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Chapter 2
The Fertile
Crescent
Land Between Two Rivers
I. Fertile Crescent
A. Shaped like a
crescent moon
B. One end at
Mediterranean Sea
Land Between Two Rivers
C. One end at
Persian Gulf
D. Presence of
rivers make location
good for crops

Land Between Two Rivers
II. Mesopotamia
 A. Part of Fertile
Crescent
 B. Name from Greek
– “between the rivers”
Land Between Two Rivers
C. Between Tigris
and Euphrates
Rivers
D. Life and death
from rivers

Land Between Two Rivers
1. Life – rich soil,
fish, clay, reeds
2. Death –
floods and
destruction
Land Between Two Rivers
III. Sumer
 A. First cities
developed in area of
Sumer
1. Cities separated
by long distances
Land Between Two Rivers
2. Did not unite
under one ruler
3. City-states – a city
with its own traditions
and its own
government and laws
Land Between Two Rivers

B. Religion
1. Polytheism –
belief in many gods
2. ziggurats – main
temple to gods of city
Land Between Two Rivers
a. very high
b. Gods used
them to travel to
Earth

Land Between Two Rivers
3. myths – stories
about gods that
explain people’s
beliefs
4. scribes –
professional writers
Land Between Two Rivers
C. Fall of Sumerian
city – states
1. Due to wealth
2. Fought over land
3. Fought over use
of river water
Babylonia and Assyria
I. Important themes
in history of
Mesopotamia
A. Powerful warriors
conquering rich land
Babylonia and Assyria

B. Two important empires
– area of many territories
and people controlled by
one government
1. Babylonia
2. Assyria
Babylonian and Assyria
II. Babylonian
Empire
A. Hammurabi
united the cities of
Sumer
Babylonia and Assyria

B. City of Babylon –
center of empire
1. Location made it
center of trade – cities
to north and south
Babylonia and Assyria
2. Empire – area
of many territories
and people that are
controlled by the
government
Babylonia and Assyria
3. Caravans –
groups of traders –
stopped there
4. Bazaars – a
market selling different
kinds of goods
Babylonia and Assyria
5. 1760 B.C.
Hammurabi conquered
Mari.
6. 1600 B.C.
Babylonian empire
shrunk and was
destroyed
Babylonia and Assyria
III. Assyrian Empire
A. North of Babylon
B. Located in open
spaces
Babylonia and Assyria
1. Always
defending
themselves
2. Became great
warriors
Babylonia and Assyria

C. Achievements in
warfare
1. Invented battering
ram
2. Expert archers
3. Armed charioteers
Babylonia and Assyria
D. Nineveh – great
library and city of
learning
 E. Defeated by Medes
and Chaldeans

Babylonia and Assyria
IV. New Babylonian
Empire
A. Grew under
Chaldeans
Babylonia and Assyria

B. Greatest King –
Nebuchadnezzar
Rebuilt city of
Babylon
Great palace and
gardens
Babylonia and Assyria

C. Center of science
and learning
1. Studied stars
2. Measured
length of a year
Babylonia and Assyria

D. Chaldeans open to
attacks by neighbors
1. 539 B.C. New
Babylonian empire fell
A. City of Babylon
spared
The Legacy of Mesopotamia
A. Development of
written code of laws
– Hammurabi’s Code
B. Development of a
system of math

The Legacy of Mesopotamia
1. Solve everyday
problems
2. Measure
geometric shapes
The Legacy of Mesopotamia

C. Development of writing
1. Developed in
Mesopotamia – 3500
B.C.
2. Necessary to keep
records
The Legacy of Mesopotamia
3. Scribes
important in society
4. Used clay from
Tigris and
Euphrates
The Legacy of Mesopotamia
5. Clay shaped
into tablets
6. Shape and size
of tablet depend
upon its use
The Legacy of Mesopotamia
7. Cuneiform – a
form of writing that
uses groups of
wedges and lines
Mediterranean Civilizations
I. Phoenicia
A. Located on
Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Civilizations

B. Rich resources
1. Snails produce
purple dye
2. Cedar trees
Mediterranean Civilizations
C. First trading
empire and great
sea power

Mediterranean Civilizations

D. Phoenician
alphabet
1. Needed to
simplify writing
Mediterranean Civilizations
2. Developed
alphabet – a set of
symbols that
represent sounds of
the language
Mediterranean Civilizations
3. Basis of our
alphabet
4. More people
could learn to read
and write