Download 5-1 Note Guide The Big Picture What helped make the Fertile

Chapter 5 Lesson 1
5-1 Note Guide
The Big Picture
What helped make the Fertile Crescent fertile?
Two rivers make the Fertile Crescent fertile. The Tigris flows above and along the
Euphrates River. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates is Mesopotamia. It
is between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Was all of the area fertile? Explain your answer.
Some of the Fertile Crescent is not fertile but desert or rocky mountains with little
soil.
Mountains to Sea
Where do the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers begin?
Both rivers begin in Turkey, up in the high snow-capped Taurus Mountains.
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow through a plateau. Where is the plateau located?
The plateau in northern Iraq is the high flatland the Tigris and Euphrates flow over
before reaching the lower land near the Persian Gulf.
Flood!
How did Mesopotamia’s floods benefit the farmers?
Mesopotamia’s floods deposited silt for farming, mostly in southern Mesopotamia.
How did floods bring misfortune to the region?
Often floods came just as the crops reached maturity, BEFORE HARVESTING. The
cost crops, lives and homes.
Diagram (pg. 106)
What technology did Mesopotamians develop to save water for use as needed?
Mesopotamians built water-control and irrigation systems. They used irrigation
canals and artificial lakes with gates to hold and release water. They took water
from the Tigris and Euphrates to water the crops in the fields.
What did the farming technologies the Mesopotamians developed enable them to do?
They were able to plant and raise new crops. That created a surplus of goods to
trade. People could specialize. Towns and cities grew, together with culture- a
civilization!
Farming in Ancient Mesopotamia
How was the Mesopotamian diet enriched by what they grew?
They grew wheat and barley grains. Vegetables included beans, onions, lettuce and
cucumbers. Spices were grown. Trees produced dates, apples and pomegranates.
How did the animals they raised enrich their diet and their clothing?
Domesticated animals included sheep, goats and cattle. Sheep gave milk to drink
and wool to wear. Cattle were used for milk and meat as food. The cows also
provided leather.
Reviewing 5-1
Why is Mesopotamia called by that name?
In Greek, Mesopotamia means “Land Between Two Rivers.”
What did the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers provide for Mesopotamia?
The Tigris and Euphrates provided fresh water for people to domesticate, tame and
train, plants and animals for human use.
How were the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers alike and unlike the Nile?
~ Predictable
floods
~Shadoufs
~Empties into the
Mediterranean
Sea
~Unpredictable
floods
~Artificial lakes
with gates
~Empties into the
Persian Gulf
Tigris & Euphrates
Rivers
Nile River
~Silt
~Allowed Ancient Civilizations
~Irrigation systems (canals)
~Flows high elevation to low
~Fertile farmlands – Surplus crops – specialization –
Towns and cities grew
How did Mesopotamian farmers control flood waters to make them useful for farming?
Mesopotamian farmers dug canals between their farm fields. They dug artificial
lakes and build gates to control the flow of the water for crops.