1. Mesopotamia, the First Civilization
Lesson 2

2. The First Civilization
Mesopotamia (land between rivers)
Oldest of the early civilizations
Located in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Began c B.C.E
Location in the Modern World
In the Middle East, in Iraq

5. The Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Part of the Fertile Crescent
Fertile means “good for plants to grow in”

6. The Fertile Crescent
Rich farmland that reached fro the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea north to the Syrian Desert and south to the Persian Gulf
5000 B.C.E, people call Sumerians settled in southern Mesopotamia
Became known as Sumer

7. The Fertile Crescent Sumerians built cities out of mud and clay
3500 B.C.E, Sumerian cities of Ur, Nippur, and Eridu had thousands of people living in them

9. Check for Understanding
Match each term with a description from below.
Site of the earliest civilization
Rivers in Mesopotamia
Cities in Sumer
Rich farmland on the Mediterranean Sea
Settlers in southern Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia
Sumerians
Ur and Eridu
Tigris and Euphrates

10. Sumerian Achievements
When we refer to the earliest Mesopotamian civilization, we are actually referring to the Sumerian civilization
Sumerians were very inventive…they added 3 great achievements to early human history

11. The Wheel Before people had to move objects by hand or logs
Sumerian wheels were made by attaching wooden planks together in a circle
Then they could be added to carts

12. Irrigation and Flood Control
Sumerians needed a way to keep crops watered during dry summers. Also needed protection from river floods.
Sumerians dug canals and built dams to water crops and to control flooding.

13. Written Language Earliest writing used pictures to stand for words
Not effective way of expressing thoughts
Sumerians invented cuneiform
Wedge-shaped marks
A scribe used a sharp stick and pressed it into a tablet of wet clay to make their marks
Tablet then left in the sun to dry

14. Other Inventions Number system based on 60
Lunar calendar based on the phases of the moon
Sail
Plow

15. Check for Understanding
True of False
The Sumerians invented the calendar
The Sumerians invented the wheel

16. Sumerian City-States 12 cities in Sumer
Each city is referred to as a city state
City-states often grew quite large
City of Ur, 2500 BCE had about 20,000 people
2000 BCE had about 200,000 people
The most important building in each city-state was the ziggurat

17. Check for Understanding
True or False
Sumerian city-states were not very large
City-states often went to war with other city-states
A city-state included the land around the city and any nearby villages

18. Life in Sumer Highest ranking class was the noble class
King, king’s family, priests, and priestesses
Most Sumerians were commoners
Merchants, scribes, farmers, and skilled workers
Below commoners were labors
Class of people who worked for the nobles

19. Life in Sumer Men had most of the power School day was long
Women were allowed by law to own property, start new businesses, or take over their husbands’ business
Could also hold important positions
School day was long
Beginning at sunrise, ending at sunset
Students were beaten if they were late, talked when they shouldn’t, and even if their clothes were messy

20. The City of Akkad and the First Empire
City-states sometimes warred with each other
Akkad
City north of Sumer
People = Akkadians
Came to Mesopotamia from the deserts at the edge of the Fertile Crescent
Learned Sumerian writing, followed the Sumerian religion and the Sumerian law

21. The City of Akkad and the First Empire
Famous king names Sargon the Great
Wanted LOTS of power
By 2350 B.C.E, Sargon ruled all the Akkadian cities
Went on to control all the cities of Sumer
By doing this he set up the world’s first empire
His empire lasted for about 200 years

22. Check for Understanding
What was Akkad?
Describe who King Sargon was.

23. The City of Babylon: A New Empire
C B.C.E, Mesopotamia was invaded by the Amorites
Built village on Euphrates river called Babylon
Great ruler of Babylon was Hammurabi
Power hungry
By 1790, conquered other city-states and formed the Babylonian Empire

24. The City of Babylon: A New Empire
Hammurabi’s greatest contribution was the Code of Hammurabi
Single set of laws for every person in his empire
Code of Hammurabi contains over 280 laws