1. Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent

2. Mesopotamia “land between the rivers” Euphrates and Tigris Mostly flat
Good travel

3. Mesopotamia Con’t Fertile soil Mountains melt and rivers swell
Has SILT = GOOD for CROPS
ARID CLIMATE
Hot summers
Under 10 in of rain
Dry

4. Irrigation pg. 28 in book
6000 B.C. farmers started to take control of the water supply
Built earthen walls in the ground to hold excess water.
Built canals (to take water to fields)

5. The Fertile Crescent Western Asia = “cradle of Civilization”
“The region was named due to its rich soil and crescent shape.”
Bridge between Africa and Eurasia

6. The Fertile Crescent
agriculture (i.e. emmer wheat, einkorn, barley, flax, chick pea, pea, lentil, bitter vetch)
domesticated animals—cows, goats, sheep, and pigs—and the fifth species, the horse, lived nearby.