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Mesopotamia The Fertile Crescent The First Civilizations Geography Desert Climate Fertile Crescent Tigris River Euphrates River Geography The Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded Mesopotamia at least once a year. When the floodwater receded, mud was left behind called silt. Farmers planted grains in the rich soil and irrigated fields with river water Large quantities of wheat and barley produced at harvest time Surpluses of food allowed villages to grow Environmental Challenges make a T-Chart in notes Unpredictable flooding combined with periods of little to no rain Could become desert like No natural barriers for protection Villages left nearly defenseless Limited natural resources Building materials and necessities were scarce … and Solutions (over a long period of time) To provide water? Dug irrigation ditches Allowed river water to flow to fields and produce surplus of crops For Built city walls with mud bricks For defense? materials? Traded grain, cloth, and crafted tools with people of mountain and desert Received raw materials like stone, wood, and metal The Sumerians One of the first groups of people in history to form a civilization 1. Advanced Cities 2. Specialized Workers 3. Complex Institutions 4. Record Keeping 5. Improved Technology All later people in the region built upon innovations of the Sumerian Civilization. City-States A city and its surrounding land, functions like an independent country. By 3000 B.C. Sumerians had a number of these including: Uruk, Kish, Lagash, Umma, and Ur The center of all Sumerian cities was the walled temple with a ziggurat in the middle Politics Earliest governments were controlled by temple priests Priests acted as go-betweens with the gods Success of crops depended on blessings of gods The ziggurat was like city hall Priests managed the irrigation system from here Priests demanded portion of every farmer’s crops as taxes Politics In times of war, the men of the city chose a tough fighter to command the city’s soldiers instead of the priests After 3000 B.C., wars between the citystates became more frequent Gradually, commanders were given permanent control of standing armies Politics In time, military leaders became full-time rulers They passed this power onto their sons, who then passed it onto their heirs This is known as a dynasty After 2500 B.C. many Sumerian city-states came under the rule of dynasties. Cultural Diffusion The surplus food produced allowed Sumerian city-states to become prosperous Long-distance trade increased New cities arose all over the Fertile Crescent This allowed for an exchange in products and ideas among different cultures. Sumerian Religion Polytheism- belief in more than one god Believed many different gods controlled the various forces in nature Their gods had human emotions but were immortal and allpowerful, humans were their servants. Built ziggurats for the gods to keep them happy and offered sacrifices Sumerian Religion Sumerians believed that the souls of the dead went to the “land of no return” Dismal and gloomy place The afterlife was not a place for joy or happiness Why would they work for the gods in life? Sumerian Society Science and Technology Sumerians are believed to be among the first to use bronze. They invented the wheel, the sail, and the plow Science and Technology Developed Arithmetic and Geometry Needed for city walls and building, irrigation system, and surveying the flooded fields Science and Technology Architectural Innovations Arches, columns, ramps, and the design of the ziggurat Science and Technology Cuneiform! Created a system of writing Some of the oldest written records of scientific investigation The First Empire In 2350 B.C., Sargon of Akkad conquered both northern and southern Mesopotamia. He brought together several independent citystates under his control The Akkadian Empire loosely controlled land from the Mediterranean coast to present-day Iran Lasted about 200 years, declined due to internal fighting, invasions, and famine Babylonian Empire In 2000 B.C., nomadic warriors called Amorites invaded Mesopotamia. They established their capital at Babylon on the Euphrates River Reached its peak during the reign of Hammurabi from 1792 to 1750 B.C. Hammurabi’s Code To unify the diverse groups in the empire, Hammurabi instituted one uniform code of laws. The code was engraved in stone and copies placed all over the empire 282 specific laws ranging from family issues to business to crime. Different punishments for rich and poor and for men and women.
