Download Ancient Mesopotamia and the Fertile Cresent

Ancient Mesopotamia and the
Fertile Crescent
By Mr. Palmerio
The Fertile
Crescent
Mesopotamia
The land between
the rivers
Covers the area of
modern Iraq, Syria
and part of
Southeast turkey
Called Fertile
Crescent because
of shape and fertile
soil
Sumerians
Settled in
Mesopotamia
around
3000 BC
Developed
city-states in
the region
Three Problems with their Civilization
• Protect the city – built high walls
• Lack of water – built an irrigation
system
• Nothing to build with – Traded with
other nations for building supplies
Priests and Gods
• Believed in many gods
–Enlil and Utu – controlled the rain
–Inanna, Goddess of Love and War –
cured diseases and helped kings fight
wars
–Each city-state built a temple to a
specific god
• Called a Ziggurat
Ziggurats
Ziggurats
King me,
Emperor you
Priests controlled the
religious and economic
life – called a theocracy
Kings controlled the
political and military life
When a king conquered
many city-states, he
became an emperor
Forced conquered
people to worship his
gods
Class System
• Three classes
1. Highest class – Kings, priests
and wealthy property owners
2. Middle class – Skilled workers,
farmers and merchants
3. Lowest class - Slaves
Writing System
• Developed one of the first systems of
writing
–Called Cuneiform – wedge shaped
writing used to keep records and
record their history
–Scribes – Boys who were sent to school
to learn how to write
• Had to learn about 600 characters
Cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform