The Rise of Sumerian City-States

What was used to supply food for the city in Mesopotamia?

• Farmland

• Trade

• Hunting

• Fishing

Match the following Sumerian inventions with their descriptions:

• A transportation tool

• Ziggurat

• A religious structure

• Cuneiform

• A form of writing

• The wheel

The Sumerian civilization is considered one of the world's first (a)   .

• Empires

• Democracies

• Kingdoms

• Civilizations

Fill in the blank: The Mesopotamians had few natural _______ to keep out enemies.

By 5000 B.C.E., farmers in the Zagros foothills faced food shortages due to (a)   .

• lack of land

• lack of water

• lack of seeds

What was one of the biggest problems faced by farmers who moved to Sumer?

• Lack of sunlight

• Uncontrolled water supply

• Poor soil quality

• Lack of seeds

Sumerian farmers built ______ along the sides of the river to prevent flooding.

The Sumerians had to clean the canals regularly because they became clogged with (a)   .

• sand

• silt

• rocks

• leaves

The walled cities of Sumer were like independent countries. Historians call them ______.

The Sumerians looked for ways to protect their cities from ______ communities.

• Neighboring

• Distant

• Friendly

• Isolated