1. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
Unit 2 Chapter 3
Section 1

2. The Geographic Setting of the Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia had
Rich Soil
Life giving rivers
A location that was a center of trade

3. Why were people attracted to the Fertile Crescent?

4. Why were people attracted to the Fertile Crescent?
Rich Soil.

5. The Location of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia comes from Greek words
Between the rivers
Tigris and Euphrates
Shaped like a crescent moon
Great place for growing crops

6. What is the term for the area between the rivers?

7. What is the term for the area between the rivers?
Mesopotamia

8. Rivers Support the Growth of Civilization
Early people settled where crops could grow.
Grew well near rivers.
Southwest Asia was well suited for farming

9. Location
Mesopotamia is between Asia Minor and the Persian Gulf as well.

10. The Fertile Crescent
Fertile crescent is a large arc or crescent of fertile farmland.
Extends to Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea.
(In ancient times) Mesopotamia was in two parts

11. The Rise of Civilization
Hunter-gatherer first settled in Mesopotamia more than 12,000 years ago.
Learned to plant crops and grow their own food.

12. Rise of Civilization (Continued)
Every year the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded.
Brought silt.
Silt- Mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks
Ideal for farming

13. Rivers of Life
Tigris and Euphrates were the source of life for the people of Mesopotamia
Supplied fish
Reeds for making boats
Clay for building

14. Farming Settlements
First farm settlements in Mesopotamia about 7000 B.C.
Farmers grew wheat, barely, and other grains.
Livestock were also good sources of food.
Plentiful food = population growth.

15. Farming Settlements Continued
Population growth= villages form.
Villages develop into world's first civilization

16. Farming and Cities Mesopotamia received little rain
Water levels in Mesopotamia depended on how much rain fell in eastern Asia Minor
If Water got too high floods destroyed crops, killed livestock, and destroyed homes.
Water level too low crops dried
Farmers needed to control river’s flow.

17. Rivers of Death
Tigris and Euphrates also sometimes brought flood waters
Deposited good soil
Flood waters did not come at the same time every year
People were swept away
Also houses and animals

18. Controlling Water
To solve their problems Mesopotamians used irrigation
Irrigation is a way of supplying water to an area of land.
To irrigate land farmers dug storage basins to hold water supplies.

19. Controlling Water People dug canals human-made waterways.
Canals connected basins to a network of ditches
Ditches brought water to fields
To protect fields from flooding farmers built up banks
Built up banks held flood-water back when river levels were too high

20. Irrigation increased the amount of food farmers produced
Food Surpluses
Irrigation increased the amount of food farmers produced
A surplus or more than of an item was developed.
Farmers Used irrigation to water grazing areas for cattle

21. Food Surpluses (Continued)
As a result to food surpluses Mesopotamians ate many foods
Mesopotamians ate fish, meat, wheat, barely, and dates

22. New occupations developed
Dividing Labor
Fewer people farmed because of irrigation
People started doing other jobs
New occupations developed
The type of arrangement where each worker specializes in a particular task is division of labor

23. Mesopotamian Society
With more job occupations society accomplished more
Large projects such as constructing buildings were started
Projects required skilled workers
Structure and rules provided by government

24. The Appearance of Cities
Mesopotamian settlements grew
Developed into cities around B.C
Society in Mesopotamia based on agriculture
Most people farmed

25. The Appearance of Cities (Continued)
People traded
There were political leaders with power bases
There was political, religious, cultural, and economic centers of civilization

26. Geography of the Fertile Crescent questions

27. Where is Mesopotamia located?
Question #1
Where is Mesopotamia located?
a.) between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
b.) in Europe
c.) the Americas
d.) far from the Mediterranean Sea

28. a.) between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Answer To Question #1
a.) between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

29. How did the Fertile Crescent get its name?
Question #2
How did the Fertile Crescent get its name?
a.) it is a large arc of rich soil
b.) it is the moons reflection
c.) it has the same land features as the moon when it is a crescent shape
d.) it is in the shape of a circle

30. a.) it is a large arc of rich soil
Answer To Question #2
a.) it is a large arc of rich soil

31. Question #3
What was the most important factor in making Mesopotamia's farmland fertile?
a.) there were many lakes
b.) there was a lot of rain in Mesopotamia
c.) Mesopotamia's land was not fertile
d.) the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

32. d.) the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Answer To Question #3
d.) the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

33. What is a large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland?
Question #4
What is a large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland?
a.) Fertile Crescent
b.) Earth
c.) Asia Minor
d.) Mesopotamia

34. Answer To Question #4
a.) Fertile Crescent

35. What is silt? Question #5 a.) Grass and rocks b.) tiny rocks and water
c.) tiny rocks and rich soil
d.) sand

36. c.) tiny rocks and rich soil
Answer to Question #5
c.) tiny rocks and rich soil

37. Why did farmers need a system to control their water?
Question #6
Why did farmers need a system to control their water?
a.) rains caused floods
b.) flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates river
c.) they wanted to have extra drinking water
d.) all of the above

38. b.) flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates river
Answer to Question #6
b.) flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates river

39. What increased the amount of food farmers were able to produce?
Question #7
What increased the amount of food farmers were able to produce?
a.) canals
b.) irrigation
c.) rivers
d.) lakes

40. Answer To Question #7
b.) irrigation

41. Question #8 How did irrigation help farmers?
a.) it provided a way of supplying land with water
b.) it produced floods
c.) it collected salt water
d.) all of the above

42. a.) it provided a way of supplying land with water
Answer To Question #8
a.) it provided a way of supplying land with water

43. Question #9 What are canals? a.) Greek myths b.) surplus
c.) human-made waterways
d.) rivers

44. c.) human-made waterways
Answer To Question #9
c.) human-made waterways

45. Question #10 What is a surplus? a.) starvation b.) livestock
c.) more than needed
d.) the Oracle of Delphi

46. Answer To Question #10
c.) more than needed

47. What did people in Mesopotamia eat?
Question #11
What did people in Mesopotamia eat?
a.) wheat, meat, fish, barley, and dates
b.) sharks
c.) dogs
d.) grasses

48. a.) wheat, meat, fish, barley, and dates
Answer To Question #11
a.) wheat, meat, fish, barley, and dates

49. When worker specialized in a specific task it was
Question #12
When worker specialized in a specific task it was
a.) the plague
b.) division of labor
c.) metal
d.) the dark ages

50. Answer To Question #12
b.) division of labor

51. With __________ society could accomplish more.
Question #13
With __________ society could accomplish more.
a.) division of labor
b.) farming
c.) astronomy
d.) math

52. Answer To Question #13
a.) division of labor

53. Between 4000 and 3000 B.C. what was society based on in Mesopotamia?
Question #14
Between 4000 and 3000 B.C. what was society based on in Mesopotamia?
a.) agriculture
b.) public leaders
c.) arts and crafts
d.) trade of ink

54. Answer to Question #14
a.) agriculture

55. When did Mesopotamia develop into cities?
Question # 15
When did Mesopotamia develop into cities?
a.) B.C
b.) B.C
c.) B.C
d.) B.C

56. Answer to Question #15
a.) B.C