The Cradle of Civilization In this lesson, we will examine the rise of agriculture, permanent settlements, and civilizations. Students will be able to define the following terms: Neolithic Revolution Mesopotamia Sumerians Cuneiform Ziggurats M. Heath

Mesopotamia is the “land between the rivers”…The Tigris and Euphrates rivers M. Heath

The Neolithic Revolution Around 10,000 years ago, people learned to farm and domesticate animals. This event is called the Neolithic Revolution. It is a turning point. Agriculture developed near rivers. M. Heath

Agriculture greatly changed societies. M. Heath

Agriculture developed in river valleys because rivers provided water for irrigation and transportation. M. Heath

The Effects of the Neolithic Revolution When people learned to farm and domesticate animals, societies greatly changed. Some of the effects of the Neolithic Revolution were: People settled. People built cities. People developed civilizations. M. Heath

With the development of agriculture, people stopped being nomads. They settled. M. Heath

The Sumerians The Sumerians were the first people to develop a civilization. A civilization is a complex society. Characteristics of a civilization include: Agriculture and Agricultural Surplus Specialization (Surplus allowed people to perform different jobs.) Advanced Technology Cities Writing M. Heath

Specialization means that people perform different jobs. Some people farm while others are government officials. M. Heath

Mesopotamia The Sumerians developed a civilization in Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is a Greek word. It means “between the rivers.” Mesopotamia was the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in present-day Iraq. M. Heath

The Sumerians built ziggurats. Ziggurats were Sumerian temples to the gods. The Sumerians believed in many gods. Polytheism is the belief in many gods. M. Heath

Cuneiform The Sumerians also developed a system of writing. Sumerian writing is called cuneiform. The development of writing helped the Sumerians keep records. M. Heath

Cuneiform was Sumerian writing. It used characters. Wedge-shaped characters were pressed into clay tablets. M. Heath

Questions for Reflection: What was the Neolithic Revolution? Where did the Neolithic Revolution begin? How did societies change with the introduction of agriculture? Define Mesopotamia. Why is Mesopotamia referred to as the “cradle of civilization”? List three accomplishments of the Sumerians. Define cuneiform, ziggurat, and polytheism. M. Heath