1. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
Nile
Aim: How did a civilization begin to grow in Mesopotamia?
Do Now: Take out homework (paragraph)
What does Mesopotamia mean?
Name the two rivers of Mesopotamia.
What do the two rivers flow into?
Crescent Moon

2. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
Nile
Aim: How did Mesopotamia’s two rivers affect life in the region?
Do Now: What does crescent mean?
What does fertile soil mean?
What countries are in the Fertile Crescent?
Crescent Moon

3. Fertile Crescent Fertile – capable of producing agriculture
Crescent – shape that looks like a quarter moon
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Tigris
Euphrates

4. Mesopotamia Mesopotamia – the region between the Tigris and Euphrates
“land between the two rivers”
Rivers start in Taurus mountains
End in Persian Gulf
Plateau – an area of elevated flatland

5. Flood Depended on silt like Egyptians
Yearly floods did not come at same time each year
Many times came right before harvest

6. North and South Mesopotamia
North – enough rainfall for farming
Very mountainous, few areas of fertile soil
South – rarely received rainfall
Droughts – long periods of dry weather

7. Farming River is low in planting season
River is high (flood) in harvest season
Built water-control and irrigation systems

8. Farming Wheat and barley Shepherds cared for sheep and goats
Cattle – work animals, milk, leather, meat

9. Homework
Paragraph – How is the geography Mesopotamia similar and different from ancient Egypt?