As promised ..... the Chp. 2 HW Answers!

As I was saying today students, I am posting the answers for the Sec. 1, 2, 3, and 4 homework. My goal is to prepare you for the exam. Those of you that tried answering the homework questions alone, great job, those of you that didn't, you need to start doing so. I do not plan to always do this! However, since I am for Chp. 2, take advantage of this gift.

Section 1: Geography of the Fertile Crescent

2. Where is Mesopotamia?
3. How did the Tigris and Euphrates rivers affect life in Mesopotamia?
4. How did Mesopotamian farmers alter their environment?
5. Make a generalization about the people of Mesopotamia. Give examples from the lesson to explain your generalization.


2. Between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in SW Asia.
3. The rivers provided water and silt for farming, but floods and drought led to the development of levees and canals.
4. By building levees, digging irrigation, canals, and cutting down forests.
5. The Mesopotamians were resourceful in adapting to and controlling their environment.

Section 2: The Cities of Sumer

2. How did Sargon change life in Mesopotamia?
3. What were some features of Sumerian civilization?
4. How might the invention of the wheel have affected the economy of Sumer?
5. What was an effect of Sargon's decision to create an empire in Sumer?


2. Sargon created the first empire, which imposed the same laws and customs on all of Sumer.
3. Powerful empires, walled city, states, cuneiform writing, schools mainly for boys, polytheism, ziggurats, agricultural way of life, crafts, trade, and the use of the wheel.
4. People could more quickly transport larger and heavier loads of goods for trade, increasing trade and enriching the economy.
5. The widespread rule of uniform law that brought peace to his empire.


Section 3: Babylon and Assyria

2. Why did Hammurabi send copies of his law code all over his empire?
3. In what ways were Babylon and Assyria alike? How were they different?
4. How did the Assyrians bring water to their cities?
5. How did Hammurabi solve this problem of getting other city-states to cooperation with his plans?

2. He wanted to unify the empire by making its citizens subject to a single set of laws.
3. Both were warlike, but Assyria was the military leader and Babylon was the cultural leader.
4. An aqueduct carried water to the city from 30 miles away.
5. He built dams controlling the flow of water from the Euphrates River, which forced other city-states to cooperate or face drought or floods.

Section 4: The Birth of Judaism

2. How did Moses change Judaism?
3. How does the Torah help to shape Judaism?
4. Why is the invention of writing in Mesopotamia important to Judaism?
5. Compare and contrast Judaism with Mesopotamian religions.

2. He gave Jews the Torah and the Ten Commandments, the basis of Jewish religion and law.
3. By giving Jews religious writings and laws for living.
4. Because the Torah, the basis of Judaism, was written down.
5. Judaism is monotheistic; Mesopotamian religions were polytheistic.

Now that you have the answers, transfer them onto your note-cards and tape to foldable according the directions I gave you, as well as the example/picture I posted.