Download 03 - Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia
and the
Fertile Crescent
AIM: How did geography encourage the rise of civilization in
Mesopotamia? These are some things we will discuss with
Mesopotamia.
DO NOW:
(1) I am a group of people working together to create an
civilization
organized society _________________
(2) I am the geographic feature where early people settled
River valleys
_______________
(3) I am two features of a civilization that helps to bring
Writing system & ______________
infrastructure
people together ____________
HW: Discuss the importance of water to the people of the
Middle East. How has climate and topography of the Middle
East effect how people lived?
1. What two rivers
run through the
Fertile Crescent?
Tigris & Euphrates
Rivers
2. Which two river
valley civilizations
are shown on this
map?
Egypt & Mesopotamia
3. In what present
day country is
Mesopotamia
located?
Iraq
*NOTES*
ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA (4000 B.C.)
“land in between the rivers”
Why was this a perfect place for the 1st civilization?
1. Fertile Crescent - large arc of fertile land in
the Middle East
2. Tigris & Euphrates Rivers made it possible for
farming
3. Cattle, pigs, goats & sheep were accessible
Geography helps grow civilization
Mesopotamia was located in between
the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. It
means between the rivers. It is modern
day Iraq. It is also known as The Fertile
Crescent. The most important
geographic feature in Mesopotamia were
the rivers. Fertile land and the nearby
rivers helped crops grow well.
*NOTES*
WHAT CHALLENGES DID PEOPLE FACE IN
MESOPOTAMIA?
1. Unpredictable floods destroyed
crops, homes & people
2. Some areas were marshy and
unsuitable for farming
3. This land was vulnerable to
attack and invasion
Could the floods be good?
 Yes, flooding left
behind silt, a
mixture of rich soil
and tiny rocks. This
helped to make the
land more fertile.
Controlling the water
 People learned to
control the water by
using irrigation, a
way of supplying
water to an area of
land. They used
canals and built up
the banks of the
river to hold back
the water.
Effects of irrigation
 Irrigation and better
tools such as the
plow led to a surplus
of food.
 A surplus of food
was followed by a
division of labor,
when workers can
specialize in one
particular job.
 Think: Why would
having extra food
lead to a division of
labor?
The Rise of Sumer
 The first group of
people to build a
permanent
settlement in
Mesopotamia were
the Sumerians
Peaceful Sumer
 Sumer was an
organized
civilization that
lasted for thousands
of years. Their
government was
organized into city
states.
 Gilgamesh was a
legendary ruler and
king from the citystate of Uruk. He is
seen throughout
Sumerian literature.
The Akkadians
 In time, another
society developed
along the Tigris and
Euphrates. It was
created by the
Akkadians. They
were not Sumerian
and spoke a
different language.
Sargon
 The Sumerians and Akkadians
lived in peace for many years.
But, in 2300BC, Sargon broke that
peace. He was the first ruler to
have a permanent army. He used
that army to launch a series of
wars. He defeated Sumer and
many of his other neighbors. This
created the world’s first empire.
Sargon’s Empire
Goodbye Sargon
Eventually, the Sumerian city-state of Ur
rebuilt its strength and conquered the
rest of Mesopotamia. Political stability
was restored. The Sumerians were
once again the most powerful civilization
in the region.
Religion
Religion shaped society and was very
important to the Sumerians. They
practiced polytheism, the worship of
many gods. The Sumerians believed
everything in life depended on pleasing
the gods.
Some Sumerian gods
 Enlil was lord of
the air. Enki was
god of wisdom.
Utu was the
sun god.
Inanna was
goddess of
love and
war
Nanna was
the moon
god.
Sumerians worshiped their
many gods at a special temple
called a ziggurat. It was in the
middle of town and was the
center of Sumerian cities.
Religions have attempted to build their sanctuaries on
prominent heights. Since no such natural heights were
available in the flat flood plains of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq),
ancient priests and kings determined to build ziggurats, square
or rectangular artificial stepped temple platforms. Functionally,
temples were placed on raised platforms to give them
prominence over other buildings in a city, and to allow more
people to watch the services performed at the temple.
Symbolically, however, the ziggurat represents the cosmic
mountain on which the gods dwell. The priests ascent up the
stairway to the temple at the top of the ziggurat represents the
ascent to heaven. The great ziggurat at Khorsabad, for
example, had seven different stages; each was painted a
different color and represented the five known planets, the
moon, and the sun.
WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE REVEAL ABOUT THE
RELIGIOUS BELIEF OF PEOPLE IN MESOPOTAMIA?
ZIGGURATS
BABYLONIAN ZIGGURAT
Social Hierarchy
The Sumerian society was divided by rank
of class. Kings were at the top. They
were thought to have been chosen by the
gods to rule. Priests were just below
kings. Below priests were craftspeople,
merchants and traders. Below traders,
farmers and laborers made up the large
working class. Slaves were at the bottom
of the social order.
Draw the social hierarchy of Sumer
Achievements
The Sumerians made one of the
greatest cultural achievements in history.
They developed cuneiform, the world’s
first writing system. They used sharp
tools called styluses to make wedgeshaped symbols on clay tablets.
Cuneiform was first developed as a way
to keep business records.
Cuneiform
What were some other major
achievements of the Sumerians?
Later people of the Fertile Crescent
Around 1800BC, a
new power rose in
Mesopotamia.
They were the
Babylonians, led
by their king,
Hammurabi.
Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi was a brilliant war leader,
but he is most well known for his set
of laws, Hammurabi’s Code. They
were important because it was the
first set of written laws, each crime
had a specific punishment, and many
of his ideas are still used in laws
today.
Hammurabi’s Code
Look at page
73 of your
textbook for
some
examples of
Hammurabi’s
laws.
Phoenicia
In another part of the
Fertile Crescent was a
land known as
Phoenicia. They
created a wealthy
trading society along
the Mediterranean Sea.
They traded cedar,
silver, ivory, purple
dye, and slaves.
Phoenicia
The Phoenician’s
most important
accomplishment
was the
development of an
alphabet. It
became wildly
spread because of
the Phoenician’s
extensive trade
routes.
*NOTES*
THE MANY PEOPLE OF MESOPOTAMIA:
1. Sumerians (ancient Sumer’s city-states)
(3000 B.C. - 1800 B.C.)
2. Babylonians (Babylonian Empire)
( 1800 B.C. - 1200 B.C.
3. Assyrians (Assyrian Empire)
(1200 B.C. - 539 B.C.)
4. Persians (Persian Empire)
(539 B.C. - 330 B.C.)