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Mesopotamia

Land Between Two Rivers

  • Mesopotamia was known as the “Fertile Crescent” because of it’s crescent shape and availability of fertile or “rich” soil…good for planting.

  • It was also known as the “Cradle of Civilization” because it was the birthplace of civilization.

  • The first major civilization was Sumer

  • Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Irrigation

  • A dry, hot desert-like climate.

  • The rivers would flood unpredictably every spring, leaving silt behind to help create fertile, rich soil which was great for growing!

  • Sumerians needed to control the river so they could prosper.

  • Sumerians developed a system for controlling the flow and direction of water from the rivers.

  • Canals and irrigation ditches were built to redirect the water to the fields.

Development of Agriculture

  • Important Inventions: irrigation systems, the plow, the wheel/cart.

  • These inventions helped crops to grow in the difficult climate which led to a surplus of food.

  • The surplus led to a system of trading.

  • Sumer had limited resources, so they needed to barter with other lands.

City-States

  • There were many city-states that developed in Mesopotamia. They were independent of one another.

  • They each had their own god, government and leaders.

  • They would often go to war with each other over resources and land.

Ziggurat

  • Located in the center of the city-state.

  • Home of the city’s God

  • Temple-Only priests could enter

  • Courtyards surrounded ziggurat so merchants could trade goods

  • “Mountain of the Gods”

Sumerian Homes

  • Homes were usually windowless and made of sun dried mud bricks because there was little wood or stone available.

  • Roofs were flat.

  • Roofs provided a fourth living space.

  • People cooked and slept on their roofs, when weather permitted.

  • Some of the fancier roofs were designed with four walls for privacy.

  • Some had grape arbors that provided food, privacy, and shelter from the sun.

Sumerian City

  • Sumerian houses faced away from crowded streets. Instead, they faced onto courtyards where families ate and children played.

  • Sumerian city streets were so narrow that you could hardly get a cart through them.

Social Classes and Division of Labor

  • People started specializing or becoming trained in different jobs.

    • There were farmers, craftsmen, priests, merchants, soldiers, scribes, rulers and slaves.

    • People had different jobs to do and contributed to the society.

  • Depending on their wealth and education, people were valued differently and were treated differently by the law.

    • Slaves and peasants were at the bottom of the social pyramid and rulers, priests and the wealthy were at the top.

    • The wealthier you were the closer to the ziggurat you lived

Sumerian Priests

  • The early city-states were ruled by priests.

  • The job of priests were to:

    • control irrigation

    • settle arguments

    • store and distribute surplus

    • collect taxes in the form of goods

    • make sacrifices and pray to the unpredictable gods of Mesopotamia

Religion

  • Polytheism: belief in many gods

  • 4 main gods and around 3,000 lower gods

  • Gods had human qualities.

  • They were viewed as often hostile and unpredictable – similar to the natural environment around them.

  • Sumerians believed their purpose on Earth was to serve the gods

  • The forces of nature and all the evils were under control of the Gods, so Sumerians offered food and animals to please the gods.

  • Only the priests of the city-state could speak with the gods.

    • They controlled the city-states.

Mesopotamia

Land Between Two Rivers

  • Mesopotamia was known as the “Fertile Crescent” because of it’s crescent shape and availability of fertile or “rich” soil…good for planting.

  • It was also known as the “Cradle of Civilization” because it was the birthplace of civilization.

  • The first major civilization was Sumer

  • Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Irrigation

  • A dry, hot desert-like climate.

  • The rivers would flood unpredictably every spring, leaving silt behind to help create fertile, rich soil which was great for growing!

  • Sumerians needed to control the river so they could prosper.

  • Sumerians developed a system for controlling the flow and direction of water from the rivers.

  • Canals and irrigation ditches were built to redirect the water to the fields.

Development of Agriculture

  • Important Inventions: irrigation systems, the plow, the wheel/cart.

  • These inventions helped crops to grow in the difficult climate which led to a surplus of food.

  • The surplus led to a system of trading.

  • Sumer had limited resources, so they needed to barter with other lands.

City-States

  • There were many city-states that developed in Mesopotamia. They were independent of one another.

  • They each had their own god, government and leaders.

  • They would often go to war with each other over resources and land.

Ziggurat

  • Located in the center of the city-state.

  • Home of the city’s God

  • Temple-Only priests could enter

  • Courtyards surrounded ziggurat so merchants could trade goods

  • “Mountain of the Gods”

Sumerian Homes

  • Homes were usually windowless and made of sun dried mud bricks because there was little wood or stone available.

  • Roofs were flat.

  • Roofs provided a fourth living space.

  • People cooked and slept on their roofs, when weather permitted.

  • Some of the fancier roofs were designed with four walls for privacy.

  • Some had grape arbors that provided food, privacy, and shelter from the sun.

Sumerian City

  • Sumerian houses faced away from crowded streets. Instead, they faced onto courtyards where families ate and children played.

  • Sumerian city streets were so narrow that you could hardly get a cart through them.

Social Classes and Division of Labor

  • People started specializing or becoming trained in different jobs.

    • There were farmers, craftsmen, priests, merchants, soldiers, scribes, rulers and slaves.

    • People had different jobs to do and contributed to the society.

  • Depending on their wealth and education, people were valued differently and were treated differently by the law.

    • Slaves and peasants were at the bottom of the social pyramid and rulers, priests and the wealthy were at the top.

    • The wealthier you were the closer to the ziggurat you lived

Sumerian Priests

  • The early city-states were ruled by priests.

  • The job of priests were to:

    • control irrigation

    • settle arguments

    • store and distribute surplus

    • collect taxes in the form of goods

    • make sacrifices and pray to the unpredictable gods of Mesopotamia

Religion

  • Polytheism: belief in many gods

  • 4 main gods and around 3,000 lower gods

  • Gods had human qualities.

  • They were viewed as often hostile and unpredictable – similar to the natural environment around them.

  • Sumerians believed their purpose on Earth was to serve the gods

  • The forces of nature and all the evils were under control of the Gods, so Sumerians offered food and animals to please the gods.

  • Only the priests of the city-state could speak with the gods.

    • They controlled the city-states.

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