Download Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent

Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
By Mr. Sidler
“The Land Between the Rivers”
• Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers runs through the
region of (Southwest
Asia).
• Land in between the
rivers is called
“Mesopotamia.”
Geography
• Land surrounding the rivers is called the “Fertile
Crescent.”
a large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland (Fertile
Crescent)
– Borders the Persian Gulf to the (South) and
the Mediterranean Sea to the (North)
– Also borders the Taurus Mountains, Zagros
Mountains and the Syrian Desert.
–
First Civilization
• Hunter Gathers moved into the region and
began to farm over time.
• First farm settlements formed in Mesopotamia.
• Plentiful food led to
– Population growth
– Villages forming
Farming and Cities
• Flooding (Positive and Negative)
• To solve the flooding problem, Mesopotamians
used irrigation (a way of supplying water to an
area of land).
• Dug canals (human made waterways)
• Built up the river banks to stop water levels
from rising. (Dirt)
Irrigation
Food Surplus
• Surplus – more than they needed (extra food)
• New occupations developed (not everyone
needed to be farmers anymore)
• Societies could then accomplish more
Major Changes
• Large projects such as constructing buildings
and digging irrigation systems required
specialized workers.
• To complete these projects, Mesopotamians
needed structure and rules.
Cities
• Settlements developed into cities between 4000-3000 B.C.E.
• People traded goods and used cities to discuss politics, religion,
etc.