Mesopotamia

What elements of Civilization do you see in this picture?

Geography Promotes Civilization*Note: text in yellow represents a fill-in.

Fertile area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers became site of world’s first civilization. Today we call this area Iraq.

Fertile Crescent well suited for agriculture

Farming in Mesopotamia posed challenges:

If water levels too high, crops washed away

If water levels too low, crops died

People developed methods to control water:

Basins, canals, and dikes

Organization: assigning jobs, allocating resources

What factors influenced the rise of civilization in Mesopotamia?

Answer:

What factors influenced the rise of civilization in Mesopotamia?

Answer: fertile land; plentiful food; need to organize people for jobs

Sumer

The Cities of Sumer• Large cities developed by 4000 BC

• Structures made of mud bricks

• Ziggurat: pyramid-shaped temple

• Massive wall encircled each city

• Each city and its land formed a city-state, with its own government

Religion and Government• Polytheism Shaped life in city-

states

• Polytheism: worship of many gods

• Priests had high status and were the first rulers

• War chiefs began to rule as kings

• Dynasty: series of rulers from one family

Sumerian Culture

Writing

• Cuneiform: Sumerian writing

• Business accounts and records

• Law, grammar, literature

• Scribes

Math and Sciences

• System based on number 60 • Geometry• May have been the first to use the wheel• Invented the plow• Basic surgery

The Arts

• Arches, ramps, columns

• Sculpture

• Cylinder seals

Trade and Society

• Traded for wood and metals

• Social hierarchy

• Distinct male/female roles

Why was the Sumerians’ development of cuneiform a major turning point in history?

Answer(s):

Why was the Sumerians’ development of cuneiform a major turning point in history?

Answer(s): After the development of cuneiform, humankind moved from prehistory into the historical age.

Empires in Mesopotamia• Each conquering invader adapted aspects of Sumerian culture. • Thus Sumerian civilization continued to influence life in Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamian Achievements

Sumerians• Developed the world’s first Civilization• Created cuneiform writing• Invented the wheel and the plow• Wrote the Epic of Gilgamesh• Built cities and ziggurats

Sargon I• Established the world’s first empire

Babylonians• Wrote Hammurabi’s Code

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