Early Societies of the Tigris Euphrates Valley Mesopotamia

Early Societies of the Tigris & Euphrates Valley (Mesopotamia) Jenny Mc. Carthy

Where in the world? �Check your atlas and see if you can locate it.

Where in the world? �Check your atlas and see if you can locate it. �Have you found it?

Where in the world? �Check your atlas and see if you can locate it. �Have you found it? �Does it look like this? �Can you tell me what Continent it can be found in?

Mesopotamia �Mesopotamia is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. �Mesopotamia means the land between two rivers. �Mesopotamia began as urban societies in southern Iraq in 5000 BC, and ends in the 6 th century BC.

The land between the rivers �Why do civilisations settle beside rivers? �Water �Soil enrichment �Food �Fishing

�Even though there wasn’t a constant supply of water to these rivers, the soil was enriched and extremely suitable for growing crops. �Farming and trade were the two main aspects of the Mesopotamian economy. �Can you recall what ‘economy’ means?

Skills/Crafts? �The people of Mesopotamia were known for their metal-work, woollen textiles and pottery. �Copper, tin and timber were imported and exchanged for dried fish, wool and metal goods. �Around 3000 B. C. the invention of the wheel was created making transportation of goods easier and quicker

Society � There were three major social groups in the Mesopotamian city- states � The groups were the nobles, commoners, and the slaves � The Nobles included many of the royal and religious officials � The Commoners worked for palace and temple domain, they also worked as farmers, merchants, and crafts people � The slaves worked in buildings and also belonged to the palace officials � More than 90 percent of the people in Mesopotamia were farmers due to the rich soil

Buildings/Structure �The most famous and important building in the Mesopotamian city was the temple dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the city. �The temple was called a ziggurat and was built atop a massive stepped tower �Houses were built by sun-dried bricks �A small portion of buildings were made by stone or wood

Tools/Weapons Tools Saws Chisels Hammers Braces Bits Nails Pins Rings Hoes Glue Weapons Arrowheads Axes Knives Swords Daggers Clubs Armour

Technology? ? ? �Were these civilisations technologically advanced? �Well, you might be surprised. ü Writing system ü Number system ü First wheeled vehicles ü Irrigation systems ü Boats ü Calendar

Religion � What they believed: In Mesopotamia, each town and city was believed to be protected by a god The Mesopotamians believed that these pyramid temples connected heaven and earth At first, many religious events were held at the temple but later as priesthood developed, the temple became the centre of both religion and learning for the entire community.

Writing/Literature �One of the greatest accomplishments of the Mesopotamian people was the invention of the earliest known system of writing They created written documents by using a triangular-tipped stylus to make wedge-shaped impressions in soft clay

What have you learned? �In groups of 3, prepare a short presentation on Mesopotamia. Include the following Ø It’s location Ø It’s dependency on the Tigris & Euphrates rivers Ø Skills and Crafts Ø Information about roles in society Ø Buildings Ø Tools/Weapons/Technology Ø Briefly explain it’s writing system