Download The Cradle of Civilization

“The Cradle of
Civilization”
Madison Perry & Elizabeth Troy
What is it?
A region in the Middle East
that curves (hence crescent)
through southern Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and
northern Egypt.
“Fertile Crescent is regarded
as the birthplace of
agriculture, urbanization,
writing, trade, science, history,
and organized religions.”
★ Irrigation wasn’t the sole
source of water used for
farming.
★ Many harvest were
destroyed due to
drought or flooding thus
came irrigation
Irrigation
★ Irrigation existed and
was mainly used in drier
areas alongside the plow
Floods
Positive: The floods
always left behind
rich soil for farming
Negative: Flooding
was/is very
unpredictable and
destructive to crops,
livestock, homes,
etc.
★ Main agriculture grains
were wheat, barley,
millet, and emmer
★ Barley was widely used
as a form of payment &
to make flatbread
Farming
★ Beer and luxury foods
were made from wheat
& emmer
★ Sesame, flax, peas,
lentils, figs,
pomegranate, apples,
pistachios were also
Farming
Northern Crescent
★ Hills, plains, mountains
Geography
★ Very fertile due to streams
flowing through mountains
★ Offered supplies such as
timber, metals, stone
Southern Crescent
★ Wide, flat, barren plains
★ Lack of natural resources is
where trading came into
effect.
Mesopotamia
Greek for “land
between rivers,”
Mesopotamia was
an ancient region
centered between
the Tigris and
Euphrates river in
modern day Iraq
Several different empires existed
in Mesopotamia and are often
study together based on their
similarities and location.
○ System of writing:
cuneiform
○ Built temples:
Ziggurats
★ 2300 BC: Akkadians
★ 1750 BC: Babylonian
○ Hammurabi’s Code
★ 650 BC: Assyrian
○ Epic of Gilgamesh
★ 600 BC: Chaldean
○ Hanging Gardens of
Babylon
Society
★ Although cuneiform was
previously invented the first
known recorded/written law
code wasn’t until 1750 BC
★ One of the most memorable law
codes was Hammurabi’s Code.
★ High nobles and priests helped
advise the Kings.
★ Separate city-states often
adopted the same laws
★ The Assyrians had military
police in control of local
Government
The Mesopotamian people
believed their world started
with a battle between their
Gods and the “forces of
chaos”
★ To keep the “forces of
chaos” away the people of
Mesopotamia performed
daily rituals
○ Proper funeral
practices, civic duties,
honor elders, treat
people with respect,
and to honor the Gods
through their daily jobs
Religion
Citations
http://www.ancient.eu/Fertile_Crescent/
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/geography/home_set.html
http://www.ancient.eu/Mesopotamia/
http://www.ancient.eu/article/9/
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Mesopotamia.aspx
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/HarranPlains/
https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/fertile-crescentcivilizations/lyric-notes/
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/government.html