Innovations of Mesopotamia

Warm-Up 11/5

• In your opinion, what innovation has had the biggest impact on human life? • Explain why

Cuneiform• The Sumerians developed the first system of

writing around 3300 BCE, called Cuneiform

• Sumerians wrote on clay tablets– For the first time ever, humans were able to keep

written records

• Scribe- A professional writer

Impact of Cuneiform• Cuneiform allowed the citizens of

Mesopotamia to keep records:– Farmers could keep detailed records of crops– Merchants could keep detailed records of

transactions– Laws could be recorded and posted where

everyone could see

• Children went to school to learn how to read and write cuneiform

Impact of Cuneiform

• We know a lot of information about the Sumerians and way of life in Mesopotamia because they left us written records

Epic of Gilgamesh

• The Epic of Gilgamesh is believed to be the oldest written story ever discovered

• Epic- refers to a long poem or story, usually about gods and heroes doing great deeds

Epic of Gilgamesh

• Historians have learned much about the culture of Sumer from The Epic of Gilgamesh– Religion: The story tells us about the gods and

goddesses of Sumer and the roles they played in human life

– Government: Gilgamesh was always a strong man, but until he learned to protect his people from monsters, rather than abusing and taking advantage of them, he was not seen as a worthy king

Calendar

• The Mesopotamian people were able to create a calendar in order to know when the floods would arrive:– As a result, farmers were able to harvest more food. – This food surplus enabled the cities to support

larger populations. – Having surplus food, which could be traded for

other goods, also helped Mesopotamians establish trade with other civilizations.

Calendar

• These ancient calendars were lunar (based on the cycle of the moon)– Today, our calendar is based on the Earth's

movement around the sun.

• Over time, most kingdoms adopted the Babylonian calendar– Months were around 30 days long and were

named after the 12 constellations in the zodiac

– The basis of the our modern calendar can be seen in these divisions

The Plow

• The plow made it easier to break up the soil for planting. – Plows were made of iron and were pulled by oxen. – By using these new tools farmers could do more

work and produce more food

The Wheel

• Before the wheel, people had to carry their items by hand

• The wheel allowed humans to use carts – This allowed people to carry more goods and

supplies • Wheels allowed for quicker and easier

transportation– Animals could also pull the carts

Irrigation Systems

• Irrigation systems were created to get water to crops

• The people of Mesopotamia would dig a ditch that brought water from the source to the fields– This allowed for more crops to be grown at once

What the Ancients Left Us

1) What was created so that all mud bricks would be the same shape and size? Why do you think that was important?

2) “More food meant more people, and the population grew and grew. Villages turned to towns, towns became cities. Not everyone had to be a farmer and civilization blossomed.”

This quote from the video is an example of which if the seven characteristics of a civilization?

3) Why were irrigation systems vital to life in Mesopotamia?