Download Location: Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia
“Between the Rivers”
Location: Mesopotamia
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Built along the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers
in what is now Iraq
and Syria
Began around 4500
BC and is the first
civilization EVER!
Also known as the
fertile crescent.
Region
Awesome Farmers
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Created Irrigation
Systems and Dikes to
control flooding and to water
their crops.
Crops consisted of grain
products such as wheat and
barley.
They created a 12-month
calendar to predict when to
plant and harvest and also
to predict flooding.
Allowed them to settle.
Farming
Inventions
Government controlled by
religion.
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Theocracy- Government in
which the King is also the
religious leader.
– The priest-kings had
absolute power.
City-state- made up of the
city and lands around it.
(Like Hays County)
Hierarchy
First Ever Writing
System
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Cuneiform
– Created by the
Sumerians.
– Written with a wooden
triangular shaped stick in
the form of hundreds of
different wedge shaped
markings.
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Allowed leaders to
communicate from a
distance and record
history more efficiently.
Written Language
City - States
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Sumer
– Located near the
Persian Gulf.
– The earliest citystate.
– Sumerians created
cuneiform style of
writing.
Sumerian Temple and
surrounding city
Society
City - States
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Akkad : War like
tribe
– Conquered several
city-states and
Sumer to create the
first empire.
– First group to try
and conquer lands
for power and
dominance.
City - States
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Babylon
– Hammurabi was a king who created
Hammurabi’s Code, to establish
justice and fairness to the idea of
law. This was the first written laws
ever. ex: Eye for an Eye.
– Babylonians also contributed the to
the field of mathematics by
developing a number system based
on 60
 60 minutes in an hour.
 60 second minute
 360 degree circle
City - States
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Phoenicia : Sailers
– Part of what is today
Lebanon.
– They were traders who
spread many ideas and
their culture.
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Traded with Romans,
Greeks and Africans,
including Ancient
Egyptians.
– Well known for ship
building and sailing.