Mesopotamia the land between two rivers Vocabulary Fertile

Mesopotamia “the land between two rivers”

Vocabulary • Fertile: When the land is able to grow large numbers of plants or crops. • Domesticate: To turn a wild plant or animal into something that can be controlled. • Reservoir: A man-made lake or basin able to store water. • Division of Labor: A society in which different people do different jobs. • Fertile Crescent: An area of rich farmland between the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf. • Mesopotamia: The lands between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. • Silt: A mix of fertile soil and rock deposited by rivers.

Geography of Mesopotamia

The Fertile Crescent lies in the region north of Arabia’s deserts. It appears to be shaped like a crescent moon. It has rich, fertile soil.

Importance of Major River Systems • River systems formed valleys that attracted early people. • They provided water for drink, cooking, and bathing. • People had access to fish, fertile land for crops, livestock, land for animals to graze. • Agricultural advances led to surpluses, allowing people more time to spend away from the farms. • The earliest civilizations formed near such river valleys: Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East, Nile River in Egypt, Indus River in Pakistan, and later Huang He in China.

The Tigris river is faster and often floods more violently than the Euphrates.

Tigris and Euphrates • The civilization that formed here in this land was known as Sumer. • The land was known an Mesopotamia, coming from two ancient Greek words meaning “land between the rivers. ” • Both rivers begin in the Taurus Mountains and flow southeast across the fertile crescent. • Eventually, both rivers flow into the Persian Gulf. • The northern region of Mesopotamia sat on a high, flat land of a plateau. • The southern region consisted of low, flat lands on an alluvial plain. (A plain formed from fine soil left behind by rivers or streams. ) • In the spring, the rivers often overflow, depositing silt. (soil and tiny rocks) • Here is where civilization began.

The source of the Euphrates in the Taurus Mountain.

In winter, deep snow falls in the mountains which then melt in spring and summer.

Need for Irrigation • Early farmers experienced annual flooding. Leading to enriched soil, but that was not enough to keep the plants watered. • The floods were unpredictable and rushed over land which destroyed crops, livestock, and villages. • The north areas had plenty of rainfall, the south did not. • The south experienced a hot, dry climate with frequent droughts. • With plenty of river water, and no rain water, farmers figured out a way to bring the river water to the farms: irrigation. • They also stored water in areas of low land called basins. • Basins helped to supply them with water in times of drought. • They also built dikes and walls of dirt along the riverbanks, as well as dams, to control water flow.

Natural and man-made reservoirs can be found in the mountains which supply rivers.

Many areas of farmland are actually below the levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Ubaid Culture 5, 500 -4, 000 BC • • (oo*By*ud) Originated on the flat alluvial plains of southern Mesopotamia. People here lived simple lives and farmed to survive. They used stone hoes and clay sickles to harvest wheat and barely. People lived close to their fields in hut of reed and mud. They worshipped gods in small one-room temples. By 4, 500 B. C. , they had spread across much of the Fertile Crescent. They became more advanced, developing irrigation, and having surplus crops.

Wheat and barley both developed from natural grasses found in Mesopotamia.

Ubaid Culture • Eventually, these people developed a complex society with rules and organization, leaders (one person in each community served as village chief). • They built larger homes and temples. • They are well known for their painted pottery. • They construct boats to carry their pottery and other trade goods to other villages. • By 4, 000 B. C. they were an advanced society, this is the foundation of Mesopotamia.

From City to Civilization • Sumer was a southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamia. • The Sumerians called themselves “the black headed people, ” and their land “the land of the black headed people. ” (According to ancient cuneiform writing) • In the Bible, Sumer is referred to as Shinar (thought to be an ancient Hebrew term for “two rivers. ”). (Genesis 10: 10, 11: 2, 14: 1, 14: 9, and later in other books of the Bible. ) • Due to a surplus of crops and goods in this area, cities started to emerge. • Eridu, Uruk, Kish, and Ur were developed by 3, 500 B. C.