Lesson 1: Mesopotamia PDF

# Lesson 1: Mesopotamia ## As Time Passed * Fertile river valleys attracted more tribes because they were suitable for settling and forming civilizations * Small tribes settled by the Nile River * Trading and agriculture encouraged people to live in Mesopotamia ## Mesopotamia Location * The are...

# Lesson 1: Mesopotamia ## As Time Passed * Fertile river valleys attracted more tribes because they were suitable for settling and forming civilizations * Small tribes settled by the Nile River * Trading and agriculture encouraged people to live in Mesopotamia ## Mesopotamia Location * The area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers was referred to as Mesopotamia or "the area between the two rivers" * The Fertile Crescent extended from the Mediterranean River to the Arabian Gulf * Rich soil helped sustain civilization * Layers of silt enriched the soil for the Assyrians, Akkads, and Sumerians * Farmers were able to grow crops regularly using irrigation and drainage ditches ## Hints to Remember * Mesopotamia had little rain. * The Tigris and Euphrates overflowed their banks by the end of Spring. * Irrigation is supplying water to land or crops through certain channels. ## City-States and Religion * Mesopotamia was made of city-states. * A city-state is a large city with some surrounding area ruled by the basic units of the Sumerian civilization. * Each city-state had its own political and economic control over the surrounding countryside. * The Sumerian civilization included the cities of Eridu, Ur, and Uruk. * Each city was surrounded by walls with defense towers. * Mud was plentiful and used to build houses for peasants, officials, or priests. * Sumerians were creative with mud bricks and invented the arch and the dome. * They were also famous for building massive stepped towers topped with temples called ziggurats. * Sumerians believed their religion was Polytheistic and obeyed and served their religion. ## Sumerians Believed * The state was a theocracy * Theocracies were governments established by divine authority * People contributed by devoting huge amounts of their wealth for the purpose of building more temples and houses for the priests who served the religion. * Priests were a major source of authority * Their power was unlimited and went beyond that of the kings who ruled the city-state. * Kings led strong armies and organized workers for different irrigation projects. * They were highly respected as a source of authority * They resided in huge palaces. ## The Social Groups of the Sumerian Civilization * The nobles, commoners, and slaves * Priests, officials, and their families were amongst the nobles. * Merchants, farmers, and other craftspeople were amongst the commoners. * Slaves were owned by palace officials. ## Inventions * The Sumerians were very innovative in terms of technology. * Perhaps, their most famous invention is their system of writing. * Writing was important because it allowed society to keep records and pass along knowledge from one generation to another. ## Hints to Remember * Most of the lands titled by the Sumerian farmers were controlled by priests * The temple of Sumeria was known as nig-en-na. * Many of these farmlands were rented out to farmers and the piece of land was called apin-lal. ## Sumerian Economy * Traditional economy depended on trade, farming, and industry. * People learned how to make their own woolen textiles, pottery, and metalwork. * Sumerian traders traveled either to the eastern Mediterranean or to the east of India where they exchanged several of their products such as barley, dried fish, and wheat for imported copper and tin. ## Their System of Writing * Known as cuneiform * Helped them in keeping records on tablets * Cuneiform writing also helped in training scribes. * These people served as jurists, teachers, and copyists and later held important positions in their cities. * Writing also became a major icon in inventing new ways of communication. ## The Invention of Tools and Devices * Made the life of the Sumerians easier. * They developed the wagon wheel, the sundial, and arch. * They were the first to make bronze out of copper and tin. * Their achievements in math and astronomy were also tremendous. * They were even responsible for the division of hours and minutes in our watches. ## Hints to Remember * Cuneiform is wedge shaped writing using a reed stylus as a tool to create impressions on a clay tablet. * Sumerians measured fields and erected buildings by using geometry. * Sumerians invented the wagon-wheel for transportation. ## Think About It 1. Describe the city-states and society of Mesopotamia. 2. Why were the Sumerians' inventions significantly important?