6th grade ubd - unit 3 - geography of mesopotamia

Geography of Mesopotamia

6th Grade UBD - Unit 3 - Geography of Mesopotamia

Preview

Location- Mesopotamia was one of the earliest city-based

civilizations established between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Land and Water- Mesopotamia had rich soil for growing crops.

However, the climate and annual floods made farming difficult.

Agricultural Innovations- Advances in agriculture helped

Mesopotamians become better farmers.

Trade- Mesopotamia did not produce all the resources it needed.

But it did produce extra crops that could be used for trade.

Reach Into Your Background

Ancient

Mesopotamia had

a lot of dry land.

Yet civilizations

were able to

develop there.

How can people

bring water to dry

areas of land? (5

minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your answer with theirs. What things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)

Key Ideas- Location

Mesopotamia was located where modern

Iraq and eastern Syria are now.

The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were the

two main rivers in Mesopotamia.

Eridu, Ur, and Uruk were three of

Mesopotamia’s important cities. They

were found along the Euphrates River.

Key Term

Civilization-

An advanced

state of

human

society, in

which a high

level of

culture,

science,

industry, and

government

has been

reached.

Locating Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia was one

of the earliest known

civilizations in human

history.

Mesopotamia sprang

up near the banks of a

major river, where the

land was fertile and

good for growing crops.


The abundance of

food grown in

Mesopotamia

allowed the

civilization to expand

and trade with other

civilizations.


Mesopotamia was

established in the valley

between the Tigris and

Euphrates rivers in the

Fertile Crescent.

The Fertile Crescent is a

plain in Southwest

Asia.

Big Cities

Most ancient cities that

developed thousands of

years ago do not exist

today.

How do we know about

them? We can thank

archaeologists who study

the remains of long-gone

places.

Big Cities

Mesopotamia was a

civilization made up of

separate settlements

sometimes called city-states.

Each city-state usually was

controlled by a strong ruler.

At different points in history,

different empires or kingdoms

ruled these cities.

Key Term

City-State-

An

independent

kingdom or

state made up

of a city and

the

surrounding

lands it

controls.

Key Term

Empire- A

large group of

territories and

people who

are ruled by a

single

sovereign

leader or

nation.

Big Cities

Eridu, Ur, and Uruk

were three of

Mesopotamia most

important cities

All three developed

along the banks of

rivers.

Key Ideas- Land and Water

Mesopotamians developed a system of irrigation to

control water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Irrigation provided water for crops year round.

Annual floods destroyed crops, huts, and other

structures. Irrigation stopped the rivers from

flooding.

With irrigation, the Mesopotamians produced more

food than they needed.

Resources and Geography

The Tigris and Euphrates

rivers flooded each year,

bringing nutrient-rich silt

to the river valley where

Mesopotamia developed.

This soil and the water

from the rivers were both

extremely important to

agriculture.

Key Term

Silt- A mixture

of rock and

soil that is

carried by

water that

creates fertile

soil that is

good for

growing

crops.


Mesopotamians had

to learn to adapt to

the annual flooding

and figure out a way

to survive through

the dry times when

there was little water

for crops in the fields.


To farm the land, the

Mesopotamians had

to learn to control the

flooding.

They had to learn how

to capture river water

to use year round. The

answer was irrigation.

Key Term

Irrigation-

The

artificial

application

of water to

land.

Floods in the Fertile CrescentReading Handout- Floods in the Fertile Crescent

Key Ideas- Agricultural Innovations

Mesopotamians invented a seeder plow. It

allowed them to plow and plant at the same time.

Mesopotamians tamed and raised animals. The

animals were used for food and farm work.

Producing extra food meant that not everyone

had to farm. People could do other things for

work.

Agricultural Innovations

Mesopotamians

developed irrigation

techniques that

allowed them to

harness water from

the rivers and

control the flooding.


Mesopotamians built

high walls of earth near

the sides of the rivers.

These are called levees

or dikes. These walls of

earth kept the water

from flooding over the

banks of the river.


Mesopotamians also built a

system of canals and

ditches. This system would

drain off the high water,

helping to prevent flooding.

These advances helped to

protect both crop fields and

villages from flood damage.


They built dams to raise or

lower the water levels in

the canals and ditches.

This meant they could

provide more water for the

crops when it was needed.

They could also keep water

out when it was not

needed.


With large irrigation

systems, they were able

to produce enough crops

to feed an entire city

and then some!

Irrigation was an

important advance that

allowed crops to thrive.

Key Term

Levee- A

ridge or

embankment

built along

the edges of

a river or

stream to

prevent

flooding.

Key Term

Dam- A

barrier that

people build

across rivers

or other

bodies of

water so they

can store the

water or move

it to another

location.


Mesopotamians

domesticated

animals and

invented a new

seeder plow that

made planting

more efficient.


Plows made out of

metal are stronger

and longer lasting

than plows made of

wood.

Work animals such as

cattle would pull the

plow through the

fields.


The advances in

agriculture made it so

that it was easier for

people to grow more

food.

With this abundance

of food people began

to take on other roles

in society.

Farming and Other Jobs

As the cities grew,

different members of

Mesopotamian

society continued to

develop specialized

skills that met the

needs of people

living in the cities.


Some people worked

as potters, making

pottery and utensils.

Others also worked as

weavers, making cloth.

Scribes were employed

to write texts and keep

track of trading.

Key Term

Scribe- A

person who

was

educated

and wrote

books or

other

documents

by hand.


Traders bought and

sold goods, and

musicians played

music for people.

Still, most people

had jobs dealing

with agricultural

production.


Thanks to the farmers,

cities were supported

with surplus food and

other jobs thrived.

With plenty of food to

feed everyone, the

cities continued to

grow.

Mesopotamian Farming ToolsReading Handout- Mesopotamian Farming Tools

Key Ideas- Trade

Mesopotamians traded grains, oils, and textiles with

outside societies for goods such as gems and wood.

Merchants traveled to trading centers by land or sea.

They used boats and donkeys to transport their goods.

Trade meant even more growth for Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamians were able to meet all of their needs by

trading. Trade also made Mesopotamia important to

outside cultures.

Overseas and Land Travel

An abundance of

agriculture allowed for a

system of trade to

spring up, first within

individual cities and

later between different

cities and outside

civilizations like ancient

Egypt.


People in Mesopotamia

traded food and available

resources for goods and

items they did not have

locally.

Goods were transported

overland via donkey and

carts or on the backs of

traders.


The rivers were also

important means of

transporting heavier

or bulkier items.

Sea routes for trade

also sometimes

included the Persian

Gulf.

Key Term

Commerce-

The act of

buying and

selling goods

and services.

Modern Day Connection

Thousands of years later,

our societies are still

affected by the

geography around us.

Like the people of ancient

Mesopotamia, we are

constantly inventing tools

and methods that help us

use natural resources.

Independent Activity

What has been the

“muddiest” point so

far in this lesson? That

is, what topic remains

the least clear to you?

(4 minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your muddiest point with theirs. Compare what things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)

6th grade ubd - unit 3 - geography of mesopotamia

Documents

geography of mesopotamia

water mesopotamia

minutes slide

trade mesopotamia

ancient mesopotamia

euphrates rivers

location mesopotamia

banks of rivers