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SECTION 3
CITY-STATES OF
ANCIENT SUMER
TEXT SUMMARY
Geography helps explain the rise of civilization in the Middle East. Like the Nile
River in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers made the land around them fertile.
This region was called the Fertile
Crescent because the good farm
T H E BIG I D E A
land curved in the shape of a crescent. (See map below.) The land
The fertile land
between
the rivers was called
between the Tigris
Mesopotamia.
and Euphrates rivers
By 5,000 years ago, villages
supported the develalong the Tigris and the
opment of Sumerian
Euphrates
rivers had grown into
civilization.
busy cities. These city-states made
up the civilization of Sumer.
Different city-states fought each other for
land and water. During the fighting, people
turned to powerful war leaders to protect
them. Over time, leadership passed down
within the war leaders’ families, and social
classes developed.
Like the Egyptians, the Sumerians made
important contributions to the world. They
built the first wheeled vehicles. Systems of
dikes and canals provided flood protection
and water for crops. The Sumerians were
the first people to write. They used wedgeshaped writing called cuneiform to
record information as early as 3200 B.C.
They developed algebra and geometry. By
studying the sun and the moon, the
Sumerians invented an accurate calendar.
Later on, invaders conquered the
Sumerians. The conquerors adopted many
Sumerian ideas and passed them on to later
civilizations.
GRAPHIC SUMMARY: The Fertile Crescent
N
W E
FERTILE
CRESCENT
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
Za
gro
S
sM
ou
nta
Tigris
River
SYRIAN
DESERT
ins
Euphrates
River
N
IA
RS F
PE GUL
Independent city-states developed in Mesopotamia, the part of
the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What were two achievements of
the Sumerians?
12
Survey Edition CHAPTER 2
Guide to the Essentials
2. Map Skills What are the two
major rivers in the Fertile Crescent?
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
pp. 6-41 [ch.1-7]
1/29/02
SECTION 4
2:17 PM
Page 13
INVADERS, TRADERS,
AND EMPIRE BUILDERS
TEXT SUMMARY
Many groups invaded and conquered the
civilizations of the Fertile Crescent. Some
invaders destroyed the city-states. Others
stayed to rule. Some of these rulers created
large, well-organized empires. An empire
is a group of territories under the control of
one ruler or government.
One powerful ruler was King
Hammurabi of Babylon. Around 1790 B.C.,
Hammurabi put together a set of laws,
called the Code of Hammurabi. The Code
of Hammurabi was the first major collection of laws in history. Another important
ruler was Darius of Persia. In 522 B.C.,
Darius controlled an empire that stretched
from Asia Minor to India. Darius divided
his empire into provinces, or locally
controlled regions. Later rulers used his
ideas about government.
Different groups of people met
T H E BIG I D E A
in the crossroads of the Fertile
Crescent. Many groups made
Strong rulers unitadvances in technology and
ed the lands of the
ideas. For example, Phoenicians
Fertile Crescent
developed the first real alphabet
into well-organized
to record their trades. (See chart
empires.
below.) Through warfare and
trade, ideas and technology
spread. As time passed, the contributions of
people who lived in the Fertile Crescent
reached all the way to India and Europe.
GRAPHIC SUMMARY: Civilizations of the Fertile Crescent
CIVILIZATION
DATES
ACHIEVEMENTS
Babylonians
1790 B.C.
Created Code of Hammurabi
Studied astronomy, especially sun, moon, and planets
Hittites
1400 B.C.
Forged iron tools and weapons
Assyrians
1100 B.C.
Set up one of the first libraries
Maintained a well-organized society
Persians
539 B.C.
Conquered large empire from Asia Minor to India
Improved trade by using coins and standard measures
Zoroaster taught new religion
Phoenicians
600 B.C.
Gained fame as great sailors and traders
Created alphabet similar to the one we use today
The people of the Fertile Crescent made advances in government, technology,
science, and writing.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Why was the Code of Hammurabi
important?
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
2. Chart Skills Which civilization
used coins?
Guide to the Essentials
CHAPTER 2 Survey Edition
13