Mesopotamia Scavenger Hunt

1. Mesopotamia Scavenger Hunt By Carlos Just

2. Why were river valleys the first place for complex societies? • 1. The availability of water helped them to farm, because they wouldn’t have to walk far to get water. • 2. The soil between two rivers has good farming conditions. • 3. Farming produced lots of crops so it was easy to feed large amounts of people. • 4. The rivers provided fish and fresh water to drink. • 5. It was easy to travel in the river. • There are many advantages for people to settle by the rivers.

3. How did farmers control floods? • The farmers figured out how to make dams and dig trenches. They would also build water ways and ditches to bring water to their fields for their crops. Irrigation allowed farmers to grow plenty of food and support a large amount of humans. Because of the ability to control seasonal floods, by 3,000 B.C. large cities had formed in a region called Sumer.

4. Ancient Sumerians used cuneiform and rebus writing systems. Why was this so important? • Cuneiform is a kind of pictoral writing first used in Mesopotamia. It was used to keep records of trade and other things. (For example a picture of barley meant barley.) • Cuneiform was carved into clay with a stylus that left wedge-shaped marks. • Eventually the Mesopotamians used rebus writing. A rebus represents a syllable. (For example, a symbol meaning “car” and another meaning “pet” might be put together to mean “carpet”. • Today a rebus might be used for kids that need help reading long words. • Writing in Mesopotamia was important because it allowed them to write down their laws and business transactions. Writing down business made it possible for them make bigger trades.

5. Important Sumerian inventions and mathematical concepts. • Inventions: • Sumerians invented the stamp allowing them to make quick copies of trades and market transactions. • The sailboat was first used in the 4th millennium and it enabled ancient people to travel by water faster and without as much work. • We have evidence of wheeled vehicles from the mid-4th millennium BC . The wheel allowed Mesopotamians to move heavy objects and larger quantities of stuff to trade. • Mathematical Concepts: • 1. The Sumerian math system (called sexagesimal) is centered on the base figure of 60. This system allowed them to multiply into the millions and calculate roots and exponents. • Sumerians also used a ‘place concept’; so depending on where a number is located it will have a different value. • The Sumerian measuring system used a 12-inch foot. The consistent use of this measurement meant everybody in a trade agreement could know they were getting a fair trade. • How do we use these things today: • We still use many of these inventions today. We use wheels on cars, stamps for hobby purposes, and sailboats for recreation. We still use a 12-inch foot and our number system depends on place value.

6. The story of Gilgamesh – World’s First Superhero • The legend of Gilgamesh is about a very bored leader who has run out of ideas of what to do. So, the gods, send down Enkidu – a wild man who is stronger and faster than Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Enkidu wrestle, hit each other, bite and scratch one another, but neither one can beat the other. They begin laughing and become friends. To go off to the Forbidden Forest looking for monsters to fight. • My favorite part is the fight of Enkidu and Gilgamesh. I think a fight between two strong people who are two-thirds gods would be fun to watch.

7. What is a ziggurat? What was its function? • A ziggurat is an ancient Sumerian temple. Sumerians believed important gods lived in the sky so they built their ziggurats with steps that led to the top. Sumerians held rituals and left offerings of bread and wine on the steps which the priests enjoyed. Sometimes they would hold festivals at the ziggurats , but on other days you might see people living daily lives. • If I built a model of a ziggurat I would make small rectangular bricks from mud and then glue them together with mud in a pyramid with a rectangle base and sides with steps.

8. Hammurabi: Laws and the Golden Age of Babylon • Who was Hammurabi?: Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylon, from 1792 Bc-1750Bc. He is known for making Hammurabi’s code, one the first the written codes of law in recorded history. • What kind of leader was he?: He was an effective military leader because he was able to get vast areas of land under Babylon’s control through fighting. He was a very involved leader. • Why was Hammurabi’s code so important?: Life for his people was not chaotic, they had rules to live by. The code gave them protected rights so that buildings were safer, slaves were treated better, and consumers had reasonably priced goods. Future laws often looked a lot like Hammurabi’s code. • Why was his reign called the “Golden Age of Babylon”?: This was a Golden Age because Hammurabi was very involved and cared about his people. He made the Empire the biggest it had ever been and established laws. • Why did he need 282 laws?: Hammurabi’s Code reflects incidents that happened in Babylon. If they had a problem, they made a law about it.

9. The Age of Iron: Hittites and Assyrians • Who developed iron weapons?: The Hittites developed iron smelting about 1400 Bc. They controlled the area’s iron ore for many years and helped change the tools of agriculture and weapons. • Who used iron smelting to improve weapons even more?: The Assyrians used iron smelting to make harder weapons. • What combination of techniques did the Assyrians use to dominate the area?: Assyrians used a combination of chariots, cavalry, and infantry. Arrows were shot from the chariots. Cavalry were men riding horses and they used bows and spears. Infantry are men on foot and they used bows, spears, swords and slings.

10. What were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? • One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. • The gardens were supposedly built by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II around 601BC. He is reported to have built the gardens to please his homesick wife, Amytis of Media. Her homeland had a lot of trees and plants so he wanted the gardens to make her feel like she was at home. • We know about the gardens from Greek historians such as Strabo, but they were destroyed by time and earthquakes.