1. Ancient Mesopotamia

2. Activator
Have out World Map (in your notebook) - where do you think civilization began?

3. Vocabulary Words Aug 13-17 Civilization Culture Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent
City-states
Mummification
Ziggurat
Pyramid
Pharaoh
Hammurabi

5. Neolithic Revolution
A period of transition from hunter-gathers to farming

6. Geography “between the rivers” Fertile Crescent
Valley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Extended from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf
Modern Day Iraq

8. Fertile Crescent

9. Society
cities formed
as societies became advanced, social classes developed
broken into social classes
highest were rulers and priest
Middle class were merchants
Lower class were laborers and slaves

10. Economics based on agriculture
large-scale system of water control, crops could be grown on a regular basis
traded for stone, wood, and metal from other societies to build empires

11. Innovations Inventions created system of writing (cuneiform)
wagon wheel, potter’s wheel
the sun dial ,the arch, and bronze
created system of writing (cuneiform)
developed a number system based on 60
Geometry to measure fields
charted constellations

12. Religion Polytheism believed gods to do what humans do
believed many gods controlled different forces of nature
believed gods to do what humans do
Worship in ziggurats
Mesopotamian temple
pyramid-shaped monument

13. City-States
city and the surrounding countryside under one political and economic control
Sumerians created first city-states in Mesopotamia
Power passed from religious leaders to kings
Kings led armies and organized the water control projects necessary to sustain farming

14. Role of the City-States
Many roles:
Religious center (ziggurat)
Political center (palace)
Trading center (market)
Storage for surplus food
Walls served as defense for citizens

15. Leadership Rulers were the Priest
Success of crops depended on the gods
Believed Priest to be representative to the gods
Power passed from religious leaders to kings

16. Rise of the Empire
a large political unit that controls many peoples and territories
Several city-states brought together
the Akkadian Empire lead by Sargon became the first in history

17. Activity- Primary Source Analysis
Using the primary source analysis documents, you will work in small groups to analyze Ancient Mesopotamian primary sources.

18. Summarizer
What were the origins, structures, and interactions of complex societies in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean?
Your answer should be 2-3 sentences.