1. CHAPTER 3: THE FERTILE CRESCENT Part I. Sections 1 & 2
Ms. Brownlee’s
6th Grade World History

2. SECTION 1: THE CIVILIZATION OF SUMER
This is what Sumer might have looked like.
Image taken from: arcturi.com

3. AGRICULTURE IN MESOPOTAMIA
The Fertile Crescent is located in the Middle East. The area located
by the Tigris, Nile, and Euphrates Rivers are
known as the most fertile areas.
Image taken: mrdowling.com

4. Definition of “fertile”
ˈfərdl/
adjective
(of soil or land) producing or capable of producing abundant vegetation or crops.
"fields along the fertile flood plains of the river"
synonyms: fecund, fruitful, productive, high-yielding, rich, lush
"the soil is fertile"

5. Remember, a Civilization has more than one city – sumer is the orange area.

6. GEOGRAPHY OF MESOPOTAMIA
Northern Mesopotamia- includes foothills of the Taurus and Zagros mountain chains.
Southern Mesopotamia- The foothills of Zagros and Taurus flatten into plains that stretch southeast towards the Persian Gulf.
The southern region was also hot and dry with little rainfall. Owes its good soil to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Each summer the river flood their banks spreading floodwaters and slit across the plain. When the flooding ends, left is fertile land that is perfect for growing crops.
The geography of Mesopotamia also gave farmers many challenges. The flooding could wash away crops and entire villages. The hot sun could dry the land making it rock hard. With little rain, plants often died.

7. Physical map of mesopotamia: to the north Taurus & zagros mountains
Physical map of mesopotamia: to the north Taurus & zagros mountains. thE ARABIAN DESERT, THE RIVERS, AND SINAI PENINSULA.

8. FARMING THE LAND
Farmers used technology to turn Mesopotamia’s land into productive farmland.
Technology-practical application of knowledge to accomplish a task.
Sumerians used a process called irrigation to bring water to their crops.
Sumerians also developed new ways of farming by attaching a seed funnel to their plows, which allowed the seeds to automatically drop into the soil, as farmers plowed.

9. CITY STATES OF SUMER
What city-states might have looked like. Image taken from: christiansofiraq.com

10. CITIES EMERGE, TRADE, SOCIAL CLASSES
Do to the increase in food production, populations also grew…this growth in populations led to the creation of cities and eventually city-states.
City-states grew such as Uruk, Ur, Lagash, and Nippur. A city-state is an independent state that includes a city and its surrounding territory. A city-state also has its own government.
Each city-state was the center of trading. Trading was very important as it brought goods that were not found in that particular city-state.
Trading was often done through the barter method.

11. Sumerian social class system
three distinct classes:
Upper = priest, landowners, wealthy merchants, rulers;
Middle =farmers and skilled workers;
Lower= slaves

12. SUMERIAN RELIGION = The Ziggurat
The Ziggurat were seven stories high, with each story smaller than the one below. The Ziggurats often held statues and paintings & precious things belonging to the kingdom.

13. SUMERIAN RELIGION
Priests lived & ran the Ziggurats (religious temples).
people practiced polytheism, which is the belief in more than one God.
believed that there was a God for every aspect of their lives.
They also believed that the Gods lived like humans, in which they married, had children, ate, drank, but they did not die like humans.
people believed that priest had a direct link to the Gods and thus they knew what the Gods wanted.

14. SUMERIAN WRITING Sumerian Alphabet Image shows that they
used phonics in their
pronunciation of words.
Image taken from:
ancientscripts.com

15. CUNEIFORM AND GILGAMESH
Sumerians initially started drawing pictographs to show how many things were in their storage. Eventually this led to the first form of writing called cuneiform.
Cuneiform is the writing system that uses triangular-shaped symbols to stand for ideas or things. The priests of Sumer created this system.
Cuneiform eventually went from being used to record things such as taxes paid, agreements, and sales to books and stories.
The most famous of these stories is the Epic of Gilgamesh.

16. Sumerian Cuneiform

17. SUMERIAN GOVERNMENT
Image shows the Sumerian king Anunnaki sitting on the throne. Image taken from:
1anunnaki.co.cc

18. KINGS, PRIESTS, LAWS, ACHIEVEMENTS
Priests were known as the major rulers of city-states.
When states went to war, priests often appointed someone to be a leader. When the war was over, the leader would give up their power, but sometimes they would retain their power and thus they became kings.
Kings were always aware of the fact that they needed the people’s support to stay in power & thus they always were careful to respect the rights & the powers of the priests.

19. Achievements
Kings often collected city laws into a law code. This allowed all citizens of the city to know the specific rules for that city. Law codes included laws about slavery, marriage, and causing harm to others.
Some of the achievements of the Sumerians were: irrigation system, an improved plow, and development of bronze.

20. Bronze tools, weapons & ?

21. Sumerian irrigation

22. SECTION 2: THE FIRST EMPIRES
What Sumer looked like after the Akkadians took over.
Image taken from: alternativearchaeology.jigsy.com

23. Human history so far ~
Hunter-gatherers/no home
Paleolithic / Primitive stone tools, fire, animal skin shelters
Neolithic/ agriculture/ villages
First Civilization/ Sumer / Irrigation / Government / writing
NEXT COMES FIRST EMPIRE

24. THE “CONQUEST OF SUMER”
Conquer - overcome and take control of (a place or people) by use of military force
The city-states of Sumer were constantly fighting with each other. This constant fighting led to the creation of empires.
Two of the largest city-states, Umma and Lagash often fought for power for Sumer and its city-states. In a battle fought around 2450 B.C., Lagash won. This defeat led to the near destruction of Umma, but in another battle around 2375 B.C. Umma defeated Lagash…this defeat didn’t last very long.

25. He was originally king of Kish.
SARGON
He was an Akkadian.
He was originally king of Kish.
Sargon’s army eventually took over Mesopotamia.
Gave his daughter the position of high priestess.
Created the world’s first empire.
Picture of Sargon. Image taken from: socialstudiesforkids.com

26. religions and used their writing system.
AKKADIAN CULTURE
AKKADIAN
SUMERIAN
Practiced polytheism.
Writing system was cuneiform.
After the Akkadians took over, they kept the way of life of Sumer. They practiced the same
religions and used their writing system.
Akkadian and Sumerian culture was able to spread throughout the Indus Valley, because they combined their culture and introduced it wherever they went.

27. AKKADIAN’S END
The Akkadian empire survived for almost 100 years after Sargon died.
The empire fell due to the fact that there was constant invasions and rebellions.
After 179 years, a new king by the name of Ur-Nammu was able to gain control and united Sumer
once again.

28. BABYLON
This is what Babylon looks like today and what it used to look like.
Image taken from: providenceprecepts.blogspot.com

29. THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE
Babylon became the center of the Mesopotamian empire when Hammurabi took power.
Hammurabi-
1. He was king for 30 years.
2. Ruled his people with a strong government & army.
3. Retained control, because of his strong practices.
4. Encourage growth of trade and building projects.
5. Had well trained troops.
6. Able to retain power, because he had excellent people working for him.

30. Images & ancient artifacts of hammurabi

31. HAMMURABI’S CODE
Hammurabi’s Code are a set of laws that governed life in the Babylonian empire.
The code includes over 200 laws.
Laws concerning robbery and murder have specific punishments.
The code also dealt with businesses, contracts, taxes, marriage, and divorce.
Hammurabi’s Code was the first attempt to organize and write down specific laws that governed a society.
Hammurabi’s Code ensured that all rich and poor must obey the laws.

32. HAMMURABI’S CODE OF LAW
This is Hammurabi’s Code of law in Cuneiform. Image taken from: tomgpalmer.com

33. DAILY LIFE IN BABYLONIA AND SUMER’S LEGACY
The daily life of Babylonia revolved around agriculture.
People also bought and sold goods.
People used new technologies to make new weapons, pottery, perfumes, and medicine.
Artist used bronze to make sculptures.
Jewelry was made from used gold and precious stones.
After the death of Hammurabi, the empire collapsed.
Sumer eventually faded away, but the culture was kept alive through all that was in contact with the Sumerians.