Southwest Asia
Chapter 2
Ancient Mesopotamia
What is a Scribe?
• A person in Sumerian
society who writes
What is cuneiform?
• Cuneiform are softclay tablets with
wedge shaped letters
What is a ziggurat?
• A ziggurat is a Sumer
religious temple
surrounded by the
marketplace and
village of the citystate
Describe a monarchy
government
• A type of government
where one person
has complete
authority to rule in
peacetime and lead
soldiers in time of
war.
How were dikes and canals
used?
• Dikes were used as
part of an irrigation
system to control
floodwaters. This
prevented the
destruction valuable
farm land provided
water for their fields.
What is a Surplus of Goods?
• Surplus means
producing enough
food to create a
division of labor, this
allowed people to life
in cities and have
non-farming jobs.
What was a result of early
agriculture?
• Early Agriculture
domesticated plants &
animals and produced
a reliable food source.
Describe city-states
• A city and its
surrounding
farmlands with its own
leaders &
government. Sumer,
Ur, and Babylon are
examples of early
city-states.
What is labor and how did it effect
early civilizations?
• Labor means to work
at a job or activity to
earn a living. A
division of labor
meant not all people
were producing food.
What is irrigation?
• Irrigation a system of
dikes, canals, ditches
and dams to control
the floodwaters
What is Monotheism?
• The Israelites
believed in
Monotheism which is
the belief in one god.
• As opposed to most
religions at the time
that worshipped many
gods.
What does go into exile mean?
• Exile is the act of
being forced to live in
another place
• As when the Jews left
Mesopotamia with
Abraham
Mesopotamia
• The word means the
land between 2 rivers
• Mesopotamia is the
area surrounding the
Tigris and Euphrates
rivers also known as
the Fertile Crescent.
Where is the Tigris & Euphrates
Valley?
• Tigris & Euphrates
Valley is the land
between the two
rivers in Sumer that
were a major part of
the Fertile Crescent.
What were the Phoenicians
famous for?
• Phoenicians are the
people who invented
a system of writing of
symbols that stood for
sounds called
cuneiform
• Developing and
exporting the color
purple.
Who was Moses?
• Moses was the
leader of the Israelites
who led them out of
exile in Egypt
Who was Sargon?
• Sargon was the first
ruler of Mesopotamia
to unite the city-states
and established an
empire.
Who was Hammurabi?
• Hammurabi was the
Babylonian ruler who
established a tax
system and a set of
laws to support the
government.
What is the Code of Hammurabi?
• Code of Hammurabi
were the pillar of laws
that Hammurabi set
up to establish order
in Babylonia.
Who was Abraham?
• Abraham was the
“father of the
Israelites” who
according to the Bible
received the convent
(Special agreement)
from God.
Where is the Fertile Crescent?
• Fertile Crescent is
located in Southwest
Asia, where the fertile
land between the 2
rivers provided good
farming land, but was
surrounded by arid or
dry desert.
Describe Sumer
• Sumer is a ancient
city-state located in
the southern part of
Mesopotamia
• It was known for its
technology in farming
and irrigation
systems.
• This created a food
surplus and a division
of labor
Which civilization was known for
creating coins?
• Lydians developed
coins that had the
same weight and
value
• Coins were made of a
mixture of gold &
silver called electrum.
• Before they used a
barter system.
Ancient Sumer began to have a division
of labor which was caused by?
• Developed technology in
farming and irrigation
systems.
• The ability to produce
more food than needed
• Surplus of food allowed
workers to become skilled
craftsman
• Skilled workers created a
complex division of labor
Study Tonight
Test Tomorrow
Study Guides and Maps will be
turned in the day of the test
Directions for handing in your Chapter 2 outlines
• Hand in SS spiral
• Make sure you have highlighted the
Vocabulary
• Open it to the first lesson you want
me to correct
• Write your name and period at the top
of the page