Mesopotamia

Use the map to answer this question. Which landform covered most of ancient Mesopotamia?

• the Tigris and Euphrates River Valley

• the Caspian Sea

• the Nile River

• the Syrian Desert

Anthropologists believe that the first use of cuneiform, the earliest known writing, was to _________.

• record important battles

• keep records of business matters

• list kings in order

• keep inventories of things captured in battle

Which of the following groups of people did not live in Mesopotamia at one time in history?

• Assyrians

• Sumerians

• Egyptians

• Chaldeans

Besides keeping the first known written records, which of the following could best be added to the chart of Mesopotamian inventions?

• soap

• ink

• rock art

• fire

The few people in ancient times who could read and write were called __________.

• rulers

• stelas

• scribes

• ziggurats

Which description best fits the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the world's oldest written stories, which came from Mesopotamia?

• an account of a Mesopotamian king and his battles

• a legend about a king traveling the world and defeating a monster

• a love story about King Gilgamesh

• a description of all the kings who ever ruled Mesopotamia

Which country exists today in the area that was ancient Mesopotamia?

• Iraq

• Assyria

• Egypt

• Italy

Which warrior people were known as the cruelest group to live in Mesopotamia?

• Assyrians

• Sumerians

• Egyptians

• Chaldeans

Even though very few people could read, the Babylonian King Hammurabi ordered that his laws be displayed where all the people could see them. These laws, called the Code of Hammurabi, were written on _________.

• clay tablets

• papyrus scrolls

• a huge black stone

• the walls of his palace

Mesopotamian city-states had all of the following except _________.

• a class structure which included wealthy, middle class and slaves

• strong walls around each town and their own laws

• a religious ruler called a shaman

• a political ruler called a lugal