Used to record information about society
Developed Culture
Technology
Writing
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4 Major Empires
Akkadian Empire
Years
2300 B.C.E. – 2100 B.C.E.
Major Leader
Sargon
Important Information:
(How did this empire rule?
Any specific ideas/inventions?
What made this empire different?)

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First every empire
Strong armies broke down city walls
Replaced leaders with loyal followers
Babylonian Empire
Years
1800 B.C.E. – 1500 B.C.E.
Major Leader
Hammurabi
Important Information:
(How did this empire rule?
Any specific ideas/inventions?
What made this empire different?)

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A uniform set of laws (The Code of
Hammurabi
People treated wel
Empire was well maintained
Assyrian Empire
Years
911 B.C.E. – 612 B.C.E.
Major Leader
Ashurbanipal
Important Information:
(How did this empire rule?
Any specific ideas/inventions?
What made this empire different?)

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Treated people cruelly
Used aqueducts to transport water
The army was stretched too thin to last
Neo-Babylonian Empire
Years
605 B.C.E. – 539 B.C.E.
Major Leader
Nebuchadnezzar II
Important Information:
(How did this empire rule?
Any specific ideas/inventions?
What made this empire different?)

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Fortified the city of Babylon (2 walls)
Created the sundial and studied
astronomy
May have built the Hanging Gardens of
Babylon
Short Answer (topics)
Epic of Gilgamesh
Sumerian Achievements
How did the empires rule? Important Aspects of Civilization
Epic of Gilgamesh
A Sumerian Religious text that tells the
tale of a real life king. This story talks
about the creation of the world,
Gilgamesh’s power, and his meeting of
Enkidu. After a few adventures Enkidu
dies and Gilgamesh attempts to search
for the secret of living forever, but
ultimately fails.
How Empires Rule
Akkadian – conquered peoples and kept
them weak
Babylonian – created a more fair and
tried to make the empire look appealing
Assyrian – Defeated people and treated
them harshly if they rebelled
Neo-Babylonian – very intellectual and
wealthy, want to have a good and
enjoyable life.
Sumerian Achievements
Sumer, the first city, created many
advancements in society. A few include:
Arches, City-states, irrigation, writing,
metal working, statues to the gods,
music, mathematics, the plow, games, the
wheel, sailboat, and ziggurat.
Aspect of Civilizations
There are 7 major aspects of civilization.
These are all necessary for humans living
together in large societies. Each is
important and addresses one part of
society. The 7 include Stable Food
Supply, Social Structure, Government,
Religion/Philosophy, Developed Culture,
Technology, and Writing.
Map of Mesopotamia
Identify:
1. Euphrates River
2. Tigris River
6
3. Persian Gulf
4. Mediterranean Sea
5. Persia
6. Asia Minor
7. Egypt
4
7
1
2
5
3