BABYLONIAN ZIGGURAT

THE MANY PEOPLE OF MESOPOTAMIA: City-State of Sumer called Sumerians (3000 B.C. - 1800 B.C.) 2. City-State of Babylonia called Babylonians ( 1800 B.C. - 1200 B.C.) City-State of Assyria called Assyrians (1200 B.C. - 539 B.C.)

1. What two rivers run through the Fertile Crescent? 2. What body of water do the two rivers flow into? Tigris & Euphrates Rivers Persian Gulf 3. In what present day country is Mesopotamia located? Iraq

*NOTES* ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA “land in between the rivers” Why was this a perfect place for the 1st civilization? Fertile Crescent - large arc of fertile land Tigris & Euphrates Rivers made it possible for farming 3. Cattle, pigs, goats & sheep were accessible

*NOTES* WHAT CHALLENGES DID PEOPLE FACE IN MESOPOTAMIA? 1. Unpredictable floods destroyed crops, homes & people 2. Some areas were marshy and unsuitable for farming 3. This land was vulnerable to attack and invasion

SUMERIAN WRITING: CUNEIFORM Written on clay tablets created by pressing a pointed tool into a clay tablet

The invention of Agriculture changed the way people lived. Agriculture (Farming) Growth of Cities Division of Labor (Specialization) Trade Writing and Mathematics

THE MANY PEOPLE OF MESOPOTAMIA: Cheat Sheet Sumer : Known for written language Babylonia: Known for creating Laws (Hammurabi’s Code) Assyria: Known for being strong warriors

AIM: How did geography encourage the rise of civilization in Mesopotamia? DO NOW: I am a group of people working together to create an organized society _________________ I am the geographic feature where early people settled _______________ I am two features of a civilization that helps to bring people together ____________ & ______________ civilization River valleys Writing system roads