Mesopotamia “The Land Between Two Rivers”

1st Civilization The following refer to the same region, but become more specific Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia Sumer

Geography Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flooded – Provided rich silt for farming Irrigation used to transport water to farms/cities – Surplus of food – Barter= exchange goods and services for other goods/services without the use of money Limited resources such as stone, wood and metal – Clay used for writing tablets, walls, buildings (brick) Walled cities for defense

City-state Independent walled cities that have their own government and temple; speak the same language and share customs with a larger area

Sumerian3,500 BC – 2,300 BC Akkadian2,300 BC – 1,900 BC Babylonian1,900 BC – 1,300 BC Assyrian1,300 BC – 612 BC Mesopotamia was ruled by four different empires

Religion in Mesopotamia Polytheistic Enki (head god) created humans to serve the gods Bad things such as floods were seen as punishments from the gods Each city had its own god The temple (ziggurats), the center of worship, was also the center of every city

Cuneiform Writing system invented in Sumer 3,000 BC; characters formed by the arrangement of small wedge- shaped elements

Scribes: professional record keepers recorded taxes and laws

First to invent the wheel First to use sails on boats One of first to make up a story (Gilgamesh) First to use cuneiform (writing) First to use the calendar First to use the plow First to give a number place value and recognize the concept of zero Mesopotamia is known as, “The Cradle of Civilization,” because it was first in many things:

The Bronze Age starts in Sumer around 3000 BC People replace copper and stone with bronze (copper & tin) to make tools, weapons