Home › Free notes › Class 11 History › Writing and City Life

Writing and City Life – Class 11 History notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 11 History, chapter 1. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq, saw some of the world's earliest cities from about 3000 BCE. Writing developed there for keeping records, using the cuneiform script on clay tablets. Cities such as Uruk, Ur and Mari grew through agriculture, trade, temples and kingship. Mesopotamian civilisation contributed writing, mathematics, the calendar and literature such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Land and early cities

Southern Mesopotamia had fertile soil but little rainfall, so irrigation from rivers was essential; the north had pastures and rain-fed farming.
Uruk was one of the earliest cities; temples were centres of economic and religious life.
Cities depended on division of labour, organised trade for metals, stone and timber, and an efficient transport system using rivers and canals.

Writing

Writing began around 3200 BCE to record transactions such as goods received by temples.
The cuneiform script consisted of wedge-shaped marks pressed on wet clay tablets with a reed stylus.
Only a few people, mainly scribes, could read and write; writing was used for records, laws, letters, literature and dictionaries.

Urban life and legacy

Kings came to power through war and built palaces, temples and city walls; Mari was a royal capital on the Euphrates linked to pastoral groups.
Society had an elite and a mass of ordinary people; the nuclear family was the norm.
Mesopotamian legacies include the sexagesimal number system (base 60), the 60-minute hour and 360-degree circle, astronomy and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Key terms

Mesopotamia: the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Cuneiform: the wedge-shaped script of Mesopotamia written on clay tablets
Scribe: a person trained to read and write and keep records
Ziggurat: a stepped temple tower in Mesopotamian cities
Epic of Gilgamesh: a famous Mesopotamian poem about King Gilgamesh of Uruk

Important questions with answers

What is cuneiform?2 marks

Cuneiform was the script of Mesopotamia, made of wedge-shaped signs pressed into wet clay tablets with a pointed reed. It was used for records, letters, laws and literature.

Why did writing develop in Mesopotamia?3 marks

Writing developed because cities and temples needed to keep records of goods received and distributed, loans, wages and trade. As economic transactions grew complex, memory was not enough, so signs were used to record quantities and names. Later writing was used for laws, letters and literature.

Describe the features of urbanisation in Mesopotamia and its legacy.5 marks

Urbanisation in Mesopotamia began about 3000 BCE in the south, where fertile soil watered by the Tigris and Euphrates through canals produced surplus crops. Cities such as Uruk, Ur and Mari developed as centres of temples, palaces, crafts and trade. Temples were the earliest major institutions, collecting produce and organising labour; later, kings who led in war became powerful and built palaces, temples and city walls. City life depended on division of labour among farmers, craftspeople, priests, merchants and scribes, and on trade, because Mesopotamia lacked metals, stone and good timber, which were brought from Turkey, Iran and across the Gulf. Rivers and canals provided cheap transport. Writing in cuneiform on clay tablets developed around 3200 BCE for keeping records and spread to law, administration and literature. Mesopotamia's legacy includes the earliest writing system, a number system based on 60 that gives us the 60-minute hour and 360-degree circle, advances in astronomy and the calendar, law codes, and literature such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, which reflects on friendship and the search for immortality.

Quick revision

Mesopotamia: Tigris and Euphrates, present-day Iraq.
Earliest cities c. 3000 BCE; Uruk, Ur, Mari.
Cuneiform on clay tablets from c. 3200 BCE.
Legacy: base 60, calendar, Gilgamesh.

Exam tips

Locate the Tigris, Euphrates, Uruk, Ur and Mari on a map.
List three contributions of Mesopotamia to the world.

Practice MCQs

Mesopotamia lies between the rivers
1. Nile and Congo
2. Tigris and Euphrates
3. Indus and Ganga
4. Huang He and Yangtze
Show answer
Answer: (b) Tigris and Euphrates. It is in present-day Iraq.
The script of Mesopotamia is called
1. cuneiform
2. hieroglyphics
3. Brahmi
4. Kharosthi
Show answer
Answer: (a) cuneiform. It used wedge-shaped marks.
Mesopotamian writing was done on
1. paper
2. palm leaves
3. clay tablets
4. silk
Show answer
Answer: (c) clay tablets. A reed stylus was used.
One of the earliest Mesopotamian cities was
1. Rome
2. Uruk
3. Athens
4. Harappa
Show answer
Answer: (b) Uruk. Uruk grew from about 3000 BCE.
The number system based on 60 came from
1. Egypt
2. China
3. Mesopotamia
4. Greece
Show answer
Answer: (c) Mesopotamia. It gives us 60 minutes in an hour.
The main purpose of early writing in Mesopotamia was
1. keeping records of transactions
2. writing novels
3. printing books
4. sending emails
Show answer
Answer: (a) keeping records of transactions. Temples recorded goods.
Why was irrigation essential in southern Mesopotamia
1. there was heavy rainfall
2. soil was fertile but rainfall was too low for farming
3. there were no rivers
4. farming was banned
Show answer
Answer: (b) soil was fertile but rainfall was too low for farming. Canals carried river water to fields.
Which feature best explains the growth of Mesopotamian cities
1. isolation from trade
2. absence of temples
3. division of labour, trade and organised production
4. nomadic life alone
Show answer
Answer: (c) division of labour, trade and organised production. Cities need specialisation and exchange.

All chapters of Class 11 History

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.