Chapter 1: The First Civilizations
Notes Packet
Name: ____________________________________________
Period #: ___________________________________________
6A Social Studies
Movie Questions/ Responses:
1. Mesopotamia was located between the ___ and ___ rivers.
A. Tigris and Euphrates
B. Tiber and Po
C. Loire and Seine
D. Rhine and Elbe
2. Ancient Sumerians are said to be the first people to:
A. form a government.
B. develop architecture.
C. start an educational system.
D. All of the above.
3. Cuneiform is:
A. a system of irrigation.
B. a system of writing.
C. a system of trading.
D. a system of making sun-dried bricks.
4. Why did an Assyrian merchant call iron ''the metal from heaven?''
A. Religious authorities were the only people who used it.
B. It could only be obtained from meteorites.
C. It was so plentiful, Assyrians thought they were blessed by God.
D. Its scarcity compelled Assyrians to worship iron as a God.
5. Ancient Mesopotamia was a ____ area because of its ____.
A. sparsely populated...food shortages
B. barren...scarce water resources
C. sought after...location on trade routes
D. None of the above.
Chapter 1, Section 1: Early Humans (P.8-15)
Vocabulary:
1) Historians: _____________________________________________________________________
2) Archaeologists: _________________________________________________________________
3) Artifacts: _____________________________________________________________________
4) Fossils: ________________________________________________________________________
5) Anthropologists: _______________________________________________________________
6) Nomads: _____________________________________________________________________
7) Technology: ___________________________________________________________________
8) Domesticate: __________________________________________________________________
9) Catal Huyuk: ___________________________________________________________________
10)Specialization: __________________________________________________________________
1.1 Early Humans Notes
I.Early Humans
1) When did history begin and what started it? ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
A. Tools of Discovery
1)How do we know about the earliest people? ____________________________________________
2) What kind of evidence do archaeologists use to study the past? _________________________
3) What do historians call the earliest period of human history? Why? _______________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4) What is the earliest part of the Stone Age called? When did it last until? __________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
B. Who Were the Hunter-Gatherers?
1)Why did Paleolithic people move around so much? _____________________________________
2) What was the woman’s job? What was the man’s job? __________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
C. What Were the Ice Ages?
1)What were the Ice Ages and what helped humans to survive? ___________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
D. Language, Art, Religion
1)What development made it easier for people to work together and pass on knowledge?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
E. The Invention of Tools
1)What did Paleolithic people use to make tools? ________________________________________
II. Neolithic Times
A. Why was Farming Important?
1)What do historians call the Neolithic Age? ______________________________________________
B. The Growth of Villages
1)How did farming lead to the growth of villages? _________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
C. The Benefits of a Settled Life
1)Name 3 benefits of the Neolithic age:
A. __________________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________________
C.__________________________________________________________________________
1.1 Summary Question:
Chapter 1, Section 2: Mesopotamian Civilization (P.16-25)
Vocabulary:
1) Civilizations: __________________________________________________________________
2) Mesopotamia: _________________________________________________________________
3) Irrigation: ___________________________________________________________________
4) City-state: _____________________________________________________________________
5) Artisans: _____________________________________________________________________
6) Cuneiform: ____________________________________________________________________
7) Scribes: _____________________________________________________________________
8) Empire: _____________________________________________________________________
1.2 Notes
I.Mesopotamia’s Civilization
1) What things does a civilization need? (Hint: 6 things)
1. _______________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________
6. _______________________________________________________
Symbol:
A. Why Were River Valleys Important?
1)Why did the first civilizations begin in River Valleys? _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2) What helped to keep the civilization organized? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
B. The Rise of Sumer
1)What was the first civilization and where did it begin?
- The first civilization was ______________________________________.
- It was located in what is today southern ____________________________.
-It was on a flat plain between the ________________________________ River and the
______________________________River.
2) Why was irrigation so important in Mesopotamia? _______________________________________
3) What is the region of Southern Mesopotamia called? ____________________________________
C. What Were City-States?
1)Were the Sumerian city-states allies (friends) or enemies? ________________________________
D. Gods and Rulers
1)Why did the Sumerians spend so much time worshiping their gods? _______________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2) What was the religious place for Sumerians? ____________________________________________
E. What was Life Like in Sumer?
1)What was the most common job in Sumer? ______________________________________________
2) What were the 3 social classes of Sumer?
A. Upper Class= __________________________________________________________
B. Middle Class= __________________________________________________________
C. Lower Class= ____________________________________________________________
II.A Skilled People
A.Why was Writing Important?
1) What was the Sumerian’s great invention? Why is it important? __________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2) Why were scribes so rare and important? _______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
B. Advances in Science and Math
1) Name 2 Sumerian inventions (not including writing):
1. _____________________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________________
III.Sargon and Hammurabi
1) Who is Sargon and what did he create? ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2) What was the Code of Hammurabi? _______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
P.24-25 “You Decide… Hammurabi’s Laws: Fair or Cruel?”
*Directions: Decide if you think Hammurabi’s laws were fair or cruel, give 3 examples to
support your opinion!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 1, Section 3: The First Empires (P.26-30)
Vocabulary:
1) Provinces: _____________________________________________________________________
2) Hanging Gardens: _______________________________________________________________
3) Caravans: ______________________________________________________________________
4) Astronomers: ___________________________________________________________________
1.3 Notes:
1.4
I.The Assyrians
A. Why Were the Assyrians So Strong?
1)Name 3 reasons why the Assyrians were so strong:
A) ______________________________________________________________________________________
B) ______________________________________________________________________________________
….continued
C) ______________________________________________________________________________________
B. A Well-Organized Government
1)What was the capital of the Assyrian Empire? ____________________________________________
2)How was the Assyrian Empire organized and ruled? :
-The kings divided the Empire into _______________________________________
-The kings chose _______________________ to govern each province
-The officials collected ___________________ and enforced the king’s _____________________
C. Life in Assyria
1)What famous landmark was in the capital city of Nineveh? ____________________________
2)What led to the downfall of the Assyrian Empire? _____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
II.The Chaldeans
1)Who was the king of the Chaldeans? _______________________________________________
A. The City of Babylon
1)Why was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon built? Why was it so remarkable?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________