Download The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

The Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers
“The Land Between Two Rivers”
• Mesopotamia =
•
•
(Greek) the land
between two rivers
Fisherman and
Farmers settled in this
area beginning in
5500 B.C.
Known as the “Fertile
Crescent” because of
rich soil for farming
Working with Water
• Rivers fluctuated between
•
•
•
times of flooding and
times of drought but
were unpredictable
Floods carried silt that
made soil fertile for
farming
Farmers had to find a
way to get water to their
crops during times of
drought.
Used irrigation canals and
gates to divert water to
their crops.
Irrigation
Farming in Mesopotamia
• Mesopotamians relied on
•
surplus crops for trading
with outside settlements
Grains
– Wheat
– Barley
– Emmer (wheat grain)
• Fruits and Vegetables
•
– Onions
– Cucumbers
– Figs
– Apples
Also raised animals to help with
farming
– Goats, sheep, donkeys.
What does living next to a river
lead to?
Themes
Trade
Communication
Growth
• Trade
• Mesopotamians were
able to use the river
as a highway to trade
surpluses with each
other
• Communication
• As they traded with
each other, they were
able to share ideas.
• Growth
• Trade and
communication
allowed villages to
grow into cities