1. FEBRUARY 12, 2016 Fertile Crescent Notes
HW: Middle East Maps due on Wed. Feb. 24
Map Quiz Feb 24

2. Indo-European Migrations 4 million-2 million BC
The Crossroads of Three Continents

3. The Fertile Crescent: “The Cradle of Civilization”

4. How do you think the early Mesopotamians solved these issues?
SOLUTIONS
Unpredictable Annual Flooding
Leaves fertile silt
Followed by period of intense drought
No natural barriers
Defenseless
Scarce natural resources
Built irrigation canals
Allowed for crop surplus
Built city walls
Traded their goods for raw materials like stone, wood, and metal
How did the development of agriculture lead to all of this?

5. Mesopotamia “ The Land Between the Rivers” A region, not an empire
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern day Iraq
A region, not an empire

6. Ziggurat

7. Sumerian Society Technology Wheel, sail, the plow, and bronze
Arithmetic and Geometry
Number system based around the number 60
Basis for 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute
360 degrees for a circle
Architecture
Arches, columns, ramps, and pyramid shape
Writing system
Cuneiform

8. Cuneiform: Wedge-Shaped Writing

11. The Babylonian Empire Babylonians overtake Sumerians around 2,000 BCE
Empire stretches from Persian Gulf to Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey)
Crossroads of trade caravans between Asia, North Africa, and Asia Minor
Hanging gardens of Babylon

12. Babylon Society Babylonia’s greatest ruler was Hammurabi
Hammurabi’s Law Code
Series of laws, mainly concerning trade and property rights
Many laws based on retaliation
“Eye for an eye”

13. Take away points Geography: Religion: polytheism
importance of location between three empires = easy to invade
Dry environment influenced technology (irrigation) and economy (trade)
Religion: polytheism
Society: different classes, organizations, Hammurabi Law Code
Importance of agriculture in developing civilizations