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Ancient Mesopotamia

Target

Describe the Geography of Ancient

Mesopotamia and its effect on its civilization

Identify and describe the leaders, cities,

contributions of the Sumerian civilization

“The Birthplace of a Civilization”

Thousands of years ago people migrated to the flood plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

These flood plains were know as Mesopotamia

“the land between the rivers”

Fertile Crescent

Ancient Mesopotamia

As more and more farmers moved into the area,

better systems of irrigation was developed

Irrigation systems were both simple and

complex

Ditches

Canals

Dikes

reservoirs

The oldest settlement

The Ubadians were the

oldest settlement

Used these irrigations

systems

The land was very flat

and difficult to work

What might make the

work easier?

The wheel

Development of Cities

Between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago

Villages of Mesopotamia kept growing in

number

Leads to the development of the city

Ancient Mesopotamian cities are not complex as

they are today

Do have some modern characteristics

Characteristics of Mesopotamian

cities

Architecture

Writing

Government

Religion

Class structure

Trade systems (division of labor)

Sound familiar???

Elements of a civilization

The First Civilization

The Sumerians

The first people to create

a civilization

They became urban

people

Urban= city dwellers

Rural = Farming

Sumerian Man

Sumerian cities

Sumer

Lagash

Ur

Kish

Uruk

Umma

Sumerians develop writing

Sumerians develop a

system of writing called

Cuneiform

Wedge shapes pressed

on wet clay tablets by

sharpened reeds

Tablets are then dried in

the sun

Cuneiform

Sumerian Religion

The Sumerians believed in a

strong relationship between

religion and land

They believed in gods and

goddesses who controlled the

forces of nature

Sun, wind, moon, water, etc.

Sky God = Anu

Earth God = Bel

God of Justice = Mardok Inanna- Goddess of Fertility

Characteristics of Sumerian gods

Sumerians are polytheistic

Believed that their gods and goddesses were

Anthropomorphic

Possessing the traits of human beings

Relationship with the Gods

Sumerians believed that the gods created the earth and human beings

Humans were allowed to work the land if they shared the products with the gods

In return the gods would

Make sure irrigation systems worked

Prevent flooding

Prevent disease

Ensure fertile soil capable of production

Sumerian Priests

Sumerian religion also looked

to priests to assist the gods

Each Sumerian city-state had

its own King who was also

the high priest

What kind of government is

this?

Theocracy

The Priests were human

beings who communicated

with the gods Probably a Sumerian Priest

Functions of Priests

1. assign the farmers to their land

2. decide how much the produce farmers would give to the gods

The produce obtained from the land was stored in dwellings knows as Ziggurats

Ziggurats

Elaborate buildings that

are several stories high

Functions:

1. serve as a place of

worship (temple)

2. government building

3. grain storage facility

Target

Describe the Geography of Ancient

Mesopotamia and its effect on its civilization

Identify and describe the leaders, cities,

contributions of the Sumerian civilization