The Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia Targets 1 I can

The Fertile Crescent & Mesopotamia

Targets 1. I can explain the importance of the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and describe how they were the site of the world’s first civilizations. 2. I can list the Sumerian advances and describe how they helped their society develop. 3. I can analyze what is going on in the Eastern Mediterranean, Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia? 4. I can analyze the Israel and Palestinian Territories and describe the continued struggle over the region’s land. 5. I can compare and contrast the characteristics of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, including; Islamic religion and culture, monarchy as a form of government, and valuable oil resources.

How can you utilize the waters of the river? • Hunter-gatherers began to settle down in farming settlements. • They domesticated plants and animals. • Most early civilizations grew up along rivers, where people learned to work together to irrigate fields and control floods.

Rivers Support the Growth of Civilization • Early peoples settled where crops would grow. • Easy transportation routes. • Crops usually grew well near rivers, where water was available and regular floods made the soil rich. • One region in Southwest Asia was especially well suited for farming.

Google Earth

The Land between the Rivers • The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the most important physical features of the region sometimes known as Mesopotamia. • Mesopotamia o “between the rivers” • Fertile Crescent- An area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began

• The Fertile Crescent is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East, originally including the Levant and Ancient Mesopotamia, and often extended to Ancient Egypt. The region is sometimes referred to as the “Cradle of Civilization. “ • Where Life Began