The Birthplace of The Worlds First Civilizations Mesopotamia The Birthplace of The Worlds First Civilizations

What is a civilization? Civilizations (SIH•vuh•luh•ZAY•shuhns) are complex societies. They have developed advanced cultural, political, and social organizations (ex. cities, organized governments, art, religion, class divisions, writing system, etc.)

Mesopotamia In Greek, means: “between the rivers”.

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia was the birthplace of the world’s first civilizations. The two rivers that allowed Mesopotamia to succeed were the Tigris and Euphrates. This area was also called the Fertile Crescent because of how rich the soil around these two rivers were, allowing for luscious crop growth.

Why were river valleys important? Farming – Large amounts of people could be fed, and less people had to work. Trade – Goods and ideas moved from place to place. Cities – Began in these valleys and became the centers of civilizations.

Sumer The first major civilization in Mesopotamia was in a region called Sumer. Those who lived in this area were called the Sumerians. We know most about the Sumerians because many of their written records have survived.

The Sumerians They built large cities such as: Ur Uruk Lagash Kish Nippur

City-States Each Sumerian city and the land around it became a separate city-state. A city-state was a city that, with its surrounding area, formed an independent state. This meant that it had its own government and laws, and was not part of any larger unit (such as a country).

Kings of City-States The Sumerians believed their cities had been created by deities (gods or goddesses). The lands and people belonged to these deities, and the king acted on their behalf. Often, the kings were both religious (cultural purposes) and military (protection purposes) leaders, and claimed to rule by “divine right”.

Kings of City-States

Religion in Sumer The Sumerians worshipped about three thousand deities (gods or goddesses), including the ones they believed founded their cities. There were also deities for all natural things, such as: the sky, the water, the air, and the sun.

Religion in Sumer To please their deities, the Sumerians built a great number of huge temple complexes. At the centre of many of these were pyramid-like towers called ziggurats [ZIG-u-RATS].

Ziggurat

Farming in The Fertile Crescent In the Spring of each year, the rivers flooded. As the flood waters receded and drained back into the rivers, they left a new layer of soil and dead plants rich in nutrients - excellent soil for farming.

Farming in The Fertile Crescent The problem was that the flooding was very unpredictable. It might flood one year, but not the next. Every year, farmers worried about their crops.

Irrigation Over time, the farmers learned to build dams and channels to control the seasonal floods. They also built walls, waterways, and ditches to store water and bring it to their fields. This way of watering crops is called irrigation. Irrigation allowed the farmers to grow plenty of food and support a large population.

Irrigation

Food in Sumer The Sumerians grew several kinds of crops. The most valuable being barley which was used to make porridge, and wheat which was used to make bread.

Food in Sumer Dates were also very valuable to the Sumerians. They were eaten once ripe or else they were dried for future consumption. Dates also made an excellent wine.

Social Classes in Sumer Upper Class - Kings, priests, warriors, and government officials. Middle Class - Artisans, merchants, farmers, and fishers. These people made up the largest group. Lower Class - Enslaved people who worked on farms or in the temples.

Writing The most important invention of the Sumerians was writing. The writing of the Sumerians was called cuneiform.

The Development of Writing Writing language developed in Sumer because of the needs of religion, trade, and government. Ex. As villages grew to become cities, their governments had to have records of the taxes that were collected. Ex. Traders and merchants had to have records of the items they bought and sold.

Cuneiform Alphabet

Other Sumerian Inventions Wagon Wheel Plough (Bronze Blade) Sailboat Number system based on 60 Geometry 12 Month Calendar

Sailboat Plough Wagon Wheel

The Epic of Gilgamesh The most famous piece of literature from Sumer is the Epic of Gilgamesh. An epic is a long poem that tells the story of a hero. The hero, Gilgamesh, is a king who travels around the world with a friend and performs great deeds. When his friend dies, Gilgamesh searches for a way to live forever.

The Epic of Gilgamesh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pGhEu9elnA