Mesopotamia PDF

Mesopotamia The early societies of the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers began around 3500 BC and exist...

Mesopotamia The early societies of the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers began around 3500 BC and existed until around 1700 BC. The area between the Tigris and Euphrates is called Mesopotamia. It is located in modern-day Iraq. The Tigris and Euphrates run through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. The rivers meet in the south of Iraq, on the border of Iraq and Iran. From there, they flow into the Persian Gulf. The word Mesopotamia comes from the ancient Greek words ‘meso’, which means ‘between’ or ‘in the middle of’, and ‘potamos’, which means river. The Mesopotamians settled in the area between these two rivers for four reasons. These were water, food, fishing and soil enrichment. The fresh water from these rivers was vital for drinking and cooking food. The Mesopotamians also used the rivers as a ‘water highway’ between towns and communities along the river. They used boats to travel up and down these water highways. Food was abundant around the rivers. Animals used the river for water just like humans. This meant that the Mesopotamians could find animals such as birds and gazelles near the river to hunt and kill for food. The Mesopotamians would also fish in the rivers. The river valleys for both of these rivers were on a flood plain. This means that the ground around the river was low and was prone to flooding regularly. When the rivers flooded, they would deposit fertile soil on the ground surrounding the rivers. Because of this, the Mesopotamians could grow lots of different crops, fruit and vegetables. They grew barley, wheat, onions, Page 1 of 3 ie lettuce, chickpeas, turnips, cucumbers, They could also own property and run grapes, apples and melons. their own businesses. Farming and trading, particularly of The Mesopotamians were the world’s first crops, were the two main aspects of city-builders. They built several walled the Mesopotamian economy. Metals cities along both of the rivers. They and materials such as copper, tin and made their buildings using mud bricks timber were imported using the water and crushed reeds. They built temples highway systems in Mesopotamia. These and stepped pyramids called ziggurats. were exchanged for fish, wool and metal They built houses using sun-dried mud articles made by locals. Mesopotamian bricks. Some buildings were made from people were also potters, weavers, wood or stone. metalworkers, warriors and priests. Ziggurats were the most important and famous buildings in these walled cities. They were temples which were dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the city. Ziggurats were made of several square levels. Each level was There were three main groups of people slightly smaller than the level below. within a Mesopotamian city. These were nobles, who were royals and religious officials; commoners, who worked as farmers, merchants, craftspeople and for the palace; and slaves, who were treated as the property of others and used to work for the palace officials and build the temples in the city. Over 90% of the people in a Mesopotamian city were farmers. The people of Mesopotamia used tools such as saws, hammers, nails, chisels, Women in Mesopotamia usually stayed pins and braces. They had weapons such at home and taught their daughters as swords, daggers, axes, knives and housekeeping skills and how to cook. clubs. The Mesopotamians discovered They raised the children and were how to make their weapons and tools responsible for crushing the grain on the from a metal called bronze, which made farms. Wealthy women were allowed to them much stronger than the stone tools go to the market to buy and trade goods. used by earlier people. Page 2 of 3 ie The Mesopotamian people believed that each town and walled city was protected by a god. They believed that the ziggurat temples connected heaven and earth. Religious events were held at the ziggurat temples. Later, the temples were also the centre of learning for the communities. People from Mesopotamia are known for their many inventions and achievements. The Sumerians, people from the Mesopotamian city of Sumer, invented the wheel and the sailboat. They figured out how to reroute the water from the rivers to irrigate fields that were further away from the rivers. They developed tools and weapons made from copper and bronze. They invented cuneiform, the earliest known writing system. Cuneiform was written by scratching 3D marks into clay slabs with a tool called a stylus before the clay hardened. Nobles such as priests and scribes were the only ones who could read and write in cuneiform. They also invented a calendar which divided the year into 12 months. The Babylonians, people from the Mesopotamian city of Babylon, established a number system which provided the basis for the seconds and minutes we use to calculate time today. They also devised the earliest known written code or set of laws. This was called the Code of Hammurabi. This was used to ensure that justice was kept in the communities and to ensure that the weak were protected. Page 3 of 3 ie