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Sumerians invented the 12 month calendar, the wheel, and the 7 day week. Sumerians invented geometry, multiplication and division and the 360 degree circle. Irrigation canals invented by Mesopotamians are still used today in Eastern Washington to grow wheat. The wheel was invented and used by Mesopotamians for transportation and traveling like we do today. The Mesopotamians lived between two great rivers called the Tigris and Euphrates in a fertile land with lots of water and good soil. Floods brought fertile soil into the farmlands so there were good crops and enough surplus so they could specialize. There was a god for every element on the earth like the wind, earth, sun gods. To honor gods they had a ziggurat in the middle of the city-state which served as a temple. Mesopotamians created many inventions that we still use today. For example, the 12 month calendar, the seven day week, the wheel, the 360 degree circle, geometry to measure land, multiplication and division tables, irrigation and pottery. The most important invention was writing, which they called cuneiform. All civilizations that came after the Mesopotamians base their own writing system on theirs. This creative thinking lead to many other inventions that we still use today. Religion was one of the most important parts of Mesopotamian life. The priests, who climbed to the top of the ziggurat, would spend their day worshipping the gods. Each city-state worshipped a specific god that was thought to control one of the earth’s elements such as fire or water. This made them polytheistic, which means worshipping many gods. They created art and did sacred dances for to please the gods. The king was supposedly chosen by the gods to rule the city-state. Religious beliefs made an impact on all areas of Mesopotamian life. The land between two rivers was Mesopotamia. This land had rich soil so it was easier to grow crops. When the rivers flooded it brought fertile soil called silt to deposit in the valleys for the crops to grow. The sunny weather was helpful for farming too. Since there were so many crops, people could start specializing. Not everyone had to farm so there could be artisans and merchants, scribes and musicians. Irrigation made it possible to get water out to the dry, hot desert so it seems that geography did not stop the Mesopotamians for creating a powerful civilization. LAND OF THE FERTILE CRESCENT