1. The Fertile Crescent

2. Round Robin Discussion
Would you consider the hunter-gatherer societies studied in Unit 1 “civilizations?” Why or why not?
What would you consider to be the major characteristics of a civilization?
Why did cities develop?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a city?

3. We are about to study the world’s first civilizations.
As humans made advances in farming, they could produce more food to feed more people.
Small villages grew into towns, which grew into cities.
Where did the earliest farming communities tend to develop?

4. Where Civilization Began
About 3500 BC the first civilization developed.
CIVILIZATIONS are groups of people who have a complex and organized society within a culture.
Civilizations first developed in southwestern Asia in a crescent-shaped area.
This area was called the Fertile Crescent.

6. Today, the land of the Fertile Crescent is part of the countries of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

7. Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations to rise up from this area.
Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers”
The two rivers that Mesopotamia is located in between are the TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES rivers.

9. Map
Label the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and Mesopotamia on your NEW map.

10. Climate The climate in this region is hot and dry.
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers, however, provide a constant water source and rich, fertile soil. This is why early people settled here.
Early farmers built systems of irrigation to water their crops. This brought water from the rivers to their fields.

11. THINK What benefits did the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers supply?
How did irrigation help the people of Mesopotamia grow crops?

12. The People
The people of Mesopotamia began to develop better methods of building houses. They mixed mud with straw to build very sturdy buildings.
People used these bricks to build homes, temples, and palaces.
Farmers or herders domesticated goats, cattle, and sheep.
Farmers paid close attention to how they grew their crops. This created a surplus.
Mesopotamians transported food and goods on the rivers.

13. THINK
How did the Mesopotamians solve the problem of scarce building materials?
How do you think having surplus crops would affect people’s lives?

14. Growth of City-States and Trade
Once farming techniques had been improved in southern Mesopotamia, the population grew.
By 3500 B.C., several villages had grown into city- states.
A CITY-STATE is an individual unit, complete with its own form of government and traditions.
Because there was a surplus of food, it was no longer necessary for all of the people to work as farmers and herders.
Some people helped govern the city, while others were religious leaders or soldiers. Some were ARTISANS, or craftspeople.

15. Mesopotamia lacked many natural resources, so some people also became traders.
They packed up donkeys for land journeys.
They built reed boats to trade along the river.
They built large wooden ships to travel the Persian Gulf, the real gateway to the world.
Label the Persian Gulf on your map.

17. THINK As villages grew into city-states, how did they change?
After some villages grew into city-states, what kinds of jobs developed?