Ancient Mesopotamia By Tess Jacobson

Geography Mesopotamia-The land between the two rivers, Euphrates and the Tigris. Where modern-day Iraq is. The rivers made the soil very good to grow crops in, but only when it flooded. Because of this, the people dug an irrigation system so they could use the flood water to get to everywhere in their land. Irrigation also carried away floodwater so the city wouldn’t be damaged by it. The land was used mainly to grow crops and graze animals.

Civilization When the rivers flooded and the irrigation systems were not ready, the cities would flood. Because of that, they made walls of earth to hold the floods away. By 3500 BC, Mesopotamians developed technology to have successful cities and farms. Ziggurats were large temples made of mud and brick. Each city had a special god, and a shrine for them would be found on top of the ziggurat. When cities become large enough, they would need a government. Each city-state had it’s own government.

Civilization (cont.) Then, the city-states changed governments, and now had monarchy. The rulers of the city-states were thought to be very great and powerful because they were thought to be picked by the gods. By 3000 BC, cities became so large that farms had surplus. This caused people to have different kinds of jobs. People then divided into different groups of importance. High class, Middle class, and slaves. Slaves were only enslaved until they paid off a debt they owed. Not many people could write, either. Writers, or scribes, would be paid to write for other people. Women had more rights in Ancient Sumer than they did in many other civilizations.

Conquests and Empires Wars developed when city-states wanted to enlarge their property. When one city-state stole land from another, the other city-state would steal back, and wars started When technologies got more advanced, weapons did too. Because of this, more people died in battles. Sargon was the first conqueror in Mesopotamia. His army took over many city-states, and he became emperor of them. Sargon ruled for another 55 years until his empire was weakened.

Conquests and Empires (cont.) Hammurabi, king of Babylon, conquered most of Mesopotamia. This empire was known as the Babylonian Empire. He changed the tax system so it was fair, and he used the money to improve his empire. Hammurabi’s most famous improvement was his code of laws. The laws explained everything in clear detail. Punishments for injuring would me to get injured. There were also specific punishments for crimes. When Babylon was conquered, many other groups ruled Mesopotamia. The Assyrians conquered many places and made many roads and trade routes. The Assyrians went down in 612 BC By the Medes.

Vocabulary Irrigation-A system of canals, dams, ditches, and dikes to move water to dry areas on a farm. Ziggurats-A large Sumerian mud-brick temple. Government- A system used to make laws and decisions for a group of people. City-State-A region with a city and it’s surroundings that has it’s own government. Monarchy-The system of government where one person is the ruler.