early civilizations: the fertile crescent
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Early Civilizations
7th Grade History
What are some important geographical features of this
region?
Fertile Crescent
Rivers and Seas
• Source of water• Land exceptionally fertile– Annual flooding washes silt onto land,
which made it easier to grow crops and support livestock
• Irrigation allowed for the easy transportation of water– canals
Why else might a river be useful?
Rise of Agriculture
• People began to settle into villages
• Villages began to grow
• Surplus of crops
Farming means
staying!
Not everyone needs to farm or hunt
If not everyone is farming, what else are
they doing?
8 Features of Civilization
• Central Government– First priests, then
kings
• Public Works– Roads, buildings, etc.
• Job Specialization– Artisans– Soldiers
• Social Classes– Based on occupation
• Writing– Laws, records
• Complex Religions– Gods, polytheism,
religious rituals
• Arts & Architecture– Pottery, pyramids,
hanging gardens
• Cities– Urbanization– Babylon, Ur
Babylon & Ur
Babylon
Ur
Map Activity
• Sumer had a complex society and culture. Historians consider it the first civilization.
• Sumerian city-states were a form of government that included the cities and the farmland around them.
• Priests were the first leaders in Sumer, but kings rose to power when the need for defense grew
Sumerian City-States
• Cities were centers of societyself-ruled community including city and nearby farmlands
• By 3000 BC, Sumer had at least 12 city-states– Most, like Ur, were on
fertile land by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
• People used bronze to create new tools– Mixture of copper and tin
• Cities were not very well protected
• Homes had thick mud walls – Courtyards served as
communal cooking areas
• Ziggurats served as the city center– First temple built
around 2200 BC– Priests managed
irrigation and wealth
Sumerian City-States
Why is Sumer considered a good example of a civilization?
Next Lesson:Closer look at the city of Ur
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