UEQ

• What were the cultural, social, and political features of the civilization that developed along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers?

LEQ

• What new challenges did city life present, and what inventions were created to make life easier?

• How was this society divided?

• Explain how the city design reflected the social structure.

Geography

• Mesopotamia is located in what is present day Iraq.

• What do we currently know about Iraq?

Geography

• Mesopotamia is located on the Fertile Crescent.

• The Fertile Crescent is so named because it is perfect for farming.

• Draw the Fertile Crescent on your map.

Geography

• “Mesopotamia” means the land between two rivers.

• Mesopotamia is located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

• Draw the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers on your map.

Geography

• Each year, these two rivers would flood. What does flood mean?

• When the river would flood, the water would deposit silt on the land.

• Silt: ________________________________________

• Draw silt on your map.

Geography

• To the north of Mesopotamia was a huge body of water known as the Mediterranean Sea.

• To the south of Mesopotamia was another body of water called the Persian Gulf.

• Draw these two bodies of water on your map.

Review

• What does “Mesopotamia” mean?

• What are the two main rivers located in Mesopotamia?

• What is silt?

• Why is Mesopotamia perfect for farming?

Technology/ Contributions

Mesopotamia: Review

• Remember that Mesopotamia was perfect for farming because it was located between two rivers that flooded each year depositing rich soil.

• What is another name for this soil?

________________________________

Controlling the Rivers

• The Mesopotamians needed ways to control the rivers so that their fields kept enough water, not too much or too little.

Dike

• The Mesopotamians built DIKES, or dams, that kept the water in until it was needed.

• When water was needed for the fields, the dikes were removed.

Canals

• Mesopotamians also built CANALS, or waterways that carried the water to the exact location it was needed.

• This control over water lead to wonderful farming. The Mesopotamians were able to grow so much food that they could eat some, store some, and trade some.

• This great amount of food lead to two more inventions.

Cart

• The Mesopotamians invented the CART for use in carrying farming materials and food.

• This cart looks very much like a wagon.

Wheel

• In order for the cart to work, the Mesopotamians had to invent the WHEEL.

• The first wheels were made out of wood and copper.

Purpose

• The reason these new inventions were created by the Mesopotamians was to make their everyday lives easier.

• Controlling the rivers saved many lives and gave them much food.

• The creation of the cart and wheel made carrying loads of food materials from place to place easier for the workers.

Bubble Map

Mesopotamian Inventions

Dike

Dams that held water in

Canals

Waterways that carried water to fields

Cart

Used for carrying material and food

Wheel

Made of wood and copper

Quick Review

• Name two inventions that helped Mesopotamians control the rivers.

• Name two inventions that made life easier for the field workers.

• Why was this new technology invented?

City Design

Ziggurat

• A Mesopotamian Ziggurat was the middle of each city-state.

• These ziggurats were used as temples (worship places) for the gods, housing for the king and priests, and offices for government workers.

Ziggurat

• The Ziggurat looked like a step pyramid, with each layer getting smaller and smaller.

• The very top of the ziggurat was the smallest part of the ziggurat and was the temple for the gods.

2-Story House

• The 2-Story houses were located next the ziggurat.

• People of importance lived here, such as government workers and scribes.

1-Story Houses

• 1-story houses were located outside of the 2-story houses… farther away from the ziggurat.

• Craftsmen, merchants, and farmers lived here.

Farm Land

• Farm land was located on the edge of the city-state and close to the 1-story houses of the farmers.

City-State Wall

• The city-state wall was built around the entire city.

• This wall provided protection from outsiders for all people living in the city, and for the farmland located inside.

Ziggurat

2-Story Houses

2-Story Houses

1-Story Houses

1-Story Houses

Farm Land

Farm Land

Ticket In

• Describe the general design of a Mesopotamian city. Draw a picture to illustrate your description.

Social Classes

Social Classes

• The people of Mesopotamia were divided into classes according to importance.

• Those at the top of the social pyramid were deemed as more important, and received privileges likewise.

High Class

• The high class in Mesopotamia consisted of:– King– Priest– Nobles (Wealthy

people)

Middle Class

• The middle class of Mesopotamia consisted of:– Skilled workers– Scribes– Merchants

Low Class

• The low class in Mesopotamia consisted of:– Farmers– Fishermen– Slaves

Men vs. Women

• In each class, and across the board, men were considered more important than women in Mesopotamia.

High

Class:

King, Priests,

Nobles

Middle Class:

Skilled Workers,

Merchants, Scribes

Low Class:

Farmers, Fishermen

Slaves

Class Activity

• Making a Social Classes Tableau:– Each student will be given a card that labels a

position on the social classes triangle.– The students will arrange themselves in a

pyramid according to their positions.– Props, poses, and sounds may be added.

Government

LEQs

• How was the Mesopotamian government created, structured, and changed?

• How successful was Sargon the Conqueror and Hammurabi in their own respects?

Government

• Government means the body of people within a community that has the authority to make and enforce rules and laws.

• Give an example of government in the USA. __________________________________

Government in Mesopotamia

• Government in Mesopotamia started in each individual city-state.

• Each city-state protected their land and themselves through means of a ruler, or king.

• What do you already know about a king?

King

• When a group of people are ruled by one person who has complete authority, that person is called a king.

• This type of government is called a MONARCHY.

Mesopotamia’s Changing Government

• Eventually, government changed in Mesopotamia.

• One ruler of one city-state, fought and conquered all city-states to form an empire.

Empire

• An empire is a group of different countries or people under the authority of one ruler.

• In other words, many lands under one rule.

Monarchy

• Activity!

The Hand of

Monarchy

Religion

Religion

• Religion means a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. In other words, what one believes in.

• Religion typically involves one God or many gods.

Polytheistic

• “Poly” means many.• Make a prediction:

what might polytheistic mean in regards to religion?

Polytheistic

• Polytheistic means to believe in MANY gods.

• The people of Mesopotamia believed in many gods.

• Their god revolved around nature, and controlled natural events in the world around them.

Gods of Importance

• Because Mesopotamian society revolved around their two rivers, the water gods were the most important among all the other gods of nature.

Priests

• What social class were priests in?

• This is because the priests were the ones who performed religious ceremonies to keep the gods happy.

• And if the gods were happy, then Mesopotamia thrived.

• Priests were considered very important.

NEXT

• First, get out you study guide, and let’s fill in the Government and Religion boxes.

• Next, create a Frayer Model for the word Polytheistism

Definition Sentence

Examples PicturePolytheism

Conquerors

Battles

• The people Mesopotamia, the individual city-states, fought battles over land and water.

Gilgamesh

• Gilgamesh was the first king of Mesopotamia.

• He was known as the wisest king.

• There are many stories from Mesopotamia that tell about his wisdom.

Sargon

• Sargon was the first EMPORER, meaning that he fought and conquered many lands that he placed under his control.

King Hammurabi

• King Hammurabi was from a city-state called Babylonia.

• He was known as the law maker.

• He created a set of laws known has the Hammurabi’s Code of Laws, which were based on the concept “An Eye for an Eye”.

An Eye for an Eye

• “An eye for an eye” meant that any crime that you committed was then performed on you (or something of equal likeness).

• These laws were written down, and so a specific crime brought about a specific punishment.

Examples

• The man who assaults another and puts his eye out shall have his own eye put out.

• Explain this rule:

Example

• A son who strikes his father shall have his hand cut off.

• Explain this law:

Example

• A wife who squanders her husband’s money and makes him poor, can be divorced without her husband paying her any money.

• Explain this law:

What would happen?

• To a Babylonian who committed theft?

• To a Babylonian who committed murder?

Study Guide

• We are going to complete the front sheet

• On the back sheet, change Lydians to Babylonians, and we are going to fill in that row.