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Mesopotamia. The Cradle of Civilization. Land Between the Rivers. Where is Mesopotamia located?. A Fertile Valley. Known as the Fertile Crescent Ideal for farming Land was rich in edible plants – fruit, wheat, and barley Fish and birds were plentiful Pigs, sheep, and goats lived in wild.
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Mesopotamia The Cradle of Civilization
Land Between the Rivers • Where is Mesopotamia located?
A Fertile Valley • Known as the Fertile Crescent • Ideal for farming • Land was rich in edible plants – fruit, wheat, and barley • Fish and birds were plentiful • Pigs, sheep, and goats lived in wild
Why was it beneficial to be surrounded by mountains and desert in developing a civilization?
Activity: • Locate various cities, rivers, places on a map • Colour and label the places
Agriculture/Farming • Read pgs. 66-71; answer the following questions • What made this area an ideal place for farming? • How do the hot climate and the river systems work together to make this a fertile land? • How does silt create fertile soil? • What effect would being able to grow such an abundance of food have on the lives of the people? • How would people living in this area meet their needs?
Describe the climate of Mesopotamia. • How did the people of Mesopotamia overcome these hardships? • Read Pg. 70-71 • What did the Mesopotamians invent?
Agriculture/Farming • The development of irrigation changed from being controlled by the environment to becoming capable of changing the environment. • The area did not supply enough rainfall for crops so irrigation was needed from the river
Was the development of irrigation a positive or negative change? Was it both? • In what ways are we changing the environment today? Do these changes have both positive and negative aspects? • What can we do to continue growth without damaging the ecosystems around us?
Cause and Effect • Using page 71 as a reference, compose a cause and effect scenario with your desk partner. • Complete Think For Yourself, pg. 71
Government • Early societies were organized as villages • Villages were small, allowing everyone to make decisions • Overtime, Sumerian settlements grew into city-states
Government • City-State - a self contained urban centre with its own ruler and government • Usually surrounded by a small dependent rural area, villages, or towns
Government • By 3000 BCE, between 15 - 20 Sumerian city-states had been founded • Uruk was one of the most powerful • Other important city-states were Lagash, Ur, Kish, and Nippur. • Conflicts between city-states were frequent, and stronger cities were able to conquer and control other cities
Government • First governments were ruled by priests • Had religious and government responsibilities • As conflicts between city-states increased, military leaders were chosen as rulers • These rulers became Kings
Government • Kings… • Made and enforced the laws • Supervised the building of dams, temples, and canals • When rulers died, they were replaced by relatives creating a dynasty
Government • Dynasty - a succession of rulers who are all related to a common ancestor • Sumerians believed that their cities had been created by deities, the lands and people belonged to these deities • Deities - gods and goddesses
Government • As cities grew in size, the responsibilities of the kings grew • Additional workers were hired to collect taxes and write and enforce laws • These people were part of the upper class
Imagine you are the second King of Mesopotamia…what rules would you make? What kind of buildings would you build? • Remember…you are living 2,500 years ago…no electricity…no power tools…no shopping malls…
Review • What is a deity? • What is a dynasty? • What is a city-state?
Social Organization • Each city state has its own king or ruler • Societies consisted of upper, middle, and lower classes, and slaves • Men were head of the household and were responsible for arranging the education of his sons and the marriage of each daughter
Social Organization • Many households had slaves • Slaves were treated fairly because anyone could be a slave through bad luck, debt, or being captured in war. • Slaves could own property, become traders and craftspeople, and buy their freedom.
Social Order King/Ruler Upper Class (nobles, priests, important government officials, wealthy landowners) Middle Class (trades people, craftspeople, soldiers, well-to-do land owners Lower Class (fishermen, farmers) Slaves
What They Ate • Sumerians ate grain; such as barley and wheat. • Barley was used for bread and cereal • Also ate vegetables; such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, onions, and lettuce • Raised cattle and goats for milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt • Raised sheep for wool • Only the wealthy ate meat
What They Wore • Clothing varied with the seasons and social status • During summer… • Wealthy women wore colourful (orange, yellow, green, and scarlet), long, loose-fitting gowns • Wealthy men wore short, wide skirts • Poor men and women wore simple knee-length tunics • During winter… • Everyone wore heavy clothes made of sheepskins and other animal skins • Cloaks made from wool
What They Wore • Women wore makeup, such as lipstick and eye-shadow, and used perfumes and body oils • Both men and women wore jewellery • The wealthy wore jewellery made of gold • The poor wore jewellery made of coloured stones or shells
Activity: • Draw a picture of a Mesopotamian woman or man detailing what they wore and the kind of jewellery they used
Housing • Most houses shared walls, like townhouses do today. • There was little wood and stone available for building materials. People built their homes of sun-dried brick. Doors led into a small family courtyard. Kids played in the courtyard. • Roofs were flat. Roofs provided a fourth living space. People cooked and slept on their roofs, when weather permitted.
Cities • Most cities were surrounded by a moat and a high, strong wall • Usually made from sun-dried mud bricks. • Gates into the cities were made from bronze
Cities • Inside the gates… • The city was a maze of narrow streets that led to the city centre. • The city centre, called the temenos, was the ceremonial area and included important buildings such as temples and the king’s palace. • Important buildings were made from kiln-dried bricks, rather than sun-dried brick • The closer a family lived to the city centre, the more important and the wealthier the family was.
People living in southern Mesopotamia developed one of the earliest writing systems in the world. • The system was developed so that information could be recorded. • This writing system began with pictures or signs drawn on clay tablets and has changed over many years.
Around 3100 B.C. people began to record amounts of different crops. • Barley was one of the most important crops in southern Mesopotamia and when it was first drawn it looked like this…