Download Innovations of Mesopotamia

Innovations of Mesopotamia
Warm-Up 11/3
Answer on the back of your sheet!
• In your opinion, what
innovation has had the biggest
impact on human life?
• Explain why
Cuneiform
• The Sumerians developed the
first system of writing around
3500 BCE, called Cuneiform
• Sumerians wrote on clay tablets
– For the first time ever, humans
were able to keep written records
Question #1
Cuneiform
• Scribe- A professional writer
– Scribes would work for:
• Government officials
• Priests
• Merchants
Question #2
Question #3
Impact of Cuneiform
• Cuneiform allowed the citizens of
Mesopotamia to keep records:
– Farmers could keep detailed records of crops
– Merchants could keep detailed records of sales
– Laws could be recorded and posted where
everyone could see
• Children went to school to learn how to
read and write cuneiform
Question #4
Impact of Cuneiform
• We know a lot of information about
the Sumerians and way of life in
Mesopotamia because they left us
written records
Question #5
Epic of Gilgamesh
• The Epic of Gilgamesh is believed to be the
oldest written story ever discovered
• Epic- refers to a long poem or story, usually
about gods and heroes doing great deeds
Discovery Ed Video:
Epic of Gilgamesh
Question #6
Epic of Gilgamesh
• Historians have learned much about the culture
of Sumer from The Epic of Gilgamesh
– Religion: The story tells us about the gods and
goddesses of Sumer and the roles they played in
human life
– Government: Gilgamesh was always a strong man,
but until he learned to protect his people from
monsters, rather than abusing and taking advantage
of them, he was not seen as a worthy king
Question #7
Calendar
• The Mesopotamian people were able to create
a calendar in order to know when the floods
would arrive:
– As a result, farmers were able to harvest more food.
– This food surplus enabled the cities to support
larger populations.
– Having surplus food, which could be traded for
other goods, also helped Mesopotamians establish
trade with other civilizations.
Question #8
Calendar
• These ancient calendars were lunar
(based on the cycle of the moon)
– Today, our calendar is based on the Earth's
movement around the sun.
• Over time, most kingdoms adopted the
Babylonian calendar
– Months were around 30 days long and
were named after the 12 constellations in
the zodiac
– The basis of the our modern calendar can
be seen in these divisions
Question #9
The Plow
• The plow made it easier to break up the soil
for planting
– Plows were made of iron and were pulled by oxen.
– By using these new tools farmers could do more
work and produce more food
Question #10
The Wheel
• Before the wheel, people had to carry their
items by hand
• The wheel allowed humans to use carts
– This allowed people to carry more goods and
supplies
• Wheels allowed for quicker and easier
transportation
– Animals could also pull the carts
Question #11
Irrigation Systems
• Irrigation systems were created to get water
to crops and prevent flooding
• The people of Mesopotamia would dig a ditch
that brought water from the source to the
fields
– This allowed for more crops to be grown at once
Question #12, 13, & 14
Video: What the Ancients Left Us
Innovations of Mesopotamia
12) What was created so that all mud bricks would be the
same shape and size? Why do you think that was important?
13) “More food meant more people, and the population grew
and grew. Villages turned to towns, towns became cities. Not
everyone had to be a farmer and civilization blossomed.”
This quote from the video is an example of which if the
seven characteristics of a civilization?
14) Why were irrigation systems vital to life in Mesopotamia?
Write your name in Cuneiform!
• First
• Middle
• Last