Homework H.W. #6 due tomorrow. Test on Unit #1 Wednesday.

Do Now How did the surplus of food developed during the Neolithic Revolution change human society?

Aim #5: What factor was most important in making Mesopotamian civilization a success? September 14, 2017

I. Geography of Mesopotamia Located on the Fertile Crescent in the present day Middle East (today Iraq). Was between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. In late spring, they overflowed and deposited fertile silt (sediment) into the land.

I. Geography of Mesopotamia Benefits of the rivers→ Provided the Three F’s (fertile soil, fresh water and food). Also a source of transportation and trade.

I. Geography of Mesopotamia Drawbacks of the rivers → Flooding was unpredictable. Too much flooding = Destroy crops and lives Too little flooding = Drought

II. Government in Mesopotamia The Sumerians created the first civilizations in Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C. Was Mesopotamia united by one government?

II. Government in Mesopotammia Mesopotamia had no united government. People lived in city-states → Cities that had their own independent governments (examples were Ur and Erech). Protected by walls. Name three important responsibilities that rulers in Mesopotamia had in order to make their city-states successful?

II. Governments in Mesopotamia Responsibilities of rulers/kings: Irrigation projects (ditches that got water from the rivers to the fields) Recording laws / tax collections Establishing an army / building protective walls Storing grain Supervising religious rituals

III. Culture in Mesopotamia Sumerians had a polytheistic religion → Showed devotion to gods and goddesses by building ziggurats (massive pyramid shaped structures that were part of a Sumerian temple).

III. Culture in Mesopotamia C. Cultural Achievements: Cuneiform (world’s first writing system → wedge shaped impressions on clay tablets), invention of the wheel, sail and plow, number system based on 60, achievements in geometry and astronomy, Epic of Gilgamesh.   Which of Mesopotamia’s cultural achievements do you think had the most significant effect on global history, and why?

Concluding Question Which of the following factors was most important in making Mesopotamian civilization a success: geography, government, religion or technology? Why?