Download Precision Reading Socials 7 Chapter Four Format Level Three

Social Studies 7: Chapter 4
Land Between Rivers
Farming
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Civilization develops only when people have
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plenty of food. Only farmers can produce plenty of
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food. The people who settled in Mesopotamia took
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full advantage of a fertile land and hot climate. They
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developed their farming methods and farming
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technology. They created an abundance of food
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never seen before.
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A Fertile Valley
Plants and Animals
Mesopotamia was part of the area known as the
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Fertile Crescent. This arc of land stretched from the
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northern end of the Persian Gulf to the Nile River
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valley in Egypt. The Fertile Crescent was an ideal
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place for farming. Along the rivers, the land was rich
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in edible plants, especially fruit, wheat, and barley.
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Fish and birds were plentiful. Pigs, sheep, and goats
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lived in the wild. Over time, people learned to
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domesticate, or tame, the animals and wild plants so
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that they would have a steady supply of food.
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Rivers
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Mesopotamia is the ancient name for the plain, or
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large flat area that stretches between the Tigris River
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on the east and the Euphrates River on the west.
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These rivers begin in mountains to the north and
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flow through the valley towards the Persian Gulf. In
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ancient times, the silt (fine sand) carried downstream
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by the rivers built up along the riverbeds. This
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created excellent, fertile soil.
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Marshy Area
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Near the gulf, the rivers split into smaller
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streams, creating a marshy area called a delta.
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Besides attracting plenty of wildlife for hunting and
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fishing, the marshy swamps provided reeds that
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made excellent materials for building houses.
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A Hot, Dry Climate
The Good and the Bad
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The early farmers of Mesopotamia found the hot,
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dry climate of the region to be both a blessing and a
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curse. It provided the heat that many plants need to
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thrive but not the rainfall. In spring, fields flooded
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after the snow melted in the mountains. When the
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water was gone, in late summer, the fields and crops
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baked in the hot sun.
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