WHAT MESOPOTAMIA MEAN? The name Mesopotamia means "between rivers" because it is located between the Tigris and the Euphrates River.

Where is Mesopotamia? Mesopotamia is located between the rivers of Tigris and Euphrates, largely corresponding to the modern day Iraq, and also some part of northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and southeastern Iran. It is located in modern day Iraq.

Mesopotamia

Who was the first king? King Hammurabi was the first king.

How they get developed? Early settlers in Mesopotamia started to gather in small villages and towns. As they learned how to irrigate land and grow crops on large farms, the towns grew bigger. Eventually these towns became large cities. New inventions such as government and writing were formed to help keep order in the cities. The first human civilization was formed.

Things Mesopotamians invented Wheels Chariot Sailboat Money Writing Seeder Plow Calendar Math Shaduf Glass

Wheels The oldest wheel known was found in Mesopotamia dated 3,500 BC. It was made of planks of wood joined together.

Chariot The chariots were one of the wheeled vehicles that the Mesopotamian people invented. With a great civilization they would need to get around places faster than walking. So they made a chariot. It has a platform for someone to stand on with wheels and then either something like a horse or an ox would pull you along. They also would use the chariot to take very important people around the city.

Sailboat Mesopotamians were smart people. They created the sailboat for getting water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They also used the sailboat to go and fish in the rivers.

Money They invented a kind of money system by using clay tokens for trades. Tokens were of different sizes and shapes. The tokens were put into a clay ball with the number of tokens pressed on the outside.

Writing The Mesopotamian invented a type of writing. They wrote in pictures, not the type of writing we do today. Most of the writing that the mesopotamians did where pictures they drew were animals and humans. They named writing "Cuneiform“, which means "wedge shaped". writing was originally made for keeping track of what they bought or sold. Cuneiform was writing on a clay tablet with a pointed reed called a stylus.

Seeder Plow The Mesopotamians also invented the seeder plow, which was at the time a revolutionary innovation. It allowed the farmer to simultaneously plow a field and seed it, drastically reducing the time to plant and increasing crop production.

Calendar The Mesopotamians Invented the first calendar. They used the calendar to see when they should plant their crops and when they should harvest their crops. The solar year was divided into two seasons. The summer included the barley harvest in the second half of May and the winter roughly corresponded with our fall / winter.

Math The Mesopotamians were experimenting with ways to count, measure and solve mathematical problems. They were the first people to give place values to numbers. They were first to recognize the concept of zero.

Shaduf The shaduf is a structure that helps transport water from a river or lake into a ditch or canal. On one end there is a large rock, which acts as a weight, and on the other is a bucket. The weight balances out the weight of the water in the bucket so it is effortless to move. The bucket dips into the water, then a person rotates the Shaduf so its over a ditch and then they dump the water into the ditch. The water falls into the ditch and is directed to the needed area.

Glass One day some sailors were going to go ashore to rest and cook something to eat. They gathered some wood and started a fire. They were on a beach so the wood and the fire were on top of sand. Surprisingly, the sand under the fire started to melt and this liquid started to run down. After it cooled, it hardened and turned into a clear hard object. The Mesopotamians used the glass for art and initially they didn't use the glass for drinking out of. After the Mesopotamians discovered glass they started to use the glass for more high tech weapons such as daggars, spears and chariots.

Questions (answer these in your own words underneath them in your notes.) What do you think was the most important Mesopotamian invention? Why? What do you think was the least important Mesopotamian invention? Why?

Gods of Mesopotamia Sumerian Gods Babylonian Gods Assyrian Gods

On a separate sheet of paper (I have some that you can borrow): Go to the following website to read about “Hammurabi’s Code” http://www.ushistory.org/civ/4c.asp Write a 6 (complete) sentence reaction to this information. What does “eye for an eye” mean? Do you still see any of these rules in place today? What is one big difference between Hammurabi’s Code and our laws today? According to this code, were all people equal? Look at the examples of the laws given… Write down one that catches your attention and explain why it is interesting to you! In the section “Go jump in a River”, how would jumping in the river determine if you were guilty or not?