Unit 2: River
Civilizations
Part 1 - Sumer
Study
Guide
Use this guide with the “Chapter 2, Sumer” reading.
Read Packets over first to get a general idea of the information
Go back and reread to fill out the Who and What
Go back and reread to fill out the TMD in the How and Why section
Follow instructions for the map and timeline for the When and Where
section.
Study and review in class and at home to prepare for unit test.
Who and What
You will be expected to know what the following terms are in your final unit test. Identify
what each word is and why it is significant. Feel free to use a separate sheet of paper or note
cards if you need.
Where to find Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent
Sumer
The Ubiad
Irrigation
Levee
Semite/ Semitic Language
An Explosion of Knowledge
Division of Labor/ Job Specialization
City-State
Religion and Government
Ziggurat
Ensi/ Priest King
Polytheistic
Theocracy
Cuneiform
Cuneiform
Scribe
Gilgamesh/ Epic of
Theocracy
The Early Dynastic Period
Monarchy
Dynasty
The Akkadian Empire
Akkadians
Sargon I
Empire
The Second Sumer Period
Centralized Government
Babylon and the Amorite Empire
Amorites
Babylon
Hammurabi’s Reign
Hammurabi
Code of Hammurabi
Mathematics, Science and Religion
Astrology
Horoscope
Zodiac
Words we will go over in Class:
Retribution
Restitution
Reform
Codify
Civil Law
Criminal Law
How and Why
OK, so you are getting the idea now. You will want to create your own Topic and Main Idea and Detail outline for
the following reading sections. You can do it on this page or a separate piece of paper.
Mesopotamia
Where to Find Mesopotamia
Sumer (3500-2000)
An explosion of knowledge
Religion and Government
Cuneiform
The Early Dynastic Period
The Akkadian Empire
The Second Sumerian Period
Babylon and the Amorite Empire
Hammurabi’s Reign
Mathematics, Science and Religion
A Series of Invasions
When
6000bc
5000bc
4000bc
3000bc
Be able to locate the following events on the timeline above:

The Ubaid settle in the Mesopotamian river valleys

Sumerians develop first cities and inventions

Early Sumerian Dynastic Period

Akkadian Empire

2nd Sumerian Period

Amorites invade and rule Mesopotamia
2000bc
1000bc
0bc

Rule of Hammurabi

Kassites and Hittites destroy Amorite Empire.
Where
Use the internet or old textbooks in class to locate the following areas



Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamia, Sumeria, Akkadia, Akkadian Empire, Amorite Empire, Egyptian Kingdom,
City of Babyon, City of Ur, City of Uruk,
Tigris River, Euphrates River, Nile River, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean
Use this map to locate and identify:
The Akkadian Empire
The Amorite Empire
The Egyptian Empire
Use this map to
identify these
modern countries
of the Middle East:
Iraq,
Iran,
Kuwait,
Israel,
Turkey,
Egypt,
Syria,
Saudi Arabia,
Afghanistan,
Pakistan