MESOPOTAMIA REVIEW 6 th Grade

Developed in?  Fertile Crescent

Means?  Land between two rivers

FIRSTS about Mesopotamia:  Writing  Cuneiform  Epic  Wheel  Potter’s wheel  Farming  Irrigation  Laws

Geography of Northern Mesopotamia  Rocky plateau  Mountains

Geography of Southern Mesopotamia  Dry  Fertile soil from overflowing rivers  Farming

Rivers  Tigris and Euphrates  Problems  Flooded land at wrong time of year  Near harvest time  Destructive  Effects  Used them to water crops  Irrigation  Helps crops to grow in dry areas  Built canals, gates, and man-made lakes to hold water from rivers for watering crops

Development of writing  Cuneiform  First writing  Wedged-shaped symbols made with reed  marked beginning of history as opposed to pre- history…  Used clay tablets and reeds to mark the clay…  first used writing to record amount of crops given to temple (surpluses)

Development of farming  Mesopotamians started using seeds to plant and grow as opposed to eating them for food…  used rivers to help irrigate and grow crops…  allowed people to stay in one place…  did not need to wander around to hunt for food…  surplus food allowed for extra time to learn new skills and crafts

Development of towns  more food  better health  more babies  larger population  development of towns  city-states  people that lived in the towns were: priests, farmers, families, merchants, slaves

Scribes  Young boy went to Edubba to learn to write  Cuneiform  Highly valued job

Code of Hammurabi  Written by King Hammurabi, leader of Babylon (means “Gate of the Gods”)…  “An eye for an eye”…  wise and efficient ruler…first set of laws…  zero toleration for crimes…  result was many times death…

Effects of extra food  more food  better health  more crops to trade  time to invent  more food  better health  more babies  larger population  development of towns

Farming/Taming animals  Hunter-gatherers ended about 12,000 years ago…  people began to tame sheep and goats…  used for wool and milk…

City-States  City surrounded by tall brick wall for protection…  farmland outside but all around whole city…  farmland valuable because if the people did not defend their land, there would be no crops (food)…  acted as independent countries

Gilgamesh/Religion  First great epic is about Gilgamesh…  he was a “King-God”…  People thought the land belonged to the gods/goddesses…  very important to respect the gods/goddesses….

Ziggurats  Middle of each town…most important building…priests lived in them…god/goddesses lived in them…animal bones used as first item that were worshipped…were very tall because new temples were built on rubble of old temples…

Phoenicians  Named for the purple dye they invented..  gave us our modern alphabet

Traits of Civilization  Geography…  social groups…  language…  history…  arts/technology…  daily life…  religion…  economy…g  overnment

Kings  Lugals (warlords) were elected and were leaders of the fighting…  war was almost always happening and the job developed into that of kings

All good things must end…  Too many mineral salts from the rivers left on land for thousands of years…  crops cannot grow in salty soil…  no crops  no food  no civilization…