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Social Sciences
Mr. Elkin
First Civilizations: Mesopotamia
Importance of Rivers
• In spring, the rivers (such as the Tigris and Euphrates rivers) spillover banks
o Creates flood
o Floodwater has to dry
! Leaves fertile mud for planting crops (agriculture)
Irrigation (use of water for plants)
• Irrigation canal: brings water from the river to the farm.
• Dike: Wall to keep water from overflowing and flooding crops
• Reservoir: Big pond of reserved water to use in case of emergency (drought=no
water)
Mesopotamia
• Agriculture allows cities to grow
o Irrigation allows water for bigger farms
• Farms got better so people could have other jobs
o Crafts and trades
o There is a king/chief
The Importance of Writing
• Writing was invented 3300 B.C.
o Laws: give order to society
o Society crumbles when laws are disobeyed
Mesopotamian Society and Communication
• Writing: invented to remind the people of what they made. Couldn't remember it all.
• Organization of Labor (How people get jobs)
o New jobs happen because everyone is fed
o Need people besides farmers
• Peasants
o Produced food by turning the soil.
o Main crops were wheat, barely, sesame, and millet
o They raised livestock
o Most of the population was peasants
• Craftspeople
o They made tools, pots, weapons, bricks
o They built houses, public buildings, boats and wagons
• Merchants
o The merchants bartered (trade) with people in other Mesopotamian cities and
with people living outside of Mesopotamia.
o They are in charge of trade
• Soldiers
o The soldiers protected the goods and territory from potential robbers.
o They protected the road travelled by merchants
Social Sciences
Mr. Elkin
Trade and the Organization of Labor
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The Mesopotamians had an agricultural surplus (extra food from farming), but not a
lot of metal or wood.
They traded with other people for the things that they didn’t have.
Craftspeople and artisans made jewelry, clothes, leather and metal goods, and pottery.
This trade led to a merchant class (a large group of salespeople).
The Mesopotamians bartered, but in 1000 BCE, coins started being used.
The invention of the wheel and cedar sailboats also helped trade.
The Beginning of Writing
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First writing was found on clay tablets that date fro around 3300 BCE.
The writers of the time were known as scribes.
Since they were the only people who could read or write, they played an important
role in Mesopotamia.
o It’s because of these people we know about the Mesopotamian civilization
Social Hierarchy
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Mesopotamian cities were large and full of people.
o The city of Uruk had a circumference of 10 kilometers and more than 50,000
people living in it.
o Cities were often built near fertile land and had a protective wall around it.
o Lower wall: where the houses were
o Higher wall: where a temple, a multistory temple called a ziggurat, the royal
palace and warehouses.
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The King: was the supreme chief of the city and the neighboring villages. He
managed the army, construction and irrigation projects, and the food surplus. He
represented the gods on earth, and his power was inherited (passed down from father
to son).
The Elite: were high priests, army commanders and merchants. They advise the kind
and follow his commands.
The Free People: were priests, craftspeople, peasants, merchants, soldiers, and civil
servants (someone who works for the city). The peasants gave part of their harvest to
the kind, which is what we call tax.
The Slaves: were prisoners of war, who worked for free and had no rights.
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Law and Justice
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King Hammurabi ordered the laws to be written down in on basalt stone.
o This was called the Code of Hammurabi.
o It is the world’s first code of law.
o They wanted everyone to be united by the law.
o These laws applied to everyone, and anyone caught breaking the law would be
punished.
Social Sciences
Mr. Elkin
Mesopotamian Religion
• Mesopotamians were polytheists (worshippers of many gods).
• It is the oldest known religion
• They worshipped many gods (polytheism)
o Priests took care of the temples
o Regular people gave gifts (offerings) to the gods: food, drink, perfume,
jewelry
• Ziggurat: is a temple
o Had a lot of stairs to make the people feel like they were heading to heaven
o It was a hard walk to show loyalty to the gods.
o Some temples were huge and had room for as many as 1200 people.
Ziggurats (large multistory towers with a temple at the top) could reach seven
stories high.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
• Gilgamesh is a mythological hero
• The story was written in cuneiform on a stone
• The story deals with Gilgamesh wanting to be immortal