Mesopotamia PDF

Map Skills: Where in the world? Geography Society and Culture  A desert climate dominates the landscape. The region’s curved shape and the richness of its land led the scholars to call it the Fertile Crescent.  Environmental Challenges Unpredictable flooding...

Map Skills: Where in the world? Geography Society and Culture  A desert climate dominates the landscape. The region’s curved shape and the richness of its land led the scholars to call it the Fertile Crescent.  Environmental Challenges Unpredictable flooding Natural resources were With no natural barriers combined with a period limited. Building for protection, the of little or no rain. The materials and other region was nearly land sometimes became necessary items were defenseless. almost a desert. scarce.  Sumerians Create City-states City-state - a state with political and economic control over the surrounding countryside Ur - was an important trade center owing to its location at a pivotal point where the Tigris and Euphrates run into the Persian Gulf. Uruk - is considered the first true city in the world  A Religion of Many Gods The Sumerians originally practiced a polytheistic religion, with anthropomorphic deities representing cosmic and terrestrial forces in their world. People believed that the gods controlled all aspects of their lives such as peace, health, fertility, also causing natural disasters They had special groups of gods for fishermen, farmers, and crop growers, etc.  Ziggurat Step-pyramid made of sun-baked bricks or tiles on which stood a shrine. To make the gods happy, the Sumerians built impressive ziggurats for them and offered sacrifices  Religion and Rulers Sumer’s earliest governments were controlled by temple priests - the priests acted as mediator between the gods and the people The temples and related buildings served as the center of the city economically and politically. The people believed that the gods chose the city’s ruler and protected the city. Mesopotamian Society Mesopotamian Economy The Sumerians bartered wool, barley, dried fish, wheat, and metal goods. Imported copper, tin, and timber  Solution to Environmental Challenges To provide water, they Traded their crops and made irrigation canals that crafted tools with the For defense, they built city carried river water to their people and in exchange, walls and mud bricks. fields and allowed them to they received raw produce a surplus of crops. materials. Public Works Floods in Mesopotamia were frequent and unpredictable. Farmers were able to control rivers with dikes and dams to keep the rivers from flooding their fields Canals and irrigation systems were used to carry water from the rivers to the fields when there was little rain  Wedge-shaped symbols pressed into a square tablet. Tools, Technologies, and Innovations The Sumerians created Cuneiform system of writing. Using a reed stylus, they made wedge-shaped impressions on clay tablets, which were then baked or dried in the sun. Tools, Technologies, and Innovations Invention of wheel led to wheeled carts, making transport of goods much easier Potter’s wheel was also used to make clay pots and jars Tools, Technologies, and Innovations Mathematics Sumerians drew up multiplication and division tables and made calculations using geometry Number system base of 60. From this came the system of dividing a circle into 360 degrees and an hour into 60 minutes.  Tools, Technologies, and Innovations Astronomy and Astrology Observe the stars regularly and record all the changing positions of the planets and the different phases of the moon Also developed a system of calendar based on the cycles of the moon Sundial Sumerian Calendar