Fertile Crescent Lands facing the Mediterranean Sea and the plain between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Aka Mesopotamia, means “the land betweeen the two rivers”

Geography Advantages Fertile land Good for farming Disadvantages Flooding Droughts No natural barriers for protection (think mountains, oceans, deserts, etc.) Few natural resources

Problems Can get too dry or flood No natural defenses like forests or deserts Lacked building resources like stone/wood

Solutions Irrigation Ditches channel river water to the fields City walls for defense Traded their grain, cloth, tools with surrounding peoples for stone, wood and metal

A Visit to Sumer

Religion Polytheism: Belief in many gods

Primary Source 1 Background: Lagash and Umma were Sumerian cities located 18 miles apart. These documents were found on clay cylinders and date from about 2500 BC. “By the immutable word of Enlil, king ofthe lands,father ofthe gods, Ningirsu [the patron deity of Sumerian city of Lagash] and Shara [patron deity of Sumerian city of Umma] set a boundary to their lands. Mesilim, King of Kish, at the command of his deity Kadi, set up a stele [a boundary marker] in the plantation of that field. Ush, ruler of Umma, formed a plan to seize it. That stele he broke in pieces, into the plain of Lagash he advanced. Ningirsu, the hero of Enlil, by his just command, made war upon Umma. At the command of Enlil, his great net ensnared them. He erected their burial mound on the plain in that place.”

Religion Gods were immortal and all-powerful Gods behaved in many ways like humans did (had children, married each other, fought with each other, etc.) Temples and sacrifices to please the gods Dead souls went to the “place of no return”

Ziggurat Pyramid with levels, ramps, stairs “mountain of the gods” Houses the cit- state’s god Stored grain, fabric, gems for offerings

Accomplishments Irrigation System of creating walls (levees), canals, and waterways to bring water to crops

Science & Technology Arithmetic & Geometry –Number system based on 60, 360 degree circle

Accomplishments Sailboat Travel faster Trade goods with other lands

Accomplishment Plow Tool for tilling (turning) the soil to prepare it for planting

Accomplishment Chariots & Wheels Get around faster and use in battle

Accomplishments: Calendar Based on the cycles of the moon 12 months of 30 days, named after the constellations –Zodiac calendar

Accomplishment: Writing Cuneiform –Wedge shaped writing style –For record keeping –Clay tablets & stylus –Scribe: people who were trained in writing

Accomplishments: Literature Epic of Gilgamesh

Political: City-States in Mesopotamia

City-State *Each city sort of governed itself, and they were basically like little independent countries politically (though they shared cultural and religious ties).

Government Theocracy: government ruled by religious leaders & where the ruler is viewed as a god Priests ruled the government Ruled from the ziggurat, which was a temple and a city hall

Hammurabi’s Code A single, uniform code of laws Unified diverse groups of people Engraved in stone and posted all over the empire

Economic Exports: goods that are sold to other parts of the world –Tools –Wheat –Barley –Fabric Imports:goods that are bought from other parts of the world –Wood –Stone –Metals (copper & tin)

Social Hierarchy: a social structure with different levels of power and authority King Priests, Scribes, Government Officials Farmers, Soldiers, Craftsmen Slaves