Ancient Mesopotamia

Chapter 3 Section 1 The Fertile Crescent

Standards H-SS 6.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush. E-LA Reading 6.2.3 Clarify and connect main ideas by identifying their relationship to other sources and related topics.

Anticipatory Set Can you locate the Tigris and Euphrates River?

Objective You will learn about farming improvements and how better farming methods led to the rise of cities and the world’s first civilization in a land known as Mesopotamia.

Language of the Discipline Irrigation- a system of watering crops. Population- number of people. City-state- made up of a city and the surrounding land and villages that it controls. Barter- a trading system in which people exchange goods directly without using money.

The Land Between the Rivers

The Land Between the Rivers Ancient Mesopotamia is surrounded by bodies of water

The Land Between the Rivers Ancient Mesopotamia is surrounded by bodies of water Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf Euphrates River and Tigris River

The Land Between the Rivers Ancient Mesopotamia is surrounded by bodies of water Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf Euphrates River and Tigris River The land became known as ‘The Fertile Crescent’ Provided Sumerians with rich, fertile soil for farming

Weather Issues

Weather Issues Sumerians had long dry summers

Weather Issues Sumerians had long dry summers There was no rain for months and the ground became hard and rocky. Due to the bodies of water surrounding the land = frequent floods Sometimes villages were swept away = danger.

Agricultural Techniques

Agricultural Techniques Sumerians developed an irrigation system to assist with watering crops. Adaptation to the hot summers and flooding

Agricultural Techniques Sumerians developed an irrigation system Adaptation to the hot summers and flooding From this Sumerians enjoyed a plentiful flood supply

Agricultural Techniques Sumerians developed an irrigation system Adaptation to the hot summers and flooding From this Sumerians enjoyed a plentiful flood supply Population increased City- States formed across the region which were made up the surrounding land and villages.

Check for Understanding Please determine the BEST answer for the following question. Please write your answer on your white boards and wait for the teacher’s signal. On the teacher’s signal, hold up your white boards.

Checking for Understanding Name one of the challenges of farming in Mesopotamia? Answers can be: Flood waters washed away the fertile soil and made farming difficult. Many times, floodwaters destroyed whole villages. Most of the region beyond the rivers was a desert where nothing could grow.

Checking for Understanding What rivers did farmers live? Answer Farmers lived on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Checking for Understanding _______________ is a system of watering crops. Irrigation

Guided Practice/Independent Practice Complete questions 1 - 2 on the reading comprehension worksheet. Raise your hand and wait to get stamped. If you received an “R” go to the back table with Ms. Graham. Independent Practice Once you have been stamped moved to independent practice and complete numbers 3 and 4 on the reading comprehension worksheet. Homework Note-taking guide on the reverse side.

Chapter 3 Section 2 The Civilizations of Sumor

Standards H-SS6.2.3 Understand the relationship between religion and the social and political order in Mesopotamia and Egypt. E-LA Reading 6.2.3 Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics.

Objective You will learn how religion and government supported the social order of Sumer. You will also learn about some of the achievements of the Sumerian civilization.

Anticipatory Set Think back to when you first learned how to write? Was it hard? Could people easily read what you wrote? Scribes became an important part of Mesopotamia when they began to document everything.

Language of the Discipline Polytheism- they worshiped many gods. Scribe- a person who was trained to write and keep records in ancient times. Kingship- a government headed by a king. Law code- a written set of laws. Technology- the application of human intelligence in problems to create new and better ways of doing things.

Social Order

Social Order As city-states grew so did the social order Social order was supported by religious and political leaders

Social Order As city-states grew so did the social order Social order was supported by religious and political leaders Priests were the lifeblood of Sumerian civilization

Social Order As city-states grew so did the social order. Social order was supported by religious and political leaders. Priests were the lifeblood of Sumerian civilization. Communicated with the gods, ran the temples, and developed an early system of writing to track goods. They believed that the gods ate, drank, slept, and married.

Social Order As city-states grew so did the social order. Social order was supported by religious and political leaders. Priests were the lifeblood of Sumerian civilization. Communicated with the gods, ran the temples, and developed an early system of writing to track goods. Scribes were trained to write and keep record. Eventually military leaders were allowed to govern city-states.

Kingship

Kingship The idea of kingship developed

Kingship The idea of kingship developed Advances in technology and learning grew Early writing system developed

Kingship The idea of kingship developed Advances in technology and learning grew Early writing system developed From pictures of ideas to shapes representing a sound An alphabet was created Sumerians wrote the first mathematics books and created a number system based on 60, which is still used to tell time and help with measuring circles today.

Check for Understanding Please determine the BEST answer for the following question. Please write your answer on your white boards and wait for the teacher’s signal. On the teacher’s signal, hold up your white boards.

Checking for Understanding Sumerians believed that their gods got married, ate and drank, and ____________? Answer Ate

Checking for Understanding Cities grew because of trade, increased population, new technology, and_________ Answer Farming methods that brought about a food surplus.

Checking for Understanding A _________________was a person who was trained to write and keep records in ancient times. Answer Scribe

Guided Practice/Independent Practice Complete questions 1 - 2 on the reading comprehension worksheet. Raise your hand and wait to get stamped. If you received an “R” go to the back table with Ms. Graham. Independent Practice Once you have been stamped moved to independent practice and complete numbers 3 and 4 on the reading comprehension worksheet. Homework Note-taking guide on the reverse side.

Chapter 3 Section 4 The First Empires

Standards H-SS: 6.2.4 Know the significance of Hammurabi’s Code. E-LA Reading 6.2.3 Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics.

Anticipatory Set Could you imagine a world without laws? What would happen if no one had to follow any rules? Well, Hammurabi created the first law code in Mesopotamia. His ideas would change our world forever.

Objective You will learn how strong rulers finally conquered the city-states to create the world’s first empires. You will also read how a ruler named Hammurabi tried to unite Mesopotamia under one law code, or set of laws.

Language of the Discipline 1. Conquest- when one people defeats and controls another. 2. Empire- a group of countries or peoples who are ruled by one government. 3. Chariots- wheeled war vehicles. 4. Barbarians- people without civilization.

Conflict

Conflict Conflict increased as city-states grew

Conflict Conflict increased as city-states grew “Sargon the Great” conquered city- states and formed Mesopotamia’s first empire called The Akkadian Empire. Spread Sumerian civilization for more than 50 years. The Akkadian people adopted the Sumerian farming techniques, cuneiform writing, and even religion.

Law Code

Law Code After Sargon’s death, Sumer was united by Ur-Nammu Issued the first known law code

Law Code After Sargon’s death, Sumer was united by Ur-Nammu Issued the first known law code The next king, Hammurabi, issued codes of laws for his people to follow The law code was carved in stone for people to see. He wanted people to know the laws that they were to live by.

Law Code The code was important because 1. It was the first known attempt by a ruler to use laws to unite an empire. 2. It provided historians with a great deal of information about life in Mesopotamia.

Check for Understanding Please determine the BEST answer for the following question. Please write your answer on your white boards and wait for the teacher’s signal. On the teacher’s signal, hold up your white boards.

Check for Understanding People without civilization were known as_________________. Answer Barbarians

Check for Understanding What did Hammurabi do so that all of his people knew his laws? Answer King Hammurabi wrote or carved his law code on huge stones that hung for people to see.

Check for Understanding How did Sargon unite Mesopotamia? Answer Sargon united Mesopotamia by creating Mesopotamia’s first empire with a well equipped army.

Guided Practice/Independent Practice Complete questions 1 - 2 on the reading comprehension worksheet. Raise your hand and wait to get stamped. If you received an “R” go to the back table with Ms. Graham. Independent Practice Once you have been stamped moved to independent practice and complete numbers 3 and 4 on the reading comprehension worksheet. Homework Note-taking guide on the reverse side.