division  of  labor

Canals are human-made waterways.  

Mesopotamia built them to control the river's flow.

the Fertile Crescent

The region of rich farmland between the Persian Gulf and Asia.

The Fertile Cresent is shaped like an arc.  

The worship of many gods

Sumerians are polytheistic. 

Hammurabi is best known for his code of laws.

This is the earliest known written collection of laws that dealt with every part of life.  

The army of Sargon defeated all the city-states of Sumer and conquered northern Mesopotamia.

A king known as Gilgamesh became a legendary figure in Sumerian literature.

Sumerian city centers were dominated by shops.

The first farm settlements were formed in Mesopotamia as early as 7000 BC.

Despite the growth of cities, society in Mesopotamia was still based on agriculture.

According to legend, the grand palace of Nebuchadnezzar had fabulous Hanging Gardens

The alphabet we use today is based on the Phoenician alphabet.

Sumerians excelled in math and made advances in medicine.

Babylon was located near present-day Baghdad, Iraq.

the world’s first form of writing

land with different territories and peoples under a single rule

 possible answer

  After using a potters wheel to make clay pots and dishes, the Sumerians attached the wheel to carts. This made getting their carts from one place to another much easier.

After the Mesopotamians developed an irrigation system (a way of getting water from one place to another), farmers were more productive. There was a surplus of food and farmers. They then were able to set up a division of labor. This meant some people were free to do other jobs.

Do you think Hammurabi was a good ruler? Why or why not?

Yes because he set up a collection of written laws on everything. There was a specific penalty for each crime. After his death, the Babylonian empire came to an end. 

or

 No because he treated people different based on their social class (how much money they had). Also his punishments were unfair and too harsh.