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Geography of Mesopotamia
6th Grade UBD - Unit 3 - Geography of Mesopotamia
Preview
Location- Mesopotamia was one of the earliest city-based
civilizations established between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Land and Water- Mesopotamia had rich soil for growing crops.
However, the climate and annual floods made farming difficult.
Agricultural Innovations- Advances in agriculture helped
Mesopotamians become better farmers.
Trade- Mesopotamia did not produce all the resources it needed.
But it did produce extra crops that could be used for trade.
Reach Into Your Background
Ancient
Mesopotamia had
a lot of dry land.
Yet civilizations
were able to
develop there.
How can people
bring water to dry
areas of land? (5
minutes)
Partner Activity
Work with a neighbor and compare your answer with theirs. What things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)
Key Ideas- Location
Mesopotamia was located where modern
Iraq and eastern Syria are now.
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were the
two main rivers in Mesopotamia.
Eridu, Ur, and Uruk were three of
Mesopotamia’s important cities. They
were found along the Euphrates River.
Key Term
Civilization-
An advanced
state of
human
society, in
which a high
level of
culture,
science,
industry, and
government
has been
reached.
Locating Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia was one
of the earliest known
civilizations in human
history.
Mesopotamia sprang
up near the banks of a
major river, where the
land was fertile and
good for growing crops.
Locating Mesopotamia
The abundance of
food grown in
Mesopotamia
allowed the
civilization to expand
and trade with other
civilizations.
Locating Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia was
established in the valley
between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers in the
Fertile Crescent.
The Fertile Crescent is a
plain in Southwest
Asia.
Big Cities
Most ancient cities that
developed thousands of
years ago do not exist
today.
How do we know about
them? We can thank
archaeologists who study
the remains of long-gone
places.
Big Cities
Mesopotamia was a
civilization made up of
separate settlements
sometimes called city-states.
Each city-state usually was
controlled by a strong ruler.
At different points in history,
different empires or kingdoms
ruled these cities.
Key Term
City-State-
An
independent
kingdom or
state made up
of a city and
the
surrounding
lands it
controls.
Key Term
Empire- A
large group of
territories and
people who
are ruled by a
single
sovereign
leader or
nation.
Big Cities
Eridu, Ur, and Uruk
were three of
Mesopotamia most
important cities
All three developed
along the banks of
rivers.
Key Ideas- Land and Water
Mesopotamians developed a system of irrigation to
control water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Irrigation provided water for crops year round.
Annual floods destroyed crops, huts, and other
structures. Irrigation stopped the rivers from
flooding.
With irrigation, the Mesopotamians produced more
food than they needed.
Resources and Geography
The Tigris and Euphrates
rivers flooded each year,
bringing nutrient-rich silt
to the river valley where
Mesopotamia developed.
This soil and the water
from the rivers were both
extremely important to
agriculture.
Key Term
Silt- A mixture
of rock and
soil that is
carried by
water that
creates fertile
soil that is
good for
growing
crops.
Resources and Geography
Mesopotamians had
to learn to adapt to
the annual flooding
and figure out a way
to survive through
the dry times when
there was little water
for crops in the fields.
Resources and Geography
To farm the land, the
Mesopotamians had
to learn to control the
flooding.
They had to learn how
to capture river water
to use year round. The
answer was irrigation.
Key Term
Irrigation-
The
artificial
application
of water to
land.
Floods in the Fertile CrescentReading Handout- Floods in the Fertile Crescent
Key Ideas- Agricultural Innovations
Mesopotamians invented a seeder plow. It
allowed them to plow and plant at the same time.
Mesopotamians tamed and raised animals. The
animals were used for food and farm work.
Producing extra food meant that not everyone
had to farm. People could do other things for
work.
Agricultural Innovations
Mesopotamians
developed irrigation
techniques that
allowed them to
harness water from
the rivers and
control the flooding.
Agricultural Innovations
Mesopotamians built
high walls of earth near
the sides of the rivers.
These are called levees
or dikes. These walls of
earth kept the water
from flooding over the
banks of the river.
Agricultural Innovations
Mesopotamians also built a
system of canals and
ditches. This system would
drain off the high water,
helping to prevent flooding.
These advances helped to
protect both crop fields and
villages from flood damage.
Agricultural Innovations
They built dams to raise or
lower the water levels in
the canals and ditches.
This meant they could
provide more water for the
crops when it was needed.
They could also keep water
out when it was not
needed.
Agricultural Innovations
With large irrigation
systems, they were able
to produce enough crops
to feed an entire city
and then some!
Irrigation was an
important advance that
allowed crops to thrive.
Key Term
Levee- A
ridge or
embankment
built along
the edges of
a river or
stream to
prevent
flooding.
Key Term
Dam- A
barrier that
people build
across rivers
or other
bodies of
water so they
can store the
water or move
it to another
location.
Agricultural Innovations
Mesopotamians
domesticated
animals and
invented a new
seeder plow that
made planting
more efficient.
Agricultural Innovations
Plows made out of
metal are stronger
and longer lasting
than plows made of
wood.
Work animals such as
cattle would pull the
plow through the
fields.
Agricultural Innovations
The advances in
agriculture made it so
that it was easier for
people to grow more
food.
With this abundance
of food people began
to take on other roles
in society.
Farming and Other Jobs
As the cities grew,
different members of
Mesopotamian
society continued to
develop specialized
skills that met the
needs of people
living in the cities.
Farming and Other Jobs
Some people worked
as potters, making
pottery and utensils.
Others also worked as
weavers, making cloth.
Scribes were employed
to write texts and keep
track of trading.
Key Term
Scribe- A
person who
was
educated
and wrote
books or
other
documents
by hand.
Farming and Other Jobs
Traders bought and
sold goods, and
musicians played
music for people.
Still, most people
had jobs dealing
with agricultural
production.
Farming and Other Jobs
Thanks to the farmers,
cities were supported
with surplus food and
other jobs thrived.
With plenty of food to
feed everyone, the
cities continued to
grow.
Mesopotamian Farming ToolsReading Handout- Mesopotamian Farming Tools
Key Ideas- Trade
Mesopotamians traded grains, oils, and textiles with
outside societies for goods such as gems and wood.
Merchants traveled to trading centers by land or sea.
They used boats and donkeys to transport their goods.
Trade meant even more growth for Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamians were able to meet all of their needs by
trading. Trade also made Mesopotamia important to
outside cultures.
Overseas and Land Travel
An abundance of
agriculture allowed for a
system of trade to
spring up, first within
individual cities and
later between different
cities and outside
civilizations like ancient
Egypt.
Overseas and Land Travel
People in Mesopotamia
traded food and available
resources for goods and
items they did not have
locally.
Goods were transported
overland via donkey and
carts or on the backs of
traders.
Overseas and Land Travel
The rivers were also
important means of
transporting heavier
or bulkier items.
Sea routes for trade
also sometimes
included the Persian
Gulf.
Key Term
Commerce-
The act of
buying and
selling goods
and services.
Modern Day Connection
Thousands of years later,
our societies are still
affected by the
geography around us.
Like the people of ancient
Mesopotamia, we are
constantly inventing tools
and methods that help us
use natural resources.
Independent Activity
What has been the
“muddiest” point so
far in this lesson? That
is, what topic remains
the least clear to you?
(4 minutes)
Partner Activity
Work with a neighbor and compare your muddiest point with theirs. Compare what things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)