1. The Fertile Crescent Unit 3
Mesopotamia: Land Between Two Rivers
Section 1
Jordan Cotten
6th Grade Social Studies

2. Vocabulary Section 1 Scribe Myth _________ = professional writers
_________ = city with its own traditions and its own government and laws; both a city and a separate independent state
_________ = the belief in many gods
_________ = a traditional story; in some cultures, a legend that explains people’s beliefs
City-state
Polytheism
Myth

4. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia part of larger region: Fertile Crescent
Called Mesopotamia from Greek words meaning:
“between the rivers”
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Fertile land

5. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Advantages
Rich soil
Supplied fish
Supplied tall, strong reeds used to make boats
Supplied clay
Disadvantages
Flooded crops, homes, businesses, animals
Floods did not always happen at same time each year

6. First Cities in Mesopotamia
Farming succeeded
Led to surpluses
Encouraged building of cities
3500 B.C. region of Sumer had numerous cities

7. Activity Make a t-chart On left side list resources
and Geographic features
On right side describe how
these features and/or resources led to the growth of cities

8. It should look like this:
How did these Resources and/or Geographic Features Lead to the Growth of Cities?
List of Resources and Geographic Features in Mesopotamia
You should have at least 2 listed
You need to give a full explanation of how the two items listed led to a growth in cities in Mesopotamia

9. Independent Cities Form
City-states began forming along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Each city had its own:
god/goddess
government
king

10. Sumeria in Mesopotamia
Boys went to school from age 8 to age 20 to learn to be scribes
Scribes were very powerful… they could read and write
Very busy city life
Markets to sell/buy goods
Crowded
Developed in 2900 B.C.

11. Sumerian Religion
Center of Sumerian city was a Ziggurat, or main temple to the gods of the city
At the top of the Ziggurat was a temple
Sumerians believed that the gods descended to the Earth using the ziggurat as a ladder
Worshipped many gods
Polytheism (poly = many; theism = gods)

12. Myths Stories about gods Explained people beliefs
Warned that gods would punish people who angered them
Promised rewards to people who served gods well

13. Epic of Gilgamesh

14. Fall of Sumeria City-states fought each other over land
over use of river water
Constant warfare made armies tired and city-states vulnerable
Northern rival, Babylonia conquered Sumeria in 1759 B.C.

15. ON TO BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA…