Download Mesopotamia is part of a larger area of rich farmland called the

Mesopotamia is part of a larger area of
rich farmland called the Fertile
Crescent.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
Annual floods on the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers brought silt that made
the land ideal for farming.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
With food surpluses, fewer people
needed to farm and new occupations
developed creating a division of labor.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
Irrigation and canals along the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers helped solve
flooding and drought problems.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
The Sumerians created the world’s first
advanced society through the use of
basic political units called city-states.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
Polytheism, the worship of many gods,
was the basis for all Sumerian society.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
Kings were at the top of the social
hierarchy because they claimed to be
chosen to rule by the gods.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
The Sumerians invented the world’s
first writing system, called cuneiform,
using clay tablets and styluses.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
The Babylonians conquered
Mesopotamia and created a code of
law for all to see – Hammurabi’s Code.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
The Phoenicians built an extensive
trading society and developed the
alphabet that would later become the
English language.
06 HSS Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent