The Need for Irrigation, The Ubaid Culture, From City to

Civilization

Do Now

Use textbook pages 97 to 99 to locate information relating to The Need for Irrigation, The Ubaid Culture, and From City to Civilizations.

The Need for Irrigation 1. State 3 problems that led to the need for

irrigation

The Need for Irrigation a. The annual flooding of the Tigris and

Euphrates Rivers could not be counted on to water the farmer’s crops.

 

The Need for Irrigation b. The floods were unpredictable and

floodwaters often rushed over the land, destroying crops and livestock as well as sweeping away villages.

 

The Need for Irrigation c. While Northern Mesopotamia received

enough rainfall, southern Mesopotamia did not. People in this hot, dry climate had to deal with frequent droughts. The heat of the sun baked the clay soil.

The Need for Irrigation2. What are the 4 ways people used irrigation?

Need for Irrigation1. People dug canals to carry water from the

rivers to the land.

2. Stored water in areas of low land called basins to supply

them with water in times of drought.

3. To protect their lands from floods, they put up dikes, or

walls of dirt, along riverbanks.

4. They also built dams to help control the flow of water.

Canals

Dams

Need for Irrigation3. What happened because of the surplus of

crops that developed?

Need for Irrigation With more than enough food, these early

people developed new, more complex cultures.

1. Ubaid Culture – Comparison Chart

1. People lived simply at first, raising just enough crops to survive.

1. People built more advanced irrigation systems and produced surpluses of crops.

2. They used stone hoes to work their fields and clay sickles to harvest their wheat and barley crops.

2. Simple life gave way to one that required rules and organization.

3. The Ubaid people lived close to their fields in huts made of reeds and mud.

3. Leaders were needed, and one person in each community served as village chief.

4. They worshipped gods in small, one room temples.

4. Began living in larger homes and building larger temples to honor their many gods.

5. By about 4500 B.C., this ancient culture had spread across much of the Fertile Crescent.

5. Began creating pottery. Boats carried the pottery and other trade goods to villages throughout the region.

Early Culture Later Culture

2. Ubaid Culture - Timeline

5000 B.C. 4500 B.C. 4000 B.C.

First known settlement is southern Mesopotamia is formed (Ubaid culture)

This ancient culture had spread across much of the Fertile Crescent.

A more advanced culture developed from the Ubaid Culture.

Ubaid Culture3. Why is the legacy of the Ubaid culture

important?

Ubaid Culture The Ubaid culture formed the foundation for

the civilization that eventually developed in southern Mesopotamia.

From City to Civilization1. Who formed a civilization after the Ubaid

culture?

From City to Civilization The Sumerians

From City to Civilization2. What was necessary for the development of

first cities?

From City to Civilization Using agricultural techniques to produce food

surpluses, some villages emerged as the first cities.

Wrap up How did early people control water? Why is the Ubaid Culture is significant to the

history of Mesopotamia?

How were farming villages were able to develop?