Download Mesopotamia

Middle Eastern Civilizations
3500 BCE-395 CE
Mesopotamia
One of the world’s great civilizations developed
along mighty river systems in Mesopotamia.
 Mesopotamia dates around3500 BCE.
 The source of life for Mesopotamia was the
Tigris-Euphrates River system in Asia.
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Mesopotamia
Mesopotamians learned how to use their natural
environments to their advantage. They achieved
this by learning how to control the floodwaters of
the rivers, and how to work the rich soils along
the riverbanks.
 A constant food supply in these areas allowed
these peoples to have more free time, and to
develop successful cities, marvelous temples, and
powerful empires.
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Map of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia: Cradle of Civilization
Located in the Tigris-Euphrates valley of present
day Iraq is the ancient Sumerian city-state of Ur.
 Ur was one of the great city-states (an
independent state consisting of a city and its
surrounding territory) of ancient Mesopotamia.
 Ur was a highly sophisticated society with
soldiers, court servants, musicians, and a strong
belief in the afterlife.
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The Land Between the Rivers
The empires of Mesopotamia included Sumer,
Babylonia, Assyria, and Chaldea.
 Mesopotamia was part of an area known as the
fertile crescent, which was the site of some of the
world’s first permanent farming villages.
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Map of the Fertile Crescent
Land and Climate
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The land and climate of this region hardly seem ideal for
a thriving civilization.
The south was mainly a flat flood plain.
Summers were very hot and dry with droughts that could
kill crops and cause famines.
Spring often was a time of flooding from the melt waters
from the nearby Zagros Mountains
Winter was often a time for sudden downpours that
turned the plains to mud.
Assignment
With your elbow partner discuss and describe the
location of Mesopotamia and the features of the
surrounding area using today’s notes and map.
 Based on what you now know about the early
civilization of Mesopotamia, how would you
explain the benefits of farming in the fertile
crescent?
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