1. Mesopotamian Civilization

2. Objectives
Understand the civilization between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Analyze the contributions of the Sumarians and the invention of writing
Understand the impact of outsiders to the Mesopotamian area

3. Vocabulary Civilization Irrigation City- State Artisan Cuneform Scribe
empire

4. Importance of the River valleys
Good farming conditions made it easy to feed large numbers of people
Rivers provided fresh water and fish
Rivers made it easier for ideas and goods to be traded

5. Importance of the River valleys
Allowed for the creation of classes
Allowed for more time to think or ponder about things
Allowed for the invention of writing

6. Rise of Sumer Sumer located in the Southeast Fertile crescent
Sumerians built dams
Built waterways
Invented irrigation techniques to grow plenty of food

7. City- States Cities isolated from each other
Each Sumerian City had its own government separate from other cities

8. City States Sumerian Cites often were at war with each other
Sumerian cities had walls around them for protection

9. Sumerian gods Believed in many gods
Built temples called ziggurats to its chief god
Priests were powerful and controlled most of the land

10. Life in Sumer Kings lived in palaces
Ordinary people lived in small brick houses
Most people farmed, some were artisans
made pottery, metal products

11. 3 Social classes Upper- Kings, priests, government officials
Middle- artisans, merchants, farmers, fishermen
Lower- enslaved people; slaves thought of as property

12. Importance of writing Important because it helped keep records
Wrote in Cuneform
Wedge shaped marks cut into damp clay
Mostly boys from wealthy families learned to write

13. Sumerian Literature Worlds oldest story comes from Sumer
Epic of Gilgamesh

14. Advances in Science & Math
Invented wagon wheel
Invented the plow
Invented the sailboat
Used geometry to measure fields

15. Created a number system based on 60
Developed a 12 month calendar based on the moon

16. Sargon Set the worlds first empire Conquered all of Mesopotamia
Empire lasted for 200 years

17. Hammurabi Best known for his written code First with written law
Code covered crime, farming, business