Mesopotamian Civilization
I. Fill in the blanks:
1. The Mesopotamian Civilization flourished between the river Tigris and Euphrates.
2. The Mesopotamian Civilization is popularly known as the Sumerian Civilization.
3. The crops grown by them were wheat, barley, and pulses.
4. Mesopotamian architecture introduced arches, columns, and domes.
5. The Bronze Age Civilizations flourished around the river valleys.
6. The Sumerian Civilization was followed by the Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations.
7. The Mesopotamian people built Dykes to control floods.
8. The Hanging Garden of Babylon is regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
9. The Mesopotamian developed a writing script known as Cuneiform.
10. The people who wrote on the clay tablets were called scribes.
11. The Mesopotamians were the first to develop the lunar calendar.
12. The stepped temple towards built by Mesopotamians in honour of gods were called Ziggurat.
13. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was built in the place of King Nebuchadnezzar II.
14. In Mesopotamia, merchants, farmers and artisans belonged to the middle class.
15. The Mesopotamian cites were divided into three parts: the sacred area, the walled city, and the outer town.
II. State whether true or false.
1. The Mesopotamians are believed to have to have invented the ox-drawn plough and the wheeled cart. [T]
2. The Cuneiform script contained picture-like symbols called pictograms. [T]
3. The Mesopotamians did not believe in life after death. [F]
4. Mesopotamia saw the rise and fall of the Babylonian, Assyrian and Akkadian civilizations. [T]
5. The Mesopotamians did not have any trade relations with the Mediterranean countries. [F]
III. Answer these questions.
1. What are the reasons for the development of the civilizations around river valleys?
= Great civilizations around river the river valleys because of the following reasons -
i) The primary reason was agriculture which was the main occupation of the people. Agriculture depends on a reliable water supply. The river valleys provided a regular supply of water. The annual floods in these rivers brought still and made land fertile.
ii) The rivers also became the means of transporting people and goods from one place to another. This encouraged trade and commerce and led to the emergence of cites and towns.
2. Explain why Mesopotamia is known as the 'cradle of civilization'?
= Mesopotamia remains the cradle of civilization as it not only gave rise to the first civilization of the world but also saw the rise and fall of other civilizations such as the Babylonian, Assyrian and Akkadian.
3. Which group of people constituted the upper, middle and lower classes of Mesopotamian society?
= The rulers and kings, their family members, priests and high officials belonged to the upper class of the society.
The farmers and traders are the middle class of the society.
The artists, servants and surfs are the lower class of the society.
4. What was the chief occupation of the Mesopotamians? what other occupations did the people pursue?
= Agriculture was the chief occupations of the Mesopotamians.
People also domesticated animals such as cows, goats, sheep and donkeys.
5. What was the role of women in family life?
= What was the role of women in family life?
= Women enjoyed some rights. They could engage in trade or hold property.
6. What are ziggurats?
= Ziggurats are stepped temple tower built in honour of gods of the city state.
7. What are the chief items of export and import in the Mesopotamian Civilization?
= The chief items of export were food grains and finished products. The main imports were stone, timber and metal ores.
8. What were the main features of Mesopotamian agriculture?
= i) Dykes were built to control the flood water from Tigris and Euphrates rives.
ii) The Mesopotamians are also believed to have invited ox-drawn plough and the wheeled cart.
iii) They grew wheat, barley, fruits and pulses.
9. What was a stylus used for?
= Stylus - a sharp pen made out of reed, bones or metal - was used to write symbols on wet clay tablets.
10. What was the Sumerian calendar?
= The Sumerians developed the first calendar which was adjusted according to the phases of the Moon. This lunar calendar was later adopted by the Semites, Egyptians and the Greeks.
11. How did the Mesopotamian Civilization decline?
= The reasons behind the decline of the Mesopotamian civilization were -
i) The River Euphrates unexpectedly changed its course which forced the inhabitants to move to other places.
ii) Frequent wars and attacks marked an end to the ancient civilization.
12. Do you think that Mesopotamia was a prosperous civilization? Give reason to support your answer.
= Mesopotamia was a prosperous civilization as it was enriched in art and craft, trade and commerce, architecture, science and technology and metallurgy.
13. What were city states? Give a few examples.
= City states was an independent state consisting of a city and the area around it. Example:- Ashur, Ur, Nineveh, Nimrud, Kish and Lagash.
14. What were the religious beliefs of the people of Mesopotamians?
= The Mesopotamians believed in many gods and goddess. They also worshipped forces of nature such as the Sun, Moon and Rain. Anu was the sky God. Enlil was the God of wind. Enki was the God of Earth. Nihursaga was the Mother Goddess. The King was the chief priest. He was believed to be the direct representative of God on Earth. Later on, the priests were appointed by the king.
15. What were the significant scientific and technical developments of the Mesopotamian Civilization?
= The Mesopotamians were technically very advanced -
i) They built canals, dykes and reservoirs.
ii) They were the first to divide a day into 24hours, each hour into 60 minutes and each minute into 60 seconds. This form of calculation has survived till today.
iii) They developed the first calendar which was adjusted according to the phases of the Moon. This lunar calendar was later adopted by the Semites, Egyptians and the Greeks.
IV. Write short notes.
1. Town Planning:- The Mesopotamian cities more or less followed uniform pattern. These cities were divided into three parts.
The sacred area which had a ziggurat.
The walled city.
The outer town.
The people lived in the walled city and the outer town. The streets were unpaved and without drains. The houses were built of mud bricks. The rooms in each house were grouped around a central courtyard.
2. Art and Craft:- The discovery of seals, metal objects, gold and silver ornaments, statues and pottery tells us about Mesopotamian expertise in arts and crafts.
People acquired specialized skills in pottery, weaving and metal work. Bleaching, dyeing, preparation of paints, cosmetics and perfumes were also carried out.
The Mesopotamians made cylinder seals which required considerable skill. The seals were engraved with images.
3. Cuneiform Script:- The pictograph script of Mesopotamia is known as Cuneiform, It means wedge-shaped. It was written on wet clay tablets with a sharp pen made of reed, bones or metal. The people who wrote on these clay tablets were called scribes.
4. Scientific advancement:- The Mesopotamian were scientifically very advanced. They were brilliant mathematicians. They invented the first calendar. They were very good in metallurgy. They built canals, dykes and reservoirs.
5. Hanging Garden of Babylon:- The Hanging Garden of Babylon, in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar II, is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Some of its unique features are as follows:
i) It was built on the top of the stone arches which were twenty-three metres above the ground.
ii) It was watered by the Rive Euphrates using a complicated mechanical system.
iii) It had a mountain-like series of terraces filled with plants.
6. Religions of the Mesopotamians:-
The Mesopotamians believed in many gods and goddesses. They worshiped forces of nature such as the Sun, Moon and Rain. Anu was the God of Sky. Enlil was the God of wind. Enki was the God of Earth. Nihursaga was the Mother Goddess.
V. Match the column.
=
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1. King Hammurabi |
a. Sumerians. [4] |
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2. temple tower |
b. cuneiform. [5] |
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3. Hanging Garden |
c. Nebuchadnezzar II. [3] |
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4. lunar calendar |
d. ziggurat. [2] |
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5. pictogram |
e. code of law. [1] |