Ancient Civilizations: Contributions and Advancements

1. Chapter 2 Review

2. Essay Questions • How did the people of Mesopotamia benefit from the physical geography of their region? • What were three important contributions made by the ancient peoples living in the Fertile Crescent?

3. Civilization developed in the Fertile Crescent because • The Nile River made it a prosperous area • It was an important mining area • The area was difficult to defend • The rivers there created very rich farmland

4. What were the Israelites known for that made them unique among ancient peoples? • They worshipped one god • They worshipped many gods • They did not have a written Bible • They made purple dye from snails

5. Because the cities in Sumer were separated by long stretches of desert land, • They united under one government • They developed into separate city-states • They were ruled by one king and queen • They were frequently destroyed by floods

6. One of the major events in the history of the Israelites was • The discovery of cuneiform • The conquest of Egypt • The conquest of Canaan • The founding of Tyre

7. Babylon became an important center of trade because it was • Located between cities to the south and north • Ruled by a powerful queen • Surrounded by massive walls • The sites of a great library

8. The Phoenician alphabet made it easier for people in the ancient world to • Hire scribes • Learn to read and write • Teach cuneiform • Learn cuneiform

9. In 612 B.C., the Medes and Chaldeans joined forces to • Build the city of Nineveh • Found the overland trade route to Asia • Destroy the Assyrian empire • Conquer Mari

10. Hammurabi’s Code was significant because • It was part of the oral traditions that followed it • For the first time, laws were written down • Everyone in the ancient world lived in Babylonia • The laws applied equally to all citizens

11. Why did Phoenicia become a thriving and wealthy region? • The warlike Phoenicians conquered their neighbors • Gold was discovered near the city of Tyre • Phoenicia controlled access to the cities of Sumer • Phoenicians sold valuable wood and purple dye to neighboring peoples

12. What did the Babylonians and Israelites have in common? • They both looked for a trade route to the New World • They both destroyed the city of Tyre • They both conquered the Phoenicians • They both lived according to a code of laws

13. Mesopotamia was located on land between • The Nile and Tigris rivers • The Nile and Euphrates rivers • The Tigris and Euphrates rivers • The Red Sea and the Tigris River

14. The Phoenicians helped spread civilization throughout the Mediterranean area by • Using ships to trade goods with other peoples • Telling tales of monsters that lived in the ocean • Conquering all the lands west of the Persian Gulf • Controlling the supply of a valuable purple dye

15. Separate city-states developed in Sumer because the cities were • Separated by long distances • Often destroyed by floods • United under one government • Destroyed by Ur

16. One important advantage of the Phoenician alphabet was that • It was only used by the scribes • It was simpler than cuneiform • It used only 100 symbols • All the people learned to read and write the symbols

17. Babylon was a crossroads of trade because of its location • On the Nile River • Between cities to the south and north • On the Mediterranean Sea • Near irrigation canals

18. Where did writing first develop? • Mesopotamia • Assyria • Phoenicia • Canaan

19. In 612B.C., the Assyrians were conquered by • The Medes and the Sumerians • The Israelites and the Medes • The Medes and the Chaldeans • The Babylonians and the Chaldeans

20. Which of the following was the first written set of laws? • The Epic of Gilgamesh • The ziggurat of Ur • The Ten Commandments • Hammurabi’s Code