1. Chapter 2 Sec. 1 Page 29

2. Mesopotamia The Fertile Crescent

3. Geography Desert Climate Fertile Crescent: arc of land that provides some of the best farming in Southwest Asia Mesopotamia=Fertile Crescent=land between the rivers Rivers: Tigris and Euphrates

5. Environmental Challenges 1st group to settle the area were called Sumerians (Iraq today) Three Disadvantages: 1. unpredictable flooding and periods of little rain 2. no natural barriers 3. Limited Natural resources

6. Solving Problems to provide water, they dug irrigation ditches that carried water to fields built mud bricks and created walls traded goods in exchange for raw materials that were needed (It took many ppl working together to accomplish this)

7. City-States City-States - city and it’s surrounding lands that function as an independent political unit (like a country) Some city-states in Sumer were Ur, Umma, Lagash, Uruk, Kish, and Nippur

8. Priests and Rulers Share control Priests managed the irrigation system and ran the first gov’t in times of war, the best fighter would lead the city-state In time, military leaders became full-time rulers which led to a dynasty: a series of rulers from one family

9. Spread of Cities As the culture of Sumer grew, other cities developed in the region cultural diffusion: the process in which new ideas or products spread from one culture to others. took place usually happens through trade, war, or migration

10. Sumerian Culture Religion: believed in polytheism: belief in many gods In order to keep the gods happy, the Sumerians built impressive ziggurats and offered sacrifices of animals, food and wine; also prayed and performed rituals

11. Life in Sumerian Society social classes began Kings, landholders and priests made up the highest level Wealthy Merchants next most ppl worked the land and fields Slaves were the lowest class

12. Sumerian Science and Technology Arithmetic and geometry: created a number system and used geometry to build Architecture: Arches, columns, ramps and the step pyramid Cuneiform: Sumerian system of writing

14. 1st Empire Builders Sargon the Great - 2334 BC Sumerian city-states had been fighting each other for many years in city-state of Kish, Sargon got army loyal to him and took over, then moved to conquer rest of Sumer - took 56 years

15. created the first empire: brings together several peoples, nations or states under the control of one rule used military dictatorship to keep control, with loyal army in each city helped unify Sumerian culture, but army was brutal

16. Sargon’s Akkadian Empire lasted less than 200 years

17. Babylonian Empire Amorites invaded in about 2000BC and overwhelmed the Sumerians. Established their capital at Babylon on Euphrates River Babylon reached it’s peak under the rule of Hammurabi Hammurabi created a single uniform code of laws that were carved in stone and put in each city

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20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnQGjmdUGCI The Kings: From Babylon to Baghdad 1: first 12 minutes