Geography of the Fertile Crescent Unit 2 Chapter 3 Section 1

Geography of the Fertile Crescent

Unit 2 Chapter 3

Section 1

The Geographic Setting of the Fertile Crescent

Mesopotamia hadRich SoilLife giving

riversA location that

was a center of trade

Why were people attracted to the Fertile Crescent?

Why were people attracted to the Fertile Crescent?

Rich Soil.

The Location of Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia comes from Greek words Between the

rivers Tigris and

Euphrates Shaped like a

crescent moon Great place for

growing crops

What is the term for the area between the rivers?

What is the term for the area between the rivers?

Mesopotamia

Rivers Support the Growth of Civilization

Early people settled where crops could grow.

Grew well near rivers.

Southwest Asia was well suited for farming

LocationMesopotamia is between Asia Minor

and the Persian Gulf as well.

The Fertile Crescent

Fertile crescent is a large arc or crescent of fertile farmland.

Extends to Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea.

(In ancient times) Mesopotamia was in two parts

The Rise of Civilization

Hunter-gatherer first settled in Mesopotamia more than 12,000 years ago.

Learned to plant crops and grow their own food.

Rise of Civilization (Continued)

Every year the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded.

Brought silt. Silt- Mixture of rich soil

and tiny rocks Ideal for farming

Rivers of Life

Tigris and Euphrates were the source of life for the people of MesopotamiaSupplied fish Reeds for making boatsClay for building

Farming Settlements First farm settlements

in Mesopotamia about 7000 B.C.

Farmers grew wheat, barely, and other grains.

Livestock were also good sources of food.

Plentiful food = population growth.

Farming Settlements Continued

Population growth= villages form.Villages develop into world's first

civilization

Farming and Cities

Mesopotamia received little rain Water levels in Mesopotamia depended on

how much rain fell in eastern Asia Minor If Water got too high floods destroyed

crops, killed livestock, and destroyed homes.

Water level too low crops dried Farmers needed to control river’s flow.

Rivers of Death

Tigris and Euphrates also sometimes brought flood watersDeposited good soil

Flood waters did not come at the same time every yearPeople were swept

awayAlso houses and

animals

Controlling Water

To solve their problems Mesopotamians used irrigation

Irrigation is a way of supplying water to an area of land.

To irrigate land farmers dug storage basins to hold water supplies.

Controlling Water

People dug canals human-made waterways.

Canals connected basins to a network of ditches

Ditches brought water to fields To protect fields from flooding farmers

built up banks Built up banks held flood-water back

when river levels were too high

Food SurplusesIrrigation increased the amount

of food farmers producedA surplus or more than of an

item was developed.Farmers Used irrigation to

water grazing areas for cattle

Food Surpluses (Continued)

As a result to food surpluses Mesopotamians ate many foods

Mesopotamians ate fish, meat, wheat, barely, and dates

Dividing Labor

Fewer people farmed because of irrigation

People started doing other jobsNew occupations developedThe type of arrangement where

each worker specializes in a particular task is division of labor

Mesopotamian Society

With more job occupations society accomplished more

Large projects such as constructing buildings were started

Projects required skilled workers Structure and rules provided by

government

The Appearance of Cities

Mesopotamian settlements grew

Developed into cities around 4000-3000 B.C

Society in Mesopotamia based on agriculture

Most people farmed

The Appearance of Cities(Continued)

People tradedThere were political leaders

with power basesThere was political, religious,

cultural, and economic centers of civilization

Geography of the Fertile Crescent questions

Question #1

Where is Mesopotamia located?

a.) between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

b.) in Europe c.) the Americasd.) far from the Mediterranean Sea

Answer To Question #1a.) between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Question #2

How did the Fertile Crescent get its name?

a.) it is a large arc of rich soilb.) it is the moons reflectionc.) it has the same land features as

the moon when it is a crescent shape

d.) it is in the shape of a circle

Answer To Question #2a.) it is a large arc of rich soil

Question #3What was the most important factor in making Mesopotamia's

farmland fertile?a.) there were many lakesb.) there was a lot of rain in Mesopotamiac.) Mesopotamia's land was not fertile d.) the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Answer To Question #3d.) the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Question #4

What is a large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland?

a.) Fertile Crescent b.) Earthc.) Asia Minord.) Mesopotamia

Answer To Question #4

a.) Fertile Crescent

Question #5

What is silt?a.) Grass and rocks

b.) tiny rocks and water

c.) tiny rocks and rich soil

d.) sand

Answer to Question #5c.) tiny rocks and rich soil

Question #6

Why did farmers need a system to control their

water?a.) rains caused floodsb.) flooding from the Tigris and

Euphrates river c.) they wanted to have extra drinking

waterd.) all of the above

Answer to Question #6b.) flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates river

Question #7

What increased the amount of food farmers were able to

produce?a.) canals

b.) irrigation

c.) rivers

d.) lakes

Answer To Question #7

b.) irrigation

Question #8

How did irrigation help farmers?

a.) it provided a way of supplying land with water

b.) it produced floods

c.) it collected salt water

d.) all of the above

Answer To Question #8a.) it provided a way of supplying land with water

Question #9

What are canals?a.) Greek myths

b.) surplus

c.) human-made waterways

d.) rivers

Answer To Question #9c.) human-made waterways

Question #10

What is a surplus?a.) starvation

b.) livestock

c.) more than needed

d.) the Oracle of Delphi

Answer To Question #10c.) more than needed

Question #11

What did people in Mesopotamia eat?

a.) wheat, meat, fish, barley, and dates

b.) sharks

c.) dogs

d.) grasses

Answer To Question #11

a.) wheat, meat, fish, barley, and dates

Question #12

When worker specialized in a specific task it was

a.) the plague

b.) division of labor

c.) metal

d.) the dark ages

Answer To Question #12b.) division of labor

Question #13

With __________ society could accomplish more.

a.) division of labor

b.) farming

c.) astronomy

d.) math

Answer To Question #13a.) division of labor

Question #14

Between 4000 and 3000 B.C. what was society based on in

Mesopotamia?a.) agriculture b.) public leaders c.) arts and craftsd.) trade of ink

Answer to Question #14a.) agriculture

Question # 15

When did Mesopotamia develop into cities?

a.) 4000-3000 B.C

b.) 300-250 B.C

c.) 200-10 B.C

d.) 40-30 B.C

Answer to Question #15

a.) 4000-3000 B.C