START NEW PAGE- WARM UP• If YOU were there …You are a crafter living in one of thecities of Sumer. Thick walls surroundand protect your city, so you feel safefrom the armies of other city-states.you and your neighbors are fearfulof other beings—the many gods andspirits that you believe are everywhere.They can bring illness or sandstormsor bad luck.How might you protect yourselffrom gods and spirits?

Consider acting as a COMMUNITY:• Construct temples to honor them.• Stage the necessary rituals.• Follow the orders of the priests.Consider acting as an INDIVIDUAL:• Wear charms and amulets.• Remain aware of your surroundings.• Trust your instincts.

Fertile Crescent: An arched area of the Middle East that is rich in good farming land.

Mesopotamia: Greek for “land between the rivers.” Birthplace of civilization, often called the Cradle of Civilization. These two rivers were the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Civilization: Complex society with cities, organized government, art, religion, class divisions, and a writing system.

Sumeria: The world’s first known civilization.

City-State: A political unit consisting of a city and its surrounding countryside.

Monarchy: A system of government where one person is in charge, this position is often inherited (passed down usually from father to son). Examples: King/Queen, Prince/Princess.

Polytheism: A religious belief in more than one god.

Ziggurat: A pyramid-shaped temple in Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform: The world’s first system of writing; developed in Sumer.

Hammurabi’s Code:

A very strict set of laws created by the Babylonian king Hammurabi.