ancient mesopotamia · ancient mesopotamia as more and more farmers moved into the area, better...
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Ancient Mesopotamia
Target
Describe the Geography of Ancient
Mesopotamia and its effect on its civilization
Identify and describe the leaders, cities,
contributions of the Sumerian civilization
“The Birthplace of a Civilization”
Thousands of years ago people migrated to the flood plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
These flood plains were know as Mesopotamia
“the land between the rivers”
Fertile Crescent
Ancient Mesopotamia
As more and more farmers moved into the area,
better systems of irrigation was developed
Irrigation systems were both simple and
complex
Ditches
Canals
Dikes
reservoirs
The oldest settlement
The Ubadians were the
oldest settlement
Used these irrigations
systems
The land was very flat
and difficult to work
What might make the
work easier?
The wheel
Development of Cities
Between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago
Villages of Mesopotamia kept growing in
number
Leads to the development of the city
Ancient Mesopotamian cities are not complex as
they are today
Do have some modern characteristics
Characteristics of Mesopotamian
cities
Architecture
Writing
Government
Religion
Class structure
Trade systems (division of labor)
Sound familiar???
Elements of a civilization
The First Civilization
The Sumerians
The first people to create
a civilization
They became urban
people
Urban= city dwellers
Rural = Farming
Sumerian Man
Sumerian cities
Sumer
Lagash
Ur
Kish
Uruk
Umma
Sumerians develop writing
Sumerians develop a
system of writing called
Cuneiform
Wedge shapes pressed
on wet clay tablets by
sharpened reeds
Tablets are then dried in
the sun
Cuneiform
Sumerian Religion
The Sumerians believed in a
strong relationship between
religion and land
They believed in gods and
goddesses who controlled the
forces of nature
Sun, wind, moon, water, etc.
Sky God = Anu
Earth God = Bel
God of Justice = Mardok Inanna- Goddess of Fertility
Characteristics of Sumerian gods
Sumerians are polytheistic
Believed that their gods and goddesses were
Anthropomorphic
Possessing the traits of human beings
Relationship with the Gods
Sumerians believed that the gods created the earth and human beings
Humans were allowed to work the land if they shared the products with the gods
In return the gods would
Make sure irrigation systems worked
Prevent flooding
Prevent disease
Ensure fertile soil capable of production
Sumerian Priests
Sumerian religion also looked
to priests to assist the gods
Each Sumerian city-state had
its own King who was also
the high priest
What kind of government is
this?
Theocracy
The Priests were human
beings who communicated
with the gods Probably a Sumerian Priest
Functions of Priests
1. assign the farmers to their land
2. decide how much the produce farmers would give to the gods
The produce obtained from the land was stored in dwellings knows as Ziggurats
Ziggurats
Elaborate buildings that
are several stories high
Functions:
1. serve as a place of
worship (temple)
2. government building
3. grain storage facility
Target
Describe the Geography of Ancient
Mesopotamia and its effect on its civilization
Identify and describe the leaders, cities,
contributions of the Sumerian civilization