Mesopotamia GEOGRAPHY AND CIVILIZATION
Sumerians HOW AND WHY DID SUMERIANS TRANSITION FROM SMALL FARMING VILLAGES TO LARGE WALLED CITIES?
ProblemSolution ProblemSolution
Geography
Zagros Mountains Zagros Mountains mild weather abundant rain Problem : Population growth The plains to the South Hotter and the land for most of the year is hard and dry Water: Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers and Flooding Uncontrolled water supply During spring, rain and melted snow from the mountains flowed into the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers causing them to flood across the plains Problem : Timing and amount of water Built levees, earth walls built along the side of the rivers to prevent flooding Sumerians further controlled water by digging canals and building dams
Maintaining the Irrigation System Irrigation allowed farmers to grow plenty of food Problem : How do you maintain this growing system of irrigation? Levees to be strengthened Canals need to be cleaned of silt Farms were interconnected and farmers had to work together for the common good From villages to towns to cities
Competition for Water With growing cities the demand for water increased. Cities upstream could build new canals or dams, preventing water from reaching cities downstream. Problem : cities fought each other To protect themselves Sumerians built walls to protect their cities.
Sumerian Civilization WHY DO HISTORIANS CLASSIFY ANCIENT SUMER AS A CIVILIZATION?
Civilization Stable Food Supply Social Structure Government Religion The Arts Technology Writing Sumerian Civilization Stable Food Supply Social Structure GovernmentReligionThe ArtsTechnologyWriting
Stable Food Supply A complex society can only thrive if they have the food they need to survive 2 important inventions Irrigation Plow Food: barley, chickpeas, lentils, wheat, dates, onions, garlic, lettuce, leeks and mustard. Animals: cattle, sheep, goats and pigs
Social Structure Three classes Upper class: priests, government officials, and land owners Middle class: craftspeople and merchants Farmers and fishers Lower class: slaves
Government Sumerian city-states were ruled by kings, believed to be chosen by the gods Duties enforcing laws, collecting taxes to build temples and maintain the irrigation system Building and leading an army; use of chariots Supported by officials Governors who ruled outlying towns Scribes who record laws Officials to oversee the irrigation system
Religion Religion bound the community to a common way of life Polytheism: a belief in many gods Control the forces of nature Annual ritual to ensure fertility Worship was conducted atop a ziggurat
The Arts Architecture Brick making: few rocks or trees Houses, Walls, Palaces, Temples, Ziggurats Metalwork: weapons, cups, mirrors and jewelry Music: drum, pipe, lyre
Technology Wheel: pottery, carts (replaced the sledge), chariots Arch Arithmetic and geometry 60 minutes in an hour, 360 degrees in a circle Astronomy and a calendar Mapping stars into constellations
Writing Cuneiform Development Began as pictogram Simplified into syllabic signs Use Accounting Laws Letters Hymns and prayers Stories