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Mesopotamia
Setting the Stage-Two rivers flow from the mountains of what is now Turkey,
down through Syria and Iraq, and finally to the Persian Gulf. --Over six thousand years ago, the waters of these rivers
provided the life blood that allowed the formation of farming
settlements. These grew into villages and then cities.
Geography of the Fertile Crescent
-A desert climate dominates
the landscape between the
Persian Gulf and the
Mediterranean Sea in
Southwest Asia. Yet within
this dry region lies an arc
of land that provided some
of the best farming in
Southwest Asia.
-The regions curved shape
and the richness of its soil
led to scholars naming it
the Fertile Crescent.
Mesopotamia means “the
land between two rivers”
in Greek.
Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• The two rivers framing
Mesopotamia are the Tigris and
the Euphrates. They flow
southwest towards the Persian
Gulf and flood every year. Silt is
the rich, black mud left by the
flood waters. This silt is what
made the soil rich.
• Harvests of crops were big and
allowed for a surplus of food to
be stored and sold, eventually
leading to the growth of
Mesopotamia.
Environmental Challenges
-People first started to settle
Mesopotamia in 4500
BCE. By 3300 BCE, the
Sumerians arrived on the
scene. Good soil was the
reason the advantage
that attracted these
settlers. However, there
were three distinct
disadvantages to their
new environment.
• Flooding- combined with
periods of little or no rain.
• No natural barriers for
protection- defenceless
• Natural resources were
limited- Building
materials were scarce
Solving Problems
Through
Organization
(Solutions)-
Over a long period of time, the
people of Sumer created
solutions to these problems.
• To provide water, they dug
irrigation canals from the
rivers to their fields
• For defence, they built city
walls out of mud bricks
• They traded their grain,
cloth, and crafted tools with
people- In exchange, they
received raw materials such
as wood, stone and metal