1. The Fertile Crescent Chapter 2 Section 1
By Ms. Merritt

2. The Geographic Setting of the Fertile Crescent (29-30)
Scribes-kept records for the kings and priests if Sumer
Mesopotamia had rich soil because it was between two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates.
Farmers and city builders moved here because of fertile land

3. Location of Mesopotamia (30)
Mesopotamia- The name of an ancient civilization which comes from Greek words meaning between two rivers.
This region is crescent shaped and close to both the Mediterranean sea and the Persian Gulf

4. Rivers of Life and Death (31)
When snow melted there were land slides which flooded the area
Farmers grew crops with the top soil that was displaced by the floods
Rivers gave the people reeds for boats, fish, and clay for building
Floods did not happen every year and caused the death of many animals and people.

5. The First Cities (31-32)
By 3500 BC, Mesopotamia had many successful cities.
High walls were built to keep out invaders
Cities were often positioned close to the Tigris and Euphrates
Cities were far apart which didn’t allow for only one ruler.
Each city had its own god or goddess, government, and king.
City-state-a city with its own traditions and its own government and laws; both a city and a separate independent state.

6. A Brief Tour of Sumerian City (32)
Sumerian houses faced away from streets so that they could see courtyards and children playing.
Sumerians used oil lamps to light their homes and clay pipes for plumbing.
Streets were crowded with merchants, musicians, acrobats, beggars and water sellers.

7. Sumerian Religion (32-33)
Ziggurat- main temple to the gods in the city
Some ziggurats were over seven stories high and the people believed that they were a ladder for the gods so that they could come down to earth.
Myths-stories of the gods that talked about punishment if you angered them or promised rewards if they were well cared for.
Polytheism-The belief in many gods