1. Middle East Geography

2. Where is the Middle East?

3. Geography Area where Africa, Asia and Europe interconnect
No natural boundaries
Sometimes called “Near East”

4. Climate Hot and arid Winters are mild with little rain
Summers are long and hot
Coastal areas have a breeze

5. Rivers in Middle East
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers run parallel to each other
Flooding of the rivers allow for rich soil
Not as long as the Nile River

6. Dead Sea Lowest Point on Earth 2,300’ below sea level
Highest Salt Content (33%)

7. Mountains
Taurus and Anti-Taurus in Turkey surround large plateau with fertile soil
Zagros Mountains drier soil
Afghanistan highest mountains Hindu Kush Mountains

8. Deserts
Sahara Desert stretches across northern Africa and continues as Arabian and Syrian Deserts  then becomes South Iranian Desert

9. Geography and Civilization
Fertile Crescent- between Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf, richest soil
Mesopotamia- Greek means “between the rivers”
Richest soil is between the Tigris and Euphrates River. Both Rivers begin in Turkey and flow south through Iraq.
Mesopotamia geographic conditions brought worlds first civilization.

10. Mesopotamia Farming- flat, swampy area
Rivers flooded leaving behind fertile mud- silt
food- people
Challenges- little rainfall, rivers overflow
Leaders formed government/civilization
Have the students underline silt. The silt would enrich the soil. Farmers able to grow grains such as wheat and barely.
Came up with solutions to control the water, canals, basins to store water,

11. Complete Middle East Map
Use pages in Desk Atlas to complete the map

12. Ancient Middle East

13. Sumerian
First civilizations in Mesopotamia between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Sumeria built huts, raised cattle, farmed for food
Temples= ziggurats
First gather in large city- states
City-state political unit with own government
First Civilization between the Tigris and Euphrates River.
Ziggurats= each city center a large temple rose to the city’s chief god.

14. Ancient History- The Sumerians
Developed first written language= cuneiform (5oo characters)
First people use the wheel/plow
Reservoirs store water
Invented the library
Polytheism worship of many gods
Conquered by Sargon (Akkadians)
Cuneiform use sharp tools called styluses to make wedge shaped symbols on clay tablets.
Usage of the wheel was for making carts for farming and trade. Use of pottery. Usage of bronze to make weapons
Sumerians believed gods were like humans ate, fell in love, married, fought BUT had lots of power(rich harvests or floods)

15. Deciphering Cuneiform

16. The Babylonian Empire
Around 2000 BC tribe Amorites settled in Babylon on Euphrates River
1792 BC Hammurabi became king of Babylon
Hammurabi warrior, ruler, administrator, trade
Hammurabi’s Code 282 code of laws (dealing with trade, theft, murder)
 Written down for all to see
 Everyone knew punishments
Hammurabi oversaw building projects and improved tax-collection system to pay for them, schools taught Sumerian language and cuneiform writing

17. Hittite War-like Indo-Euro tribe Asia Minor, now Turkey
Success came from horse- drawn war chariot powerful
 held 3 soldiers (one drove, second fought, third defense)

18. Hittite
Used Sumerian cuneiform and developed similar code to Hammurabi
Master ironworking techniques (Ornaments, tools, weapons)
Empire fell to Sea People

19. Assyrians Northern Mesopotamia, near Assur, along Tigris River
Grew barley and raised cattle
Lay along major trade routes, tribes invaded
Power was in military warrior society
 Chariots, foot soldiers AND cavalry
 Siege Warfare
 Feared for harsh treatment
Siege warfare surrounding and blocking of a city, town or fortress by an army attempting to capture it

20. Assyrian
Kings ruled through local leaders local leaders collected taxes, enforced laws, raised troops for army
System of roads ( messengers, troops moving easier, trade)
Punished anyone who opposed them (way of keeping peace)
Library 20,000 cuneiform tablets (Epic of Gilgamesh)
Assyrian Empire weakened
Harsh punishment would cut up the people and feed to the dogs, wolves
Epic of Gilgamesh- written on 12 tablets

21. Chaldeans Most famous ruler Nebuchanezzar II
Built numerous palaces and temples
Hanging Gardens thousands of trees and flowers grew on terraces and roofs
Calendar based on phases of moon- astronomy position of the stars
Hanging Gardens 7 wonders of the world
Astronomy position of the stars and sued them to track economic, political and weather events

22. Phoenicians Western end of Fertile Crescent (Mediterranean Sea)
Land not for farming turned to trade (sailors) trees for timber
Purple dye from shellfish color fabric, costly
Glassblowing
Formed Carthage- coast of northern Africa
One of the worlds first alphabets (22 letters)
Alphabets letters can be combined to make words
System of writing use symbols or pictures