Mesopotamia Quest Study Guide
Wed. October 15
Human Heritage, pages 55-64 and related class handouts
Vocab to Know
Ideas to Understand
Be Able To Do
Religion
Polytheism
Praying Statues
Priest-King
Ziggurat
● How polytheism (the belief that there are many
gods) was the religious belief of Mesopotamian
people
● Describe how inventions such as the wheel, the sail,
and the plow contributed to the growth of
Mesopotamian civilization
● The importance of irrigation and the domestication
of animals to farming
● Describe the important achievements of
Mesopotamian civilization
Trade
Cuneiform
Scribe
Surplus
Metalsmithing
Cylinder seals
Slavery
Artisan
● Why early settlements were found near rivers
Irrigation
Fertile Crescent
Flood plain
Silt
Tributary
Delta
Canal
Levee
Government
Hammurabi’s Code
Absolute power
Divine right
Empire
Sargon I
● The importance of the Fertile Crescent, Euphrates,
Tigris, Persian Gulf, Ur, Babylon, and Sumer
● The specialized jobs within each social class (social
pyramid)
○ The system of writing (and its importance in
record keeping and tax collection)
○ Monumental architecture (the ziggurat)
○ Art (large relief sculpture, mosaics, and
cylinder seals)
● Prove through specific examples that Mesopotamia
is a civilization (Civilization chart)
● Explain why geographic location played a key role
in the success of Mesopotamia (Rivers, Mountains,
farm land)
● Show / Describe imports and exports to and from
Mesopotamia
● Describe the role of women in Mesopotamian
society in terms of their rights, limitations, and
contributions
● Be able to locate Sumer and the Fertile Crescent on a
map