Download Name: KEEP IN YOUR BINDER FOR MESOPOTAMIA UNIT

Name:__________________
Mesopotamia Notes
Fertile Crescent
Agriculture
Mesopotamia Notes
Fertile Crescent
Agriculture
KEEP IN YOUR BINDER FOR MESOPOTAMIA UNIT!
1. ___________ are groups of people who have a complex society & culture
2. All civilizations have their own customs, ___________ supply, social divisions, ____________,
religion, & technology
3. Civilizations first start in the Fertile Crescent, also known as ____________
4. Mesopotamia’s two rivers: ___________ & Euphrates Rivers
5. ALL OF THE WORLD’S FIRST CIVILIZATIONS STARTED ON ______________
6. Rivers used for drinking water, ___________, trade, and ___________ farm crops
7. Farmers dug out __________ and _________ to have water flow to their crops (irrigation)
8. Later irrigation technology includes dams and water ___________
1. Also known as ___________
2. Mesopotamians raised plants and animals for ___________ and farm labor (example: Oxen
pulling a _______ to prepare farm fields)
3. Results of agriculture:
a. People settle in ______ permanent place!
b. ________ and villages are built!
c. Population growth – more _______ to feed more people!
d. Specialization – non-farmers take on new jobs!
1. Civilizations are groups of people who have a complex society & culture
2. All civilizations have their own customs, food supply, social divisions, governments,
religion, & technology
3. Civilizations first start in the Fertile Crescent, also known as Mesopotamia
4. Mesopotamia’s two rivers: Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
5. ALL OF THE WORLD’S FIRST CIVILIZATIONS STARTED ON RIVERS
6. Rivers used for drinking water, fishing, trade, and irrigating farm crops
7. Farmers dug out ditches and canals to have water flow to their crops (irrigation)
8. Later irrigation technology includes dams and water wheels
1. Also known as farming
2. Mesopotamians raised plants and animals for food and farm labor (example: Oxen pulling a
plow to prepare farm fields)
3. Results of agriculture:
a. People settle in one permanent place!
b. Cities and villages are built!
c. Population growth – more food to feed more people!
d. Specialization – non-farmers take on new jobs!
Name:__________________
KEEP IN YOUR BINDER FOR MESOPOTAMIA UNIT!
Mesopotamia Notes – Part 2
Government
1. City-states each created their own governments and sets of _________ to keep order
2. ______________: governments where the leaders are thought to be connected to the gods
3. Hammurabi’s _________: the most famous set of laws from King Hammurabi of _____________ that
set out strict punishments for people who broke the law
Social Order
1. Mesopotamians were ordered based on how important they were to _____________
2. People in different __________ classes were even given different punishments for crimes
3. At the top was the ________ and his royal family
Then came the businessmen, ______________, government workers, and ______________
Next came the artisans (craftspeople) and farmers
And at the bottom came the ____________
Architecture
1. Most people lived in ______________ houses
2. __________ worked in ziggurats (pyramid-shaped buildings) to praise the gods
3. A typical city-state like Uruk was surrounded by a mud-brick __________ for protection and had a
_______________ at the center to connect its people with the gods
Contributions
1. A contribution is an idea or invention that a civilization gives to the world
2. ________________ invented the world’s first writing system called cuneiform to record trade activity
3. Professional writers were called ___________ and wrote many important ancient books, like the
_________ of Gilgamesh
4. Sumerians also invented the _________!
5. Phoenicians created the modern _____________ to easily communicate with all their trading partners
6. ______________ invented coins so they could pay easily with money rather than have to trade items
Religion
1. Most Mesopotamians were _____theistic, meaning they worshipped many gods who each played a
different role in _____________
2. Judaism (the Jewish religion), however, was ______theistic. Abraham and his followers, known as the
Hebrews only worshipped ______ god! They followed the holy book of the ________ and the _______
Commandments
Name:__________________
KEEP IN YOUR BINDER FOR MESOPOTAMIA UNIT!
Mesopotamia Notes – Part 2
Government
1. City-states each created their own governments and sets of laws to keep order
2. theocracies: governments where the leaders are thought to be connected to the gods
3. Hammurabi’s Code: the most famous set of laws from King Hammurabi of Babylon_ that
set out strict punishments for people who broke the law
Social Order
1. Mesopotamians were ordered based on how important they were to society
2. People in different social classes were even given different punishments for crimes
3. At the top was the king and his royal family
Then came the businessmen, landowners, government workers, and priests
Next came the artisans (craftspeople) and farmers
And at the bottom came the slaves
Architecture
1. Most people lived in mud-brick houses
2. Priests worked in ziggurats (pyramid-shaped buildings) to praise the gods
3. A typical city-state like Uruk was surrounded by a mud-brick wall for protection and had a
ziggurat at the center to connect its people with the gods
Contributions
1. A contribution is an idea or invention that a civilization gives to the world
2. Sumerians invented the world’s first writing system called cuneiform to record trade activity
3. Professional writers were called _scribes_ and wrote many important ancient books, like the
Epic of Gilgamesh
4. Sumerians also invented the wheel!
5. Phoenicians created the modern alphabet to easily communicate with all their trading partners
6. Lydians invented coins so they could pay easily with money rather than have to trade items
Religion
1. Most Mesopotamians were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped many gods who each played a
different role in nature
2. Judaism (the Jewish religion), however, was monotheistic. Abraham and his followers, known as the
Hebrews only worshipped one god! They followed the holy book of the Torah_ and the Ten
Commandments