Download L1: Land Between Two Rivers, pgs

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Mesopotamia: Outline #1 Lesson 1 & 2
(Red Book)
L1: Land Between Two Rivers, pgs. 94-97
I. Importance of Major River Systs.
A. Provide water for
1. drinking
2. _____________
3. _____________
4. fishing
5. farming
6. _____________
--animals ____________ on the fertile___________
B. The resources are good for permanent settlements
1. Good land + improved techniques leads to surplus
def. of surplus: “an extra supply”
2. Surplus allows diff. people to do diff._______(specialization)
3. Specialization: people get very good at specific tasks/jobs.
more
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Critical Thinking Question: How would a surplus lead to a sophisticated
civilization? (Review everything under “B” above.)
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Tigris & Euphrates (Sumer)
I. Sumer
A. one of the world’s first _________________
B. southern region: Fertile ________________
fertile--rich soil fr. river
________________--half-moon shape
C. T. & E. Rivs.
-where Sumer arose
1. the rivers start in the ___________ ___________in the north
2. flow south-east to the ______________ ______________
3. have many Tributaries
4. overflowed in the ______________; left fertile soil
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II. Mesopotamia
A. larger area in which Sumer was located
B. means “land ___________ ______________”
C. north was a _____________(high flat land)
D. south was a ____________(low flat land)
1. alluvial plain-formed fr. soil left by _______________
Irrigation (need for)
concept: The rivers were unpredictable
I. floods
A. destroyed things
1. crops (both the young
spring crops and
the fall harvests)
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
II. drought
A. south was (often) dry and hot.
III. irrigation (solution)
A. dug _________________
B. stored water in manmade ___________________
C. built dirt ______________and canals
more
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Less 2: Independent Sumerian City-States, pgs. 103-105
Emergence of Cities
I. Sumer
A. very successful city-states
B. over 12 by 3000 B.C.E.
1. Ur
2. ___________
3. ___________
II. city-state
A. gen. descrip.
1. walled city and ___________________
B. size & scope
1. from several sq. mls. up to 1,500 sq. mls.
(Stamford=37.7 sq. mls.)
2. pop. 5,000-60,000
(Stamford=117,083)
C. structure & culture
1. independent _______________
2. shared culture
a. ____________________
b. language
c. writing system
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Gov’t & Relig. (104)
I. early gov’t structure
A. chief leader
B. small-group leaders
(note: started out w/ priests ruling—relig. & gov’t entwined.
--took care of temples
--managed canals
--hired workers
--collected taxes
--distributed grain in
times of hardship)
II. Gov’t When Faced w/ War
A. single leader needed
1. formed world’s first __________________
--rule by king (or queen)
2. easier to make decisions
3. ______________became next king
a. usually eldest.
b. promoted stability
(Note: generals probably were the first to take
over as kings.)
C. officials
1. appointed by _________________
2. carried out ___________________
ex: economy, building projects
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III. Religion
A. priests: 2nd most important next to ___________________
B. religious system:____________________
1. many gods
2. gods ruled natural ______________
3. each _______________had own god
C. religion was central
1. lots of rituals, esp. agricultural
A Commercial Society
I. Surpluses led to city life.
A. New jobs, _____________, & _______________.
II. new jobs
A. craft-workers
B. ___________________
C. __________________
III. goods/trade
A. exporting of surpluses
1. grains
2. __________
B. importing
1. ___________
2. woods
etc.
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C. caravans
--grps. traveling together to __________________
1. caravans by foot
2. sailboats to far-off lands
ex: Egypt
D. record keeping
--in tokens and tablets
(more notes on this will be given in class)