Review: (1)____________ is tiny bits of rock and dirt from the river bottom (2)I am the geographic feature where early people settled around _______________ (3)Complex religions were common in these regions. The people were __________________, which means that they believe in many gods. (4)When a person masters one job any only does that one job it is call _______________________ (5)Mesopotamia means “________________ __________ ___________________” (6)Hammurabi’s code says an “_________ for an ________” Rivers Polytheistic Silt Job specialization between two rivers eye

Mesopotamia The Land Between Two Rivers

1. What two rivers run through the Fertile Crescent? 2. Which two river valley civilizations are shown on this map? 3. In what present day country is Mesopotamia located? Tigris & Euphrates Rivers Egypt & Mesopotamia Iraq

*NOTES* THE MANY PEOPLE OF MESOPOTAMIA: 1.Sumerians (ancient Sumer’s city-states) (3000 B.C B.C.) 2. Babylonians (Babylonian Empire) ( 1800 B.C B.C. 3.Assyrians (Assyrian Empire) (1200 B.C B.C.) 4. Persians (Persian Empire) (539 B.C B.C.)

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA (4000 B.C.) “land in between two rivers” Why was this a perfect place for the 1st civilization? 1.Fertile Crescent - large arc of fertile land in the Middle East 2.Tigris & Euphrates Rivers made it possible for farming 3. Cattle, pigs, goats & sheep were accessible

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

Religions have attempted to build their sanctuaries on prominent heights. Since no such natural heights were available in the flat flood plains of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), ancient priests and kings determined to build ziggurats, square or rectangular artificial stepped temple platforms. Ziggurats

ZIGGURATS

BABYLONIAN ZIGGURAT

 First to invent the wheel  First to use sails on boats  One of first to make up a story (Myth)  First to use cuneiform (writing)  First to use the calendar  First to use the seeder 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:

 Farmers turned the land into a rich food growing area by using irrigation and the plow  Irrigation created a surplus of food which led to the growth of cities  Surplus led to a flourishing system of trade

 The Mesopotamian plain was lacking in resources such as metals, timber, stone, and grapevines, so the Sumerians had to trade to get them  At first, the Sumerians traded surplus barley for these goods  The Mesopotamians made written contracts, loans and created a credit system  They used a barter system (trade one thing for another)

 Mesopotamians were the first to use writing  The system of writing was called cuneiform  Writing allowed people to keep records of their transactions  People could send messages with couriers to far away lands without traveling  Writing allowed people to pass on their accumulated knowledge to future generations

 The people of Mesopotamia believed in many gods (polytheism)  Each town was protected by its own, unique deity or god  The temple, the center of worship, was also the center of every city  Around the year 2000 B.C., temple towers called ziggurats were built to link heaven and earth

Art

 The Mesopotamians had written laws that everyone in the empire had to follow  There were 282 laws created by King Hammurabi  Known as Hammurabi's Code, the laws were written in stone and placed in a public location  The Mesopotamians believed the gods called the king to establish justice and order; whoever disobeyed the king disobeyed the gods

4 early River Valley Civilizations (all located near major rivers) Sumerian Civilization - Tigris & Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia) Egyptian Civilization - Nile River Harappan Civilization - Indus River Ancient China - Huang He (Yellow) River PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.

1.What does Mesopotamia translate into? 2.Which two rivers is Mesopotamia between? 3.Which present day country is Mesopotamia located in? 4.What are two reasons why the fertile crescent was the best place for the first civilization to be? 5.What are the three negatives to living in the fertile crescent? (make sure to put in your own words) 6.Why did people have to build Ziggurats? 7.What are three things Mesopotamians were the first to do? 8.What improvement led to a surplus of food? What happened once there was a surplus of food? 9.Why did the Sumerians have to trade so much? 10.What alphabet did the Sumerians invent? 11.What are two things that writing allowed people to do? 12.Sumerians were polytheistic. Define polytheistic. 13. What was at the center of the city, and was also the center of worship? 14.Where was Hammurabi's code written?