1. CH 4: Mesopotamia Lessons 1 World History Mr. Rich Miami Arts Charter

2. Sections:  Lesson 1: Sumer

3. Lesson 1:  Mesopotamia (Geography)  Located in the Middle East (Southwest Asia)  Inside of the Fertile Crescent  - Rich farmland that reached from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf  Name means “Between the Rivers”  Located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

4. Lesson 1:  Wild Rivers  The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flooded unpredictably  Destroyed homes and farms  Fertilized farmland by spreading silt  Sumerians built dams and canals to control floods  Irrigation led to more food.  More food = more people = cities! Old McDonald had a farm…

5. Lesson 1:  Sumerian Civilizations  By 3000 B.C. several city-states built (Ur, Uruk, Eridu)  Each city-state was a separate and independent place. Uruk is the best! Nowhere beats Eridu!

6.  Sumer’s Civilization  City’s had large mud-brick walls built around the entire city  Cities fought wars with each other  Sumer’s Religion  Polytheistic – they worshipped many gods  The priests were the most powerful people in the city-states  Later Kings ruled the city-states with the support of the priests Lesson 1:

7.  Sumer’s Religion  Ziggurat – Large temple  Looked like a step-pyramid  Each Sumerian city had at least one Lesson 1:

8.  Sumerian Society  Social classes were based on jobs.  1. Kings and Priests  2. Middle Class (merchants, artisans)  3. Farmers  4. Slaves Lesson 1: Quiet, slave ! Why do I do all of the hard work?

9.  Sumer’s Contributions  Cuneiform  First written language  Early versions had pictographs (pictures for words)  Later versions used wedge shaped marks and scratches  Only boys from very wealthy families studied how to read and write Lesson 1: