BABYLONIAN ZIGGURAT

MESOPOTAMIAN EMPIRES Sumer ancient Sumer’s city-states (3000 B.C. - 1800 B.C.) 2. Babylonia Babylonian Empire ( 1800 B.C. - 1200 B.C.) Assyria Assyrian Empire (1200 B.C. - 539 B.C.)

1. What two rivers run through the Fertile Crescent? 2. What body of water do the two rivers flow into? GEOGRAPHY Tigris & Euphrates Rivers Persian Gulf 3. In what present day country is Mesopotamia located? Iraq, Iran…

*NOTES* ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA (4000 B.C.) “land in between the rivers” Why was this a perfect place for the 1st civilization? Fertile Crescent - large arc of fertile land in the Middle East Tigris & Euphrates Rivers made it possible for farming 3. Cattle, pigs, goats & sheep were accessible

*NOTES* WHAT CHALLENGES DID PEOPLE FACE IN MESOPOTAMIA? 1. Unpredictable floods destroyed crops, homes & people 2. Marshy areas unsuitable for farming 3. This land was vulnerable to attack and invasion

SUMERIAN WRITING Written on clay tablets Cuneiform Written on clay tablets created by pressing a pointed tool into a clay tablet

SUMERIAN ECONOMY Make, sell or barter (trade) goods Trade helped expand cities Development of money over time

Craftsman (middle class) SUMERIAN ECONOMY POOR Farmers Craftsman (middle class) RICH government officials religious leaders traders

The invention of Agriculture changed the way people lived. Agriculture (Farming) Growth of Cities Division of Labor (Specialization) Trade Writing and Mathematics

THE MANY PEOPLE OF MESOPOTAMIA: Cheat Sheet Sumer : Known for written language Babylonia: Known for creating Laws (Hammurabi’s Code) Assyria: Known for being strong warriors

AIM: How did geography encourage the rise of civilization in Mesopotamia? DO NOW: I am a group of people working together to create an organized society _________________ I am the geographic feature where early people settled _______________ I am two features of a civilization that helps to bring people together ____________ & ______________ civilization River valleys Writing system roads