From Small Farming Communities To Large City-States

Villages to Cities

The first city-states were located in the southern part of an area of rolling hills, low plains, and two rivers. It was called Mesopotamia. These city-states included villages and and farm lands around the center of each city. The earliest cities date to 3,500 B.C.E. The cities had strong walls made of sunbaked bricks. They had large bronze gates, moats, and water-filled ditches around the perimeter of their walls to protect them from attacks from nomad tribes and neighboring communities.

The majority of the houses were inside the city walls, while the farms and cultivated lands were located outside. When attacked, those who lived outside the city walls, would rush inside for protection. There were 15 city-states in the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The population reached 50,000 inhabitants. Some of the cities were: Ur, Uruk, Kish, Lagash, Babylon, Nippur, and Umma.

Social Classes Near the center of the city were the houses of the higher class which included government officials, priests, and landowners. They had the largest and most luxurious homes that were two- stories high, with whitewashed walls and woven rugs on the floor. Near the houses of the higher class were the houses of the middle class, which included artisans, merchants, farmers, fishers and lower government officials. The slaves could not own property and lived in their owners’ homes.

The Zagros Mountains between After thousands of years of hunting and gathering , Neolithic people began to cultivate the land. One of the first regions to be cultivated were the foothills of the Zagros Mountains in Iran. 8,500 B.C.E.: Farmers cultivated grain and domesticated sheep and goats. It was easy to cultivate there, and the food supply increased. The farmers used the lumber from the forests to construct their shelters and used stones and rocks to make their tools. The population grew, but around 5,000 B.C.E. they did not have sufficient farmlands to feed the population, and a famine occurred. Event A: The Zagros Mountains between Iran and Iraq

Critical Thinking Question: Event A There was a large flood plain in Mesopotamia through which two rivers flowed, the Tigris and the Euphrates. The plain was large and uncultivated, but the ground was hard and dry, and in summer the sun baked it. In the spring, the rivers overflowed. There were was no lumber or stones to use to make shelters. You are a member of a village on the Zagros foothills. You must decide what to do about the problem with the lack of food: A. Plant crops on the Zagros foothills several times a year. B. Move to the Mesopotamian plain and try to cultivate there. C. Abandon farming and return to hunting and gathering. D. Attack neighboring villages and take food from them.

Event B: Too much water or not enough water After moving to the plain between the two rivers, farmers had to face many problems trying to cultivate the land. The ground was hard and dry during most of the year. Hot, strong winds blew layers of dust over the plain. In the spring, rain and snow from the mountains caused the rivers to flood the plain. First the flood waters helped them, but later it would wash the young plants away. In summer, the sun baked the land as hard as stone. The problem was having too little or too much water. Farmers had to learn to control the water supply.

Critical Thinking Question: Event B You are a member of one of the villages on the Mesopotamian Plain. You need to design an irrigation system to provide water to your village all year round. Draw and label the components of your irrigation system. You must include de rivers, the cultivated fields, the canals, the dams, the reservoirs, and the levees.

Construction and Maintenance of an Event C: Construction and Maintenance of an Irrigation System Farmers built levees along the rivers. When they needed water, they would pierce the walls. With time, the water would form irrigation canals. Farmers also built dams and reservoirs to block and store water. Canals would be blocked by sediment and they had to be dredged and maintained often. Because canals from several villages were interconnected, a blocked canal could destroy the entire irrigation system.

Critical Thinking Question: Event C You are a member of one of the villages on the Mesopotamian plain. You need to decide the best way to maintain the irrigation system. Which of the following plans would solve the problem? A. Only maintain the canals belonging to your village. B. Force other villages to maintain their irrigation systems. C. Cooperate with the other villages to maintain the irrigation system. D. Abandon the irrigation system watering the fields by hand using a bucket.

Protection of Sumerian City-States Event D: Protection of Sumerian City-States Around 3,000 B.C.E., sumerian city-states would fight constantly for the irrigation water. The inhabitants built thick walls around their cities to protect themselves from attacks. They built large bronce gates for all entrances. The city-states grew and organized armies and government institutions. They were always prepared for war. The cities and surrounding farmlands were called city-states. Each city-state had a head warrior called “lugal” to lead the army into war. The lugal later became the king.

Critical Thinking Question: Event D You live in a sumerian city-state. The communities that surround you are planning attacks against your city. You must design and draw a defense plan to protect your city-state. Draw how you would protect your city and the surrounding villages and cultivation fields.