Download Mesopotamia (Fertile Crescent) Learning Outcomes Geography

Mesopotamia (Fertile Crescent)
Learning Outcomes
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Geography
Mesopotamia was one of the earliest civilizations
and was located where modern Iraq and eastern
Syria are today.
It was established around 3500 BCE in the valley
known as the Fertile Crescent, between the Tigris
River and the Euphrates River.
The silt deposited by the rivers provided rich soil
for crops, but the climate was hot and dry and
annual floods were not suitable for farming.
Annual floods destroyed crops and structures.
 Mesopotamians developed a system of
irrigation (to supply land or crops with water)
to harness water from the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers.
 Irrigation stopped the rivers from flooding.
 Through irrigation, the Mesopotamians
produced a surplus of food. A surplus of food
meant that not everyone had to farm. People
could do other things for work. (Division and
Specialization of Labor)
Economics
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Early Mesopotamians developed a number of
innovations which greatly improved the lives of
the people, particularly in the area of
agriculture.
The wheel and the plow made farming easier
and more effective.
Mesopotamia did not produce all the
resources it needed. However, it did produce
an abundance of crops that could be used for
trade.
A system of trade began in the cities. Food was
traded locally for other goods.
Also, Mesopotamians traded grains, oils, and
textiles with outside societies for goods such as
gems and wood.
Merchants traveled to trading centers via land
or sea. They used boats and donkeys to
transport their goods.
Mesopotamia (Fertile Crescent)
Learning Outcomes
Government
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Mesopotamians believed that their kings were chosen by the gods.
A government in which one person rules is called a monarchy.
The king and the priests were in charge of religious ceremonies that were conducted to please the gods.
Mesopotamian society was set up in a social hierarchy.
 The king was the primary political and religious figure.
 Priests and government officials directed the religious and
administrative matters of the city-state.
 Artisans made the goods for the city-state. Merchants traded
goods among city-states and between different ancient
cultures. Scribes were the official record-keepers of society.
 Farmers grew the food that allowed the civilization to
thrive. In return, they received protection from the king and
support from the priests.
 Enslaved people were at the bottom of the social pyramid and had no power.
History & Culture
Eridu, Ur, and Uruk were three of Mesopotamia's important cities. The region these cities were located in
is referred to as Sumer.
The people of Mesopotamia were polytheistic, they believed in many different gods or deities.
o They believed these gods controlled many aspects of their lives especially nature.
Mesopotamian city-states built ziggurats for worshiping their gods. Ziggurats had temples and altars to the
gods, as well as long staircases for the gods to descend to Earth.
Ziggurats were the center of daily life in Mesopotamia.
Sumerians wrote in the cuneiform alphabet which made communication easier and written records
possible.
The Epic of Gilgamesh was the first recorded story.
The Akkadian Empire was the first major empire (large group controlled by a single supreme ruler)
in Mesopotamia.
o Sargon was the first king of the Akkadian Empire.
The Babylonian Empire conquered much of Mesopotamia after the collapse of the Akkadian Empire.
o Hammurabi was a Babylonian king who created a single code of laws for his people. The code laid
out specific rules of conduct and the punishments for breaking them.
The Assyrian Empire was the largest of the four empires.
o The Assyrians conquered other lands easily, but they had difficulty maintaining control of their
vast empire.
The Chaldean Empire’s king, Nebuchadnezzar, was a ruthless conqueror, but he also organized many great
building projects in the capital city of Babylon.