1. Warm up- 9/17/13  What is a civilization?  Describe what you believe to be all the key characteristics of a full functioning civilization!

3. Mesopotamia  Also known as…  Fertile Crescent  Cradle of Civilization  Mesopotamia means – “Land Between Two Rivers”  In between Tigris and Euphrates river

4. Climate  A very hot and semiarid climate.  Less than 10 inches of rain fall per year!  So….why are crops able to grow?

5. Location, Location, Location  Located between Tigris and Euphrates river  Why is this important?  Modern Day Iraq!

6. Water & Soil  Between the fertile soil (silt) and water, Mesopotamia was a land great for crops!  Steady supply of fresh water  Drought & Floods  If crops failed during drought, people starved  If floods came, crops ruined!  SOOOOOO……they developed…..  Irrigation & Dams  Mesopotamians set up irrigation systems for farming and food supply!  Agriculture in Mesopotamia relied on irrigation!!  Built dams to hold back flood waters

7.  Think: Besides the river, are there any other physical features around Mesopotamia?

8. Lack of Resources  Very few mountain ranges around them  Easy to invade! Easy to steal!  Built mud walls and villages for protection.  No forests!  No wood=no building material  Resorted to mud  What’s a problem with mud?

9. Lack of resources…fixed!  They would trade their surplus grain for metal, stone and wood!  Had men continually building walls and trading.  Community leaders organized groups to do these things.  So… Why was trade important to Mesopotamia?

10. In Summary…  The Tigris and Euphrates rivers made the soil of Mesopotamia good for growing crops.  The people of Mesopotamia developed an irrigation system to bring water to crops.  Mesopotamia had few resources. People traded surplus crops to get what they needed.

11. Rest of class  Map of Mesopotamia  Mesopotamia Culture Web

14. Religion in Mesopotamia  Polytheistic – worship or belief in multiple deities  Believed that gods and goddesses were all aspects of the universe!  Identified 3,000 gods and goddess

15. Foundations OOrigins of Sumerian people remain a mystery! IIndependent cities established in southern Mesopotamia UUruk, Ur and Eridu. FFormed C ITY-STATES– a state with political and economic control over the surrounding countryside

16. Words to know!  Ziggurat – Large step-like temple of mud brick built in ancient Mesopotamia

17. Words to know!  Theocracy – A government by divine authority. AKA Priests rule in the name of God.

18. Words to know!  Cuneiform – “wedge-shaped” system of writing!

19. Words to know!  The Epic of Gilgamesh - epic poem recording actions of a legendary king (Gilgamesh) whom is part man, part god.  Moral of the story: Everlasting life is only for the gods.

20. Words to know!  Empire – A large political unit or state, usually under one leader, that controls many peoples or territories.

21. Shift of power  Sumerian city states fall to Akkadians.  Akkadian Empire falls to Hammurabi.  Hammurabi dies and it falls again, to new invaders!

22. The Code of Hammurabi  Collection of laws  System of strict justice! Penalties were severe!  Varied based on social class of the victim.  “ An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”  http://www.flocabulary.com/a ncient-law/

23. Words to know!  Patriarchal - men dominated the society