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Early River Valley Civilizations. Mesopotamia Ms. Saucedo. Mesopotamia present day Iraq. Fertile Crescent- rich region of land shaped like a crescent. Rivers. Tigris and Euphrates Flow into the Persian Gulf Between the two rivers is a plain that became known as Mesopotamia.
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Early River Valley Civilizations Mesopotamia Ms. Saucedo
Mesopotamiapresent day Iraq • Fertile Crescent- rich region of land shaped like a crescent
Rivers • Tigris and Euphrates • Flow into the Persian Gulf • Between the two rivers is a plain that became known as Mesopotamia. • Mesopotamia means “Land between the Rivers” in Greek.
Silt • The Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded once a year. • As the flood-water receded, it left a thick bed of mud called silt. • This left rich, new soil. • Farmers could plant and harvest enormous amounts of wheat and barley. • The surplus from their harvests allowed villages to grow.
People • People began to settle Mesopotamia in 4500 BC. • Approximately 1,000 years later, the Sumerians settled in the area. • The language and culture became Sumerian.
Environmental Challenges • First, flooding of rivers was unpredictable. • If it came in April, it was early. • If it came in June, it was late. • Also, after the floods receded, the hot sun quickly dried out the mud, turning it into a desert area.
Second, Sumer was a small region, about the size of Massachusetts. • The villages were little clusters of reed huts in the open plain. • There were no natural barriers for protection.
Third, natural resources were limited. • There was not a good supply of stone, wood, and metal.
Solutions • Advanced irrigation system • Dug ditches to carry water into their fields from the reservoir over a mile away. • Provided Ur with food surplus, which kept the economy thriving • Government officials planed and directed this as a public works project
They built city walls with mud bricks for defense. • Sumerians also traded with other people of the mountains and desert for products they lacked. • They traded grain, cloth, and crafted tools in exchange for stone, wood, and metal.
Government Organizes • These activities required organization, cooperation, and leadership. • It took people working together to build the irrigation systems. • Leaders were needed to plan projects and supervise diggers. • These projects also required laws to settle disputes over how land and water should be distributed.
City-States • The Sumerians had built a number of cities, each surrounded by fields of barley and wheat. • Although, they shared the same culture, each city developed their own government, with its own rulers. • They functioned like independent countries do today.
City States • Uruk • Kish • Lagash • Umma • And Ur
Civilization in UR • Ur, one of the earliest cities in Sumer, began on the banks of the Euphrates River. • 30,000 people lived in this ancient city. • Priests and rulers • Wealthy merchants • Artists and artisans
At the center of all Sumerian cities was the ziggurat (temple). • There the priests appealed to the gods for the well-being of the city-state.
Sumerian Early Government • Controlled by the temple priests • Farmers believed that the success of their crops depended on the blessings of the gods. • The priests acted as ‘go-betweens’ for the gods and the farmers.
Ziggurats were also city halls. • From the ziggurats, the priests managed the irrigation system. • They also demanded a portion of every farmer’s crop as taxes.
Monarchs take control • In time of war, men of the city chose a tough fighter to lead the army. • Typically, the commander’s power ended when the war was over. • As wars became more frequent, military leaders became full-time rulers.
Dynasties • The leaders passed their power to their sons. • The sons passed the power onto their own heirs. • A series of rulers from a single family is called a ‘Dynasty’. • Between 3000 and 2500 BC, many Sumerian cities came under the rule of dynasties.
Trade • Due to their surplus of food, Sumerians increased long-distance trade. • They exchanged food and other goods for items they needed. • As their trade expanded, the Sumerians came into contact with other people, and their ideas spread. • The Sumerians absorbed new ideas, like religion.
Cultural Diffusion • The process of a new idea or a product spreading from one culture to another is called cultural diffusion.
Polytheism – belief in many gods • Enlil, the god of clouds and air was the most powerful. • The lowest of all gods were wicked demons who caused disease and misfortune.
Sumerian Gods • An: The god of heaven • Ki: The goddess of the earth. • Enlil: The god of the air • Enki: The god of water, fertility and knowledge; • Inanna: The goddess of sexual love and female fertility; • Ninurta: The god of war, agriculture, one of the Sumerian wind gods; • Utu: The god of the sun. • Nanna, The god of the moon;
3,000 gods • Immortal and all powerful • Lived as humans – love, children, fights, etc. • The gods could strike at any moment • Floods, fires, destroy cities • To keep the gods happy, Sumerians built ziggurats and offered rich sacrifices of animals, food, and wine.
The After Life • The souls of the dead went to the ‘land of no return’ • No joy awaited the souls there.
Epic of Gilgamesh • Earliest works of literature • The story is about a legendary king, Gilgamesh, who is on a quest for immortality. • He does not succeed, but the story offers a glimpse into beliefs and concerns of the ancient Sumerian.
Social Classes • Priests and Kings • Wealthy Merchants • Field workers and shop keepers • Slaves • Typically foreigner captured in war • Children sold into slavery to pay debts of poor parents • By working obediently day and night, Sumerian slaves could hope to earn freedom.
Women • Could pursue most occupations of city life • Could become a Merchant, Farmer, Artisan • Own property • Join lower ranks of priesthood • Few female scribes- therefore, scholars have concluded that girls were not allowed to attend the schools where upper-class boys learned to read and write.
