Chapter 2 The Fertile Crescent

Section 1 Land Between Two Rivers

What 2 rivers? Mesopotamia – Greek = between 2 rivers Tigris Euphrates Make up the Fertile Crescent – region in Southwest Asia that was the site of the world’s 1st civilization Named that because it is shaped like a crescent moon Great area to farm Present Day Iraq

Good rivers…Bad rivers Spring – snow in mountains melted = rushing water with topsoil in it – floods = rich soil = farming Also provide: Fish Clay for buildings Reeds for boats Floods not same time - water sweeping away: People Animals Houses Crops

Lets Start Cities Farming success = surplus of food = cities By 3500 B.C. earliest known cities grew In region of Sumer

How did the cities work? Cities shared a common language & culture No single ruler Stayed independent – city-states – a city that is also a separate, independent state In Sumer each had their own: god or goddess Army Government king

What did they look like? Public square – busy Merchants display goods Musicians, acrobats, beggars, water sellers in streets For a fee scribes – professional writers, would read and write letters Houses faced away from crowded streets onto inner courtyards – families ate and children played Hot nights – slept on flat roofs Oil lamps - light

What about religion? At center of every city – ziggurat – temple to main gods or goddesses of the city Made of terraces one on top of the other Steps and ramps linked each level At top – shrine They thought gods used it as a way to get to Earth Believed in many gods – polytheism Poly = many in Greek Theism = belief in a god or gods Myth – stories about gods that explained people’s beliefs – warned gods would punish Those who angered them Also promised rewards

Ziggurats

What did they do for the gods? Honor them with religious ceremonies Priests washed statues before and after each meal offered to them Incense burned Huge plates of food – then food eaten by people They would gain qualities of those goods

Bye-Bye Sumer Its wealth was the down fall City-states fought over land and use of river water 2300 B.C. Sumer conquered by Akkad – area near by King Sargon united the Sumerian city-states Improved government and military 100 years later fell apart again After 2000 B.C. no longer major power Fell to Babylonia in 1700 B.C.