1. Mesopotamia FOCUS QUESTION
Why did early civilizations tend to develop in river valleys?

2. Civilization Begins
Between 6000 and 500 B.C., hunters-gatherers began settling on the flat grassy regions between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Easy to grow crops, good farming, easy to feed many people.

3. Civilization Begins (cont’d)
social class = a group of people who hold a similar position or rank in society
agricultural
surpluses
specialization
was
possible
class structure in society

4. The Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia = “the land between 2 rivers”
Tigris River
& Euphrates River
Rivers often flooded,
leaving rich soil for
farming.
PROBLEM the flooding was VERY unpredictable
irrigation = a way of controlling water and bringing water to crops

5. Summary
The first civilizations arose in river valleys. They produced agricultural surpluses, which led to the development of specialization and class system.
The earliest known civilization developed in Mesopotamia, which was in the eastern part of the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

6. Sumer
FOCUS QUESTION
What are some of the lasting achievements of the Sumerians?

7. City-States Sumer was a region in southern Mesopotamia.
Regions in Sumer were isolated.
Separate city-states formed, each with their own government.
Sumerians believed in many gods. Gods had power over natural force or human activity.
polytheism = belief in many gods
ziggurats = temples

8. Artisans, merchants, farmers & fishers
Sumerian Daily Life
MEN
head of household and could go to school
WOMEN
couldn’t be head of household
couldn’t go to school
could buy/sell property
could run businesses
Upper Class
kings, priests, & government
Middle Class
Artisans, merchants, farmers & fishers
Lower Class
Enslaved people

9. Sumerian Daily Life (cont’d)
Many great inventions - WRITING
Sumerians developed a system of writing to keep track of business deals and other events.
cuneiform = system of symbols used for writing
scribes = a record keeper (mainly boys & men)

10. Mesopotamian Technology
Wagons (wheel), boats, and the plow
Mathematics
Number system based on 60 (60 minutes, 60 seconds, 360-degree circle)
Astronomy
Developed 12-month calendar

11. Summary
The Sumerians believed in many gods and built temples called ziggurats in which to worship them.
Sumerian society was divided into three classes ruled over by a king. Their achievements included the development of a the oldest known system of writing, which they used to keep many kinds of records.
The Sumerians’ technological advances and inventions allow us to learn about their history and way of life.

12. United Lands FOCUS QUESTION
What caused the Mesopotamian and Sumerian civilizations to rise and fall?

13. The Akkadians There was a struggle for land in the Fertile Crescent.
Sargon - king of the Akkadians (2300 BC)
Established Ashur as the capital city.
“The Land of Ashur” would become Assyria.
government
city-state
government
city-state
FIGHTING

14. Babylonia and Assyria Babylon was south of Ashur
King Hammurabi established control of the Euphrates River for Babylon.
Hammurabi’s Laws
Set laws and established punishements
“an eye for an eye”
About 1,000 years after Hammurabi, Assyria took control of the rest of Mesopotamia.
Very fierce warriors with better weapons

15. A New Way to Govern
Assyrian kings divided the empire into political districts/regions.
Assyria treated its people cruelly.
People rebelled Assyria crumbled
Babylon soon became the world’s largest and richest city.
Soon, Babylon weakened and the Persians attacked.

16. Summary
The Akkadians took control of Sumer and created an empire. The city of Ashur became known as Assyria.
The Babylonian ruler Hammurabi developed one of the first codes of law. The Assyrians eventually took over Mesopotamia.
Assyrian people rebelled and the Assyrian Empire came to an end. They rebuilt the city of Babylon as the center of their empire.
In 539 B.C., Babylon fell to the Persians.

17. FOCUS QUESTION Why did Egyptian civilization begin in the Nile Valley?

18. A Fertile Valley The Nile River River was used for day-to-day purposes
Flows 4,000 miles to the north into the Mediterranean Sea
Begins as 2 rivers, then connect into 1 river
Ships can only travel up the river for 650 miles
Very important for farming
Nile Delta
Lower Egypt
Upper Egypt

19. Natural Barriers
delta = an area of fertile soil at the mouth of the river that fan out
There was desert to the east and to the west (Sahara Desert is in the west).
Transportation and trade along the Nile River and the Red Sea to the east.
Dependable and gentle floods were useful.
Farming was very successful.

20. A System of Writing
papyrus = a reed plant that grew along the shores of the Nile, became a useful resource.
Papyrus was used for making sandals, baskets, rafts, and paper.
Egyptians developed their own system of writing.
hieroglyphics = system of writing made up of hundreds of picture symbols

21. Summary
The Egyptians depended on the Nile for many of their basic needs.
The Nile flows north, separating two great deserts.
The Egyptians developed a system of writing known as hieroglyphics.

22. FOCUS QUESTION How was Egyptian society organized?
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
FOCUS QUESTION
How was Egyptian society organized?

23. Early Egyptian Society
THERE WAS A NEED FOR GOVERNMENT
Narmer, A.K.A. Menes, was the first pharaoh
Successful Agriculture
Craft Advancement
Increase in Trading
Lower
Egypt
Upper
Egypt
UNITED

24. Egypt’s Kingdoms pharaoh = Egyptian kings representing a united Egypt
dynasty = a line of rulers from one family
Family
Pharaoh
Family
Pharaoh
Family
Pharaoh
Family
Pharaoh
Old
Kingdom
Middle
Kingdom
New
Kingdom

25. Egypt’s Social Classes
pharaoh
Priests Nobles Government Officials
Business Owners
Craft Owners
FARMERS
*largest social class*
Unskilled Workers/Slaves

26. Summary
Narmer, known also as Menes, was the first pharaoh and united Upper and Lower Egypt.
Egyptians obeyed the pharaoh because they believed the well-being of society depended on it.