Download Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia
FOCUS QUESTION
Why did early civilizations tend
to develop in river valleys?
Civilization Begins

Between 6000 and 500 B.C., huntersgatherers began settling on the flat grassy
regions between the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers.

Easy to grow crops, good farming, easy to
feed many people.
Civilization Begins (cont’d)

social class = a group of people who hold a
similar position or rank in society
agricultural
surpluses
specialization
was
possible
class
structure
in society
The Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia = “the land between 2 rivers”
Tigris River
& Euphrates River
 Rivers often flooded,
leaving rich soil for
farming.
 PROBLEM
the flooding was VERY
unpredictable
 irrigation = a way of controlling water and
bringing water to crops

Summary


The first civilizations arose in river valleys.
They produced agricultural surpluses, which
led to the development of specialization and
class system.
The earliest known civilization developed in
Mesopotamia, which was in the eastern part
of the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers.
Sumer
FOCUS QUESTION
What are some of the lasting
achievements of the
Sumerians?
City-States

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
Sumer was a region in southern
Mesopotamia.
Regions in Sumer were isolated.
Separate city-states formed, each with their
own government.
Sumerians believed in many gods. Gods had
power over natural force or human activity.
polytheism = belief in many gods
ziggurats = temples
Sumerian Daily Life
Upper Class
kings, priests, &
government
Middle Class
Artisans, merchants,
farmers & fishers
Lower Class
Enslaved people
MEN
 head of household and
could go to school
WOMEN
 couldn’t be head of
household
 couldn’t go to school
 could buy/sell property
 could run businesses
Sumerian Daily Life (cont’d)




Many great inventions - WRITING
Sumerians developed a system of writing to
keep track of business deals and other
events.
cuneiform = system of symbols used for
writing
scribes = a record keeper (mainly boys &
men)
Mesopotamian Technology
Wagons (wheel), boats, and the plow
Mathematics
 Number system based on 60 (60 minutes, 60
seconds, 360-degree circle)
Astronomy
 Developed 12-month calendar

Summary



The Sumerians believed in many gods and built
temples called ziggurats in which to worship them.
Sumerian society was divided into three classes
ruled over by a king. Their achievements included
the development of a the oldest known system of
writing, which they used to keep many kinds of
records.
The Sumerians’ technological advances and
inventions allow us to learn about their history and
way of life.
United Lands
FOCUS QUESTION
What caused the Mesopotamian
and Sumerian civilizations to rise
and fall?
The Akkadians
government
city-state


FIGHTING
government
city-state
There was a struggle for land in the Fertile
Crescent.
Sargon - king of the Akkadians (2300 BC)


Established Ashur as the capital city.
“The Land of Ashur” would become Assyria.
Babylonia and Assyria

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Babylon was south of Ashur
King Hammurabi established control of the
Euphrates River for Babylon.
Hammurabi’s Laws



Set laws and established punishements
“an eye for an eye”
About 1,000 years after Hammurabi, Assyria
took control of the rest of Mesopotamia.

Very fierce warriors with better weapons
A New Way to Govern


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Assyrian kings divided the empire into
political districts/regions.
Assyria treated its people cruelly.
People rebelled
Assyria crumbled


Babylon soon became the world’s largest and
richest city.
Soon, Babylon weakened and the Persians
attacked.
Summary
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The Akkadians took control of Sumer and created
an empire. The city of Ashur became known as
Assyria.
The Babylonian ruler Hammurabi developed one of
the first codes of law. The Assyrians eventually took
over Mesopotamia.
Assyrian people rebelled and the Assyrian Empire
came to an end. They rebuilt the city of Babylon as
the center of their empire.
In 539 B.C., Babylon fell to the Persians.
The Nile Valley
FOCUS QUESTION
Why did Egyptian civilization
begin in the Nile Valley?
A Fertile Valley

Nile Delta
The Nile River

Lower Egypt

Upper Egypt

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River was used for dayto-day purposes
Flows 4,000 miles to the
north into the
Mediterranean Sea
Begins as 2 rivers, then
connect into 1 river
Ships can only travel up
the river for 650 miles
Very important for
farming
Natural Barriers
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delta = an area of fertile soil at the mouth of
the river that fan out
There was desert to the east and to the west
(Sahara Desert is in the west).
Transportation and trade along the Nile River
and the Red Sea to the east.
Dependable and gentle floods were useful.
Farming was very successful.
A System of Writing

papyrus = a reed plant that grew along the
shores of the Nile, became a useful resource.


Papyrus was used for making sandals, baskets,
rafts, and paper.
Egyptians developed their own system of
writing.

hieroglyphics = system of writing made up of
hundreds of picture symbols
Summary
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The Egyptians depended on the Nile for
many of their basic needs.
The Nile flows north, separating two great
deserts.
The Egyptians developed a system of writing
known as hieroglyphics.
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
FOCUS QUESTION
How was Egyptian society
organized?
Early Egyptian Society
Successful
Agriculture

Craft
Advancement
THERE WAS A NEED FOR GOVERNMENT
Lower
Egypt

Increase
in Trading
Upper
UNITED
Egypt
Narmer, A.K.A. Menes, was the first pharaoh
Egypt’s Kingdoms

pharaoh = Egyptian kings representing a
united Egypt
Family
Pharaoh

Family
Pharaoh
Family
Pharaoh
Family
Pharaoh
dynasty = a line of rulers from one family
Old
Kingdom
Middle
Kingdom
New
Kingdom
Egypt’s Social Classes
pharaoh
Priests
Nobles
Government
Officials
Business Owners
Craft Owners
FARMERS
*largest social class*
Unskilled Workers/Slaves
Summary
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Narmer, known also as Menes, was the first
pharaoh and united Upper and Lower Egypt.
Egyptians obeyed the pharaoh because they
believed the well-being of society depended
on it.