Mesopotamia Trivia

1. The annual flooding of the rivers in Mesopotamia and the subsequent dry weather that followed, prompted the ancients to develop a system of irrigation - one of the first in the world. Which rivers provided the much needed water in Mesopotamia?

From Quiz Everything Was Invented In Mesopotamia

Answer: Tigris and Euphrates

The annual flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in ancient Mesopotamia, somewhat unpredictable and violent at times, created an urgent need for the people to join together in order to avert a potential disaster. After reservoirs were built to store the precious water for use in irrigation, the people were able to use the fertile floodplain to their advantage, and grow enough food to allow not only permanent settlement, but eventually urbanization as well. It is estimated that the Neolithic Revolution began there sometime around 10,000 BC; dating to approximately 5400 BC, Eridu, which is about 7.5 miles away from the famous biblical city-state of Ur, is believed by some to be the oldest city in the world. Although there is evidence of an older use of irrigation in other areas of the world, scientists give Mesopotamians the credit for the oldest irrigation system that was built according to a plan which required an organized work force.

From Quiz Mesopotamia: From City-States to Kingdoms

Answer: Berossus

Berossus was a priest of Baal-Marduk and astronomer who lived in the 3th century BC in Babylon in the Hellenistic era. He used the concept of Mesopotamia in his work "History of Babylonia".

From Quiz Sumer or Later

Answer: Sumer

A Sumerian document dating to 3500 BCE is the first written confirmation we have of the wheel. Remnants indicate the invention started with a need for a pottery wheel - and once the concept was born it evolved into use for transportation. The oldest wheel found in archeological excavations was discovered in what was Sumer and is believed to be over 5,500 years old. A lot of of Sumerian art shows our earliest images of wheeled vehicles, from simple rollers to carts and chariots with axles. Archeologists and historians date the original time frame for the invention between 10,000 and 8000 BCE - in what we call the "Pre-Pottery Neolithic A" period in the Levantine and upper Mesopotamian region (which includes Sumer) of the Fertile Crescent.

From Quiz Mesopotamian Bronze Age Civilizations

Answer: copper and tin

Most Mediterranean civilizations had begn using Bronze for tools and weapons by 2500 B.C., replacing the previous 'copper only' period, which lasted approximately 1,000 years.

From Quiz Mesopotamian Kings

Answer: Nebuchadnezzar

These were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. He built them for his wife Amytis to remind her of her homeland in Media. The prophet Daniel was called in to interpret his dream about a huge idol with clay feet. (Daniel 2:33-45)

From Quiz Mesopotamia

Answer: The land between two rivers

The word "Mesopotamia", derived from ancient Greek, means "land between two rivers". The land of fertile soil is not the correct meaning, but it applies, as Mesopotamia had very fertile soil. Babylon was a kingdom within Mesopotamia.

From Quiz General Mesopotamian History

Answer: Land between the rivers

Those two rivers are the Euphrates and Tigris. At one time they emptied into the Persian Gulf separately. That area all silted in and the rivers become what is now known as the Shatt-al-Arab waterway, which empties into the Persian Gulf.

From Quiz Mesopotamian Civilization - An Introduction

Answer: Euphrates and Tigris

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are located in modern-day Iraq. The Karun river is located in modern-day Iran and flows through the Zagros mountains. The Khabur begins in south-eastern Turkey, eventually emptying into the Euphrates river in Syria.

From Quiz The Wonderful Mitannians

Answer: 2000 B.C.

Mitanni was an ancient kingdom in north-western Mesopotamia. The kingdom was located in what is now south-eastern Turkey. It was founded by Aryans but it was later made up mostly of Hurrians. The Mitannians used horses, and were skilled in using chariots in battles. The Hittites learned how to use chariots in warfare from the Mitannians.

From Quiz The Wonderful Gutians

Answer: Akkad

Rimush was an Akkadian king. In about 2190 B.C., the Dynasty of Akkad fell to the Gutians. The Gutians were a nomadic people from Mesopotamian plains and the Zagros Mountains, in what is now northern Iran. They are also called the Guti or Quti. They were described as "subhuman barbarians". According to Sumerian and Akkadian texts, they are "with human instinct but canine intelligence and monkeys' features".

From Quiz The Wonderful Eblaites

Answer: 3500 B.C.

The Ebla Kingdom flourished from 3500 B.C. - 1600 B.C. mainly in Syria. Urban culture began in the Ebla kingdom in about 3500 B.C. - 3100 B.C., but the first exquisite palace built in the Ebla Kingdom dates back to 2700 B.C. - 2400 B.C. In about 3500 B.C. - 3100 B.C. the Mesopotamian Uruk Culture also flourished. Eblaite was a western Semitic language, probably an earlier translation of Canaanite. And did you know that the Eblaites worshipped over 500 gods? Two of these were El and Ya which are the shortened forms of Elohim and Yaweh. Ebla was the capital city of the Kingdom of Ebla, a great Semitic empire in Syria.

From Quiz The Assyrian Empire

Answer: Tiglath-Pileser III

During the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III Damascus was taken and Israel was captured and made a vassal state. He also crowned himself King of Babylon in 734 BC and established himself among the great line of kings of the Babylonian empire.

From Quiz The History of Sumer

Answer: Cuneiform

Cuneiform means 'wedge-shaped'!

From Quiz Rhymes with Whip It!

Answer: Iraq

Lipit-Ishtar's law code was discovered at excavations of Nippur by archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania. Although discovered in 1899, the writing hid its secrets for 30 years before researchers could discern exactly what they had found and what the words meant.

From Quiz Mesopotamia: From City-States to Kingdoms

Answer: 3500 B.C.

The Sumerians settled themselves in Sumer and developed new agricultural methods, using innovative systems of irrigation, the wheel, the plough and creating the cuneiform script. They organized themselves politically under the form of city-states: Ur, Uruk, Nippur, Lagas, Umma, Larsa.

From Quiz Mesopotamian Bronze Age Civilizations

Answer: the land between rivers

Located between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, in a fertile crescent of land, Mesopotamia was the middle plains location of the first cities.

From Quiz Mesopotamian Kings

Answer: Sargon the Great

The name Sargon means "the King is legitimate" He overthrew the King of Kish (Ur-Zababa) in a palace revolt and ruled for 56 years.

From Quiz General Mesopotamian History

Answer: Cuneiform

Hieroglyphs were used in Egypt and Linear A and B on Crete.

From Quiz Mesopotamian Civilization - An Introduction

Answer: Greek

The actual word, Mesopotamia, is Greek, further translated from old Persian, Miyanrudan, "the Land between the Rivers", or the Aramaic name, Beth-Nahrin, "two rivers".

From Quiz The Wonderful Mitannians

Answer: Washshukanni

The Mitannians conquered Assyria for a period, then built an army to stop the Egyptians from invading Syria. Alalakh, Arrapkha and Kurrukhanni were also cities belonging to the empire of Mitanni, but Washshukanni was the capital.

From Quiz The Wonderful Gutians

Answer: 21

Most of the Gutian kings were probably local chiefs with limited authority.

From Quiz The Wonderful Eblaites

Answer: kings

The Kingdom of Ebla dominated the region, from the Orontes to Mari to the Carchemish in the north, and they even dominated a larger area, from Kanesh in Anatolia to the northern border of Palestine. Ebla's "malikum" (king) was the elected leader of an oligarchy, made up of a few local governors. These governors were actually the powerful rulers of the Ebla Kingdom.

From Quiz The Assyrian Empire

Answer: Nimrud

Nimrud was founded by Shalmaneser I during his reign in the 13th century B.C. and became capital under Ashurnasirpal II. This monumental city was laid out with lush gardens and parks and was surrounded by a great wall enclosing 200 hectares. It remained capital until 710 B.C. when it was replaced by Dur-Sharrukin (the city of Sargon).

From Quiz Mesopotamia Obscura

Answer: Agade

Sargon was said to come from humble origins, a gardener at the temple of Ishtar and an orphan.

From Quiz The History of Sumer

Answer: Uruk

His best friend was Enkidu...what a tragic ending Enkidu meets!

From Quiz Everything Was Invented In Mesopotamia

Answer: Lunar

Many instances of early calendars from ancient peoples have been discovered; for example, a mesolithic calendar found in Warren Field, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, has been called by some the oldest known calendar in the world. In Mesopotamia, keeping track of time was important in order to predict the coming flood, and making sure that all preparations were made. The appearance of the waxing crescent moon just after sunset was the signal of the beginning of each month; each month was 29 or 30 days long, and extra days were added from time to time to keep in step with the solar year. Eventually the Sumerian calendar was modified by the Babylonians, who used a lunisolar calendar, which was passed on to the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and eventually the Hebrews when they were in Babylonian Captivity.

From Quiz Mesopotamia: From City-States to Kingdoms

Answer: Akkadian Empire

Sargon (approx. 2350-2295 B.C.) fabricated a false genealogy for himself in order to legitimate his ambitions by origin, much like Romulus and Remus in Roman historiography or Cyrus II the Great, King of Persia. Sargon conquered Elam, Assyria and parts of modern Syria to create an empire stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

From Quiz Life in Ancient Sumer

Answer: Tigris

One of the rivers which flowed through Sumeria is the Tigris. The other is the Euphrates. The region was later known as Mesopotamia, which means "between the rivers."

From Quiz Mesopotamian Bronze Age Civilizations

Answer: Iraq

Some of the ancient cities that can be located in the present day country of Iraq are: Babylon, Ur, Susa, and Assur.

From Quiz Mesopotamian Kings

Answer: Shalmaneser V

His father was Tiglath-Pileser III. After Shalmaneser died his crown was seized by Sargon II.

This is category 14291
Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:48 AM

= Top 5% Rated Quiz, Top 10% Rated Quiz, Top 20% Rated Quiz, A Well Rated Quiz
= added recently, = Editor's Pick = FunTrivia Editor = Gold Member
Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.