The Land Between Two Rivers

Mesopotamia

“My headmaster read my tablet and said, ‘There is something missing,’ and hit me with a cane…The fellow in charge of silence said, ‘Why did you talk without permission?” and caned me.”

The first schools were established in Sumer over 4,000 years ago.

Those who graduated became scribes

Students started at age 8 and usually went until 18

Schools in Sumer

Name describes location: Mesopotamia is Greek for ‘between two rivers’

Mesopotamia is found between the Tigris and the Euphrates

Mesopotamia is located in the Fertile Crescent (called that because of the crescent shape, and the fertile soil!)

The Geographic setting

Tigris and Euphrates were the source of life for people in Mesopotamia

The river irrigated the land and provided moist clay for building

The rivers were also destructive and could flood without warning, destroying homes, crops, and killing many.

Rivers of Life and Death

By 3500 B.C. the earliest cities were built

Cities were not united under a single ruler. A city-state is a city that is also a separate, independent state. (The Greek equivalent would be Athens and Sparta)

Many people worked as musicians, acrobats, and water sellers. Scribes would be hired to write.

The First Cities

Sumerian TemplesReligious, social, and economic

activities took place at the temples. Ziggurats

The Sumerians were polythesistic, and honored their gods with religious ceremonies including washing the statue of the god, offering sacrifices and food, burning of incense, and writing poetry.

Sumerian Religion

Wealth was the downfall for the Sumerians

Different cities fought with each other, winning and losing control over the area.

In 2300 BC Sumer was conquered by King Sargon of Akkadia, and they fell again to Babylon in the 1700s BC.

Fall of Sumer

1. How did Mesopotamia’s geography help civilizations to develop in the area?

2. Write a journal entry (at LEAST eight sentences) from the viewpoint of a student scribe in Sumer. Describe what you see on your walk to school.

Writing Prompt/Homework