1. Mesopotamia Title: Geography

2. Do Now  This week in history, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish Settlers in 1781.  Much has changed since that day..  What are changes you would like to see in our city, how do you think we should begin that change and why do you think it would make Los Angles a better place to live? 7L

3. Glossary Builder  Civilization:  the condition that exists when people have developed effective ways of organizing a society and care about art, science, etc.  Tigris River:  The Eastern river in ancient Mesopotamia  Euphrates River:  The Western river in ancient Mesopotamia  Irrigation:  To deliver water to the land for farming, using canals or ditches.

4. Mesopotamia Video  We are now going to watch the rest of the video we watched before the test last week. Watch carefully for the mention of the new vocabulary words:  civilization, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and irrigation

5. Big Idea  The valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the site of the world’s first civilizations  Main Ideas  The rivers of Southwest Asia supported the growth of civilizations  New farming techniques led to growth of cities in Sumer

6. MESOPOTAMIA  Means “the Land Between the rivers”

7. The Fertile Crescent  In Northern Mesopotamia, the land is fertile. There is seasonal rain. The rivers and streams are fed from the hills and mountains of the region.  In Southern Mesopotamia, the land is mostly flat and barren. Temperatures can rise over 110 degrees Fahrenheit. There is very little rainfall. Storms do blow in from the Persian Gulf, which cools things off. The area does have slight seasons. It can get quite cool at certain times of the year.  Many thousands of years ago, early settlers wandered into the land between two rivers. Natural vegetation and wildlife kept the people well fed. The rivers provided fresh drinking water, and a place to bathe. These early people settled down, invented a system of irrigation, and began to farm the land.

8. The Tigris River:  The Tigris was the eastern of the two rivers and flowed from a source deep in the Armenian mountains all the way to the Persian Gulf, about 1,200 miles.  Located in present day Iraq, Turkey and Syria

9. Euphrates River  The Euphrates was the western of the two rivers and flowed from a source deep in the Armenian mountains all the way to the Persian Gulf, almost 1,800 miles.

10. The Fertile Crescent

11. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers  Both rivers were the lifeblood of Mesopotamian civilizations, giving the Sumerians water and a vehicle for their trade and defense.  Waters from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers helped Sumerian farmers grow enough crops to feed towns and cities

12. Reflection  The soil was good for farming because of  yearly flooding.  How would this help the development of a civilization and help the Sumerians to prosper?

13. Irrigation  As we have seen before, the people of Mesopotamia adapted to their environment and developed systems to help them to survive:  Irrigation: Waterways that would bring the important water into fields and farm areas farther from the banks of the rivers  We Still Use Irrigation today!!

14. Why is Irrigation Important?  Because water was able to flow through these irrigation channels  Irrigation channels allowed farmers to have water in areas that were once a barren desert  As the civilization grew, the irrigations system expanded to allow water to areas farter from the rivers

15. Agriculture in Mesopotamia  Because the land was so fertile, people began to rely even more on farming.  Irrigation brought water to dry areas  Silt: rich minerals which helped to fertilize the soil, making it rich in nutrients.  Crops prospered and life became more predictable

16. Sumerian Farming Manual  You are going to create a Mesopotamia Farming Manual with 6 steps. You must describe the step and how to do it properly along with a diagram or picture of what it would look like.  I will show you how to cut the paper and you will complete the rest in class or for homework if you do not finish

17. Sumerian Farming Manual 1. Local officials decide when to let water flow onto crops 2. Farmers let animals graze in soil to trample and eat weeds. 3. Farmers break up the soil using hand tools 4. Spread seeds and plow 5. Plant seeds 6. Harvest the plants

18. EXIT SLIP

19. QUESTION 1  What are the names of the two rivers that designed the borders for Mesopotamia? a) Tigris and Nile b) Tigris and Euphrates c) Nile River and the Red Sea d) Euphrates River and the Nile

20. QUESTION 2  In your own words, describe why the rivers were important in the success of Mesopotamia?  In other words, how did the two rivers help Mesopotamia grow and thrive?

21. QUESTION 3  Which was NOT a step in the farming process? a) Farmers let animals graze in soil to trample and eat weeds. b) Farmers break up the soil using hand tools c) Hire others to help on large farms d) Spread seeds and plow

22. QUESTION 4  Which was NOT benefit of irrigation a) Water flowing in the irrigation was cleaner b) Water was able to flow more easily c) It allowed farmers to have water in areas that were once a barren desert d) The irrigations system expanded to allow water to areas farter from the rivers

23. QUESTION 5  The Fertile Crescent got its name because… a) It rained so often the land was always lush and green b) Snow melting from the mountains watered the plants c) The irrigation system allowed farmers to water their plants d) The Tigris and Euphrates rivers often over- flowed making it very green but also swampy