Warm up- 9/17/13 What is a civilization?

Describe what you believe to be all the key characteristics of a full functioning civilization!

Mesopotamia Geography of the “Craddle of Civilization”

Mesopotamia Also known as…

Fertile Crescent Cradle of

Civilization

Mesopotamia means – “Land Between Two Rivers”

In between Tigris and Euphrates river

Climate A very hot and semiarid climate.

Less than 10 inches of rain fall per year!

So….why are crops able to grow?

Location, Location, Location

Located between Tigris and Euphrates river Why is this important?

Modern Day Iraq!

Water & Soil Between the fertile soil (silt) and water, Mesopotamia

was a land great for crops! Steady supply of fresh water

Drought & Floods If crops failed during drought, people starved If floods came, crops ruined! SOOOOOO……they developed…..

Irrigation & Dams Mesopotamians set up irrigation systems for farming

and food supply! Agriculture in Mesopotamia relied on irrigation!!

Built dams to hold back flood waters

Think: Besides the river, are there any other physical features around Mesopotamia?

Lack of Resources Very few mountain ranges around them

Easy to invade! Easy to steal! Built mud walls and villages for protection.

No forests! No wood=no building material Resorted to mud

What’s a problem with mud?

Lack of resources…fixed!

They would trade their surplus grain for metal, stone and wood!

Had men continually building walls and trading. Community leaders organized groups to do these

things.

So…Why was trade important to Mesopotamia?

In Summary… • The Tigris and Euphrates rivers made the soil of

Mesopotamia good for growing crops.

• The people of Mesopotamia developed an irrigation system to bring water to crops.

• Mesopotamia had few resources. People traded surplus crops to get what they needed.

Rest of class Map of Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia Culture Web

Mesopotamia Culture of the “Craddle of Civilization”

Religion in Mesopotamia Polytheistic – worship or belief in multiple

deities

Believed that gods and goddesses were all aspects of the universe!

Identified 3,000 gods and goddess

Foundations Origins of Sumerian people remain a mystery!

Independent cities established in southern Mesopotamia Uruk, Ur and Eridu. Formed CITY-STATES– a state with political and

economic control over the surrounding countryside

Words to know! Ziggurat – Large step-like temple of mud brick built

in ancient Mesopotamia

Words to know! Theocracy – A government by divine authority. AKA

Priests rule in the name of God.

Words to know! Cuneiform – “wedge-shaped” system of writing!

Words to know! The Epic of Gilgamesh - epic poem recording

actions of a legendary king (Gilgamesh) whom is part man, part god. Moral of the story: Everlasting life is only for the gods.

Words to know! Empire – A large political unit or state, usually under

one leader, that controls many peoples or territories.

Shift of power Sumerian city states fall to Akkadians.

Akkadian Empire falls to Hammurabi.

Hammurabi dies and it falls again, to new invaders!

The Code of Hammurabi Collection of laws

System of strict justice! Penalties were severe! Varied based on social class

of the victim.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”

http://www.flocabulary.com/ancient-law/

Words to know! Patriarchal- men dominated the society