Download one of the first civilizations - Ms

Earliest Civilizations
Arose along River Valleys
1
The Fertile Crescent:
Egypt
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia:
Euphrates River, Iraq
Egypt:
The Nile River
Civilization Begins
Mesopotamia
~one of the first civilizations
~began between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers.
~developed differently because of
unpredictable geographical conditions
Egypt
~one of the first civilizations
~began by the Nile River
~developed differently because
of predictable geographical
conditions
The Impact of Geography
Mesopotamia
eastern end of Fertile Crescent
arc of land from Med. Sea to Persian Gulf.
“between the rivers”
valley between Tigris
and Euphrates
Rivers.
Overflow, leaves silt, =
rich soil &
flourishing
agricultural
economy.
Example: Unpredictable Geography and
Religion connected
~Harsh physical environment, not
protected geographically (plains)
and famines
~Believed world controlled by
destructive supernatural forces.
Learning the Skill
Looking at Mesopotamia and
Egypt to Understand
Cause and Effect
Understanding cause and effect -- how or why an event occurred.
Cause = the action or situation that produces an event.
Effect = the result or consequence of an action or situation.
Steps to identify cause-and-effect relationships:
~Identify two or more events or developments.
~Decide whether or not one event caused the other. Look
for “clue words” such as because, led to, brought about,
produced, as a result of, so that, since, and therefore.
~Identify the outcomes of events.
Understanding
Cause and Effect
Learning the Skill
Read the passage below and examine the graphic organizer on the
next slide to see how geography effected settlement sizes &
government in Egypt:
Unlike the floods on Mesopotamia’s rivers, the flooding of the Nile
was gradual and predictable. The river was seen as life-giving, not
life-threatening. Whereas massive, state-controlled irrigation and
flood control were needed in Mesopotamia, the small villages along
the Nile easily managed small irrigation systems that required no
state assistance. As a result, Egyptian civilization tended to remain
more rural. Many small villages were gathered along a narrow band
of land on both sides of the Nile.
Note the Clue
Word and Effect
– then work
backwards to
find the cause.
The reading says that
Egypt is unlike
Mesopotamia. So….
What can you infer
about the flooding of
the Tigris and
Euphrates?
What can you infer
about the size of the
towns and the
government?
Answer These In Your Journal
The flooding of the Tigris and
Euphrates was ____________.
Small or large irrigation systems?
State assistance or not?
Rural or urban?