chapter 3: mesopotamia and the fertile crescent

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Chapter 3

World History: Ancient Civilizations Through the Renaissance

Chapter 3:Mesopotamia and the Fertile

Crescent

Section 1Geography of the Fertile Crescent

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Chapter 3


Geography of the Fertile Crescent

The valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the site of the world’s first civilizations.

Main Ideas• The rivers of Southwest Asia supported the growth

of civilizations.

• New farming techniques led to the growth of cities.

The Big Idea


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Main Idea 1: Rivers Support the Growth of Civilization Early people settled where crops would grow, which

was near rivers.

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the most important physical features of the region known as Mesopotamia.

Farm settlements in Mesopotamia

eventually developed into civilizations.


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Land Between Two Rivers Mesopotamia means “between the rivers” in Greek.

Mesopotamia is part of a larger area of rich farmland called the Fertile Crescent, that extends from the Persian Gulf to

the Mediterranean Sea.

Mesopotamia was divided into two

regions in ancient times: northern and

southern Mesopotamia.


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Hunter-gatherer groups settled in Mesopotamia more than 12,000 years ago.

Annual floods on the Tigris and

Euphrates rivers brought silt that made

the land ideal for farming.

Silt is a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks.

Plentiful food led to population growth and the formation of villages, and later into the world’s first civilizations.

Rise of Civilizations


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Main Idea 2: Farming and Cities – Controlling Water

Region receives very little rain and flooding was unpredictable.

Farmers used irrigation and canals as

a way to control river flow.

A way of supplying water to an area of land

Human-made waterwaysCanals

Irrigation


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Food Surpluses and Effects Irrigation increased the amount of food farmers produced and

created a surplus, or more food than needed. Fewer people needed to farm, so new occupations (jobs)

developed. When workers specialize in a particular task or job, a division

of labor is created.

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Section 2:The Rise of Sumer


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The Rise of Sumer

The Sumerians developed the first

civilization in Mesopotamia.

Main Ideas The Sumerians created the world’s first advanced

society. Religion played a major role in Sumerian society.

The Big Idea

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An Advanced Society A people known as Sumerians developed the world’s first

civilization in southern Mesopotamia.

By 3000 B.C., several hundred thousand Sumerians had settled in a land they called Sumer.


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City-States Basic political units: consisted of a city (urban) and all of the

surrounding countryside (rural). The amount of countryside in each city-state depended on

its military strength. Fought each other to gain more farmland Built walled cities for protection

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Sargon and the Rise of the Akkadian Empire Akkadian society developed just north of Sumer.

Akkadian king, Sargon, was the first ruler to have a permanent army.

Sargon wanted to expand Akkadian territory and conquered all of the city-states of Sumer, as well as northern Mesopotamia.

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Sargon/Akkadia continued

With these conquests, Sargon established the world’s first empire – Land with different territories and peoples under a single ruler.

Sargon was emperor – ruler of his empire – for more than 50 years.

After his death, the empire lasted only a century longer.


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Main Idea 2: Religion Shapes Society Religion was the basis for all Sumerian society.

Sumerians were polytheistic: Polytheism is the worship of

many gods.

Gods had enormous powers. Priests, people who performed religious ceremonies,

gained high status in Sumerian society.

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Sumerian Religion continued… Each city-state considered one god to be its special protector.

Enlil – lord of the air Enki – god of wisdom Inanna – goddess of love and war Nanna – moon god Utu – sun god

Priests performed religious ceremonies in giant temples called ziggurats – shaped like squared, tiered wedding cakes.


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Sumerian Social Order Social hierarchy: the division of society by rank or

class Kings were at the top of the order because they

claimed to be chosen to rule by the gods. Social order

Kings

Priests

Skilled craftspeople, merchants, and traders

Large working class of farmers and laborers

Slaves


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Men and Women in Sumer Men generally held the political power and made

laws. Women generally took care of the

home and children. Education was generally reserved for

men, but some upper class women were educated. Some women were priestesses in Sumerian temples.

Enheduanna, a priestess who wrote hymns and Sargon’s daughter, is the first known female writer in history.

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Section 3

Sumerian Achievements


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Sumerian Achievements

The Sumerians made many advances that helped their society develop.

Main Ideas The Sumerians invented the world’s first writing

system. Advances and inventions changed Sumerian lives. Many types of art developed in Sumer.

The Big Idea


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Main Idea 1: The Invention of Writing The Sumerians made one of the greatest cultural advances

in history – they developed writing.

The cuneiform (kyoo-nee-uh-fohrm) system of writing involved people using sharp tools called a stylus to make wedge-shaped symbols on clay tablets.

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Writing continued… Earlier writing had used pictographs, or picture symbols.

In cuneiform, symbols could represent syllables, or parts of words, and be combined to express more complex ideas.

First used to keep business records

A writer, or scribe, kept the records

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Writing continued… Sumerians wrote works on history, law, grammar, and math.

Also created works of literature: stories, proverbs, songs, and long poems that tell stories of heroes, called epics.

Famous Sumerian epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is a story of a legendary Sumerian king.


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Main Idea 2: Advances and Inventions Development of the wheel

Used for carts and wagons Potter’s wheel

The plow increased farm production. Sewers under city streets Math and science

Number system based on 60 Names of animals, plants, and minerals

Used medicines for healing and catalogued medical knowledge


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Architecture Rulers lived in large palaces.

Most Sumerians lived in houses with many rooms around a small courtyard.

Mud bricks were the houses’ main building blocks.

A ziggurat, or pyramid-shaped temple tower, rose above each city.

The Arts Sculptors produced many

statues of the gods for their temples.

Jewelry was a popular item made from imported gold, silver, and gems.

Engraved cylinder seals are one of Sumer’s most famous types of art.

Battle scenes

Show ownership

Highly decorative

Main Idea 3: The Arts of Sumerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki8S5I83Ccc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki8S5I83Ccc


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Section 4

Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent


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Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent

Main Ideas The Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia and

created a code of law. Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the region’s

culture. The Phoenicians built a trading society in the

eastern Mediterranean region.

The Big IdeaAfter the Sumerians, many cultures ruled parts of the Fertile Crescent.


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Main Idea 1: The Babylonians conquer Mesopotamia • Babylon was located on the Euphrates River near what is

today, Baghdad, Iraq.

• In 1792 B.C., Hammurabi became

Babylon’s king.

• He would become the city’s

greatest monarch, or ruler of a kingdom or empire.

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Hammurabi Brilliant war leader who brought all of Mesopotamia into his

Babylonian Empire.

Oversaw building and irrigation projects and improved the tax system.

Most famous for his code of laws.

Ruled for 42 years


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Hammurabi wrote down 282 laws which contained some ideas still found in laws today.

Specific crimes brought specific

penalties.

Social class was taken into account. It was a greater crime to injure a rich man than a poor one.

It was unique not only because of how thorough it was, but also because he wrote it down for all to see.

Hammurabi’s Code


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Armies battled for control of fertile land.

Different peoples ruled Mesopotamia. Hittites Kassites Assyrians Chaldeans

Each group affected the culture of the region.

Main Idea 2: Invasions of Mesopotamia


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The Hittites were the first to master ironworking, so they made the strongest weapons of the time.

They used the chariot, a wheeled, horse-drawn cart, which allowed them to move quickly around the battlefield.

They were taken over by the Kassites after their king was assassinated.

The Kassites ruled for almost 400 years.

The Hittites & Kassites


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The Assyrians The Assyrians had a strong army that used

chariots and iron weapons.

They spread terror before battles by

looting villages and burning crops.

Assyrian kings ruled their empire through

local leaders who each governed a small area.

The local leaders demanded heavy taxes.


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The Chaldeans The Chaldeans destroyed the Assyrian

Empire in 612 B.C.

King Nebuchadnezzar (neb-uh-kuhd-NEZ-uhr) rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city that had the famous Hanging Gardens.

They admired the Sumerian culture, studied their language, and built temples to Sumerian gods.

Babylon became a center for astronomy.


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ5YPVRn7hA

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Main Idea 3: The Phoenicians (fi-NI-shuns) Located at the western end of the Fertile Crescent, in what is

now Lebanon.

Became excellent sailors and sailed throughout the Mediterranean building trade networks, and founding new cities.

Grew wealthy from trading


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Resources Traded:

prized cedar

silverwork

ivory carvings

purple dyed cloth

slaves

Built great harbors

Alphabet Created one of the

world’s first alphabets – set of letters that can be combined to form words

Made writing much easier for everyone

Is the basis for the English language

Expansion of Trade

Excellent sailors

Traveled around Mediterranean to:

Egypt

Greece

Italy

Sicily

Spain

Main Idea 3: The Phoenicians continued…

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLHNh4caX4Y


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