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Main Ideas1. The rivers of Southwest Asia

supported the growth ofcivilization.

2. New farming techniques ledto the growth of cities.

The Big IdeaThe valleys of the Tigris andEuphrates rivers were the siteof the world's first civilizations.

Key TermsFertile Crescent, p. 55silt, p. 55irrigation, p. 56canals, p. 56surplus, p. 56division of labor, p. 56 ~-••.~

Use the graphic organizer onlineto listthe cause-and-effectrelationship between each rivervalley and the civilization thatdeveloped around it.

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If YOU were there ...You are a farmer in Southwest Asia about 6,000 years ago.You live near a slow-moving river,with many shallow lakes andmarshes. The river makes the land in the valley rich and fertile,so you can grow wheat and dates. But in the spring, raging floodsspillover the riverbanks, destroying your fields. In the hotsummers, you are often short of water:

How can you control the waters of the river?

BUILDING BACKGROUND In several parts of the world, bands of lhunter-gatherers began to settle down in farming settlements. They i

domesticated plants and animals. Gradually their cultures becameI more complex. Most early civilizations grew up along rivers, wheret people learned to work together to control floods.k

Rivers Support the Growth of CivilizationEarly peoples settled where crops would grow. Crops usually grewwell near rivers, where water was available and regular floodsmade the soil rich. One region in Southwest Asia was especiallywell suited for farming. It lay between two rivers.

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The Land Between the RiversThe Tigris and Euphrates rivers are themost important physical features of theregion sometimes known as Mesopotamia(mes-uh-puh-TAY-mee-uh). Mesopotamiameans "between the rivers" in Greek.

As you can see on the map, the regioncalled Mesopotamia lies between AsiaMinor and the Persian Gulf. The regionis part of a larger area called the FertileCrescent, a large arc of rich, or fertile, farm-land. The Fertile Crescent extends from thePersian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.

In ancient times, Mesopotamia wasactually made of two parts. Northern Mes-opotamia was a plateau bordered on thenorth and the east by mountains. South-ern Mesopotamia was a flat plain. TheTigris and Euphrates rivers flowed downfrom the hills into this low-lying plain.

The Rise of CivilizationHunter-gatherer groups first settled inMesopotamia more than 12,000 years ago.Over time, these people learned how toplant crops to grow their own food. Everyyear, floods on the Tigris and Euphratesrivers brought silt, a mixture of rich soiland tiny rocks, to the land. The fertile siltmade the land ideal for farming.

The first farm settlements formed inMesopotamia as early as 7000 Be. Farm-ers grew wheat, barley, and other types ofgrain. Livestock, birds, and fish were alsogood sources of food. Plentiful food led topopulation growth, and villages formed.Eventually, these early villages developedinto the world's first civilization.

READING CHECK Summarizing What madecivilization possible in Mesopotamia?

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INTERPRETING MAps

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' . .7 <!--:-, --Movement In what general direction do the Tigris andj~ Euphrates rivers flow on their way to the Persian Gulf?

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56 CHAPTER 3

o Early settlements in Mesopotamia werelocated near rivers. Water was not controlled,and flooding was a major problem.

Farming and CitiesAlthough Mesopotamia had fertile soil,farming wasn't easy there. The regionreceived little rain. This meant that thewater levels in the Tigris and Euphrates riv-ers depended on how much rain fell in east-ern Asia Minor where the two rivers began.When a great amount of rain fell there, waterlevels got very high. Flooding destroyedcrops, killed livestock, and washed awayhomes. When water levels were too low,crops dried up. Farmers knew they needed away to control the rivers' flow.

Controlling WaterTo solve their problems, Mesopotamiansused irrigation, a way of supplying waterto an area of land. To irrigate their land,they dug out large storage basins to holdwater supplies. Then they dug canals,human-made waterways, that connectedthese basins to a network of ditches. Theseditches brought water to the fields. Toprotect their fields from flooding, farmersbuilt up the banks of the Tigris and EUPhra-]tes. These built-up banks held back flood-waters even when river levels were high.

f) Later, people built canals to protect. houses from flooding and move water to

their fields.

Food SurplusesIrrigation increased the amount of foodfarmers were able to grow. In fact, farmerscould produce a food surplus, or more thanthey needed. Farmers also used irrigationto water grazing areas for cattle and sheep.As a result, Mesopotamians ate a variety offoods. Fish, meat, wheat, barley, and dateswere plentiful.

Because irrigation made farmers moreproductive, fewer people needed to farm.Some people became free to do other jobs.As a result, new occupations developed.For the first time, people became crafters,religious leaders, and government workers.The type of arrangement in which eachworker specializes in a particular task orjob is called a division of labor.

Having people available to work on dif-ferent jobs meant that society could accom-plish more. Large projects, such as con-structing buildings and digging irrigationsystems, required spedalized workers, man-agers, and organization. To complete theseprojects, the Mesopotamians needed struc-ture and rules. Structure and rules could beprovided by laws and government.

e With irrigation, the people of Mesopotamiawere able to grow more food.

The Appearance of CitiesOver time, Mesopotamian settlementsgrew in size and complexity. They gradu-ally developed into cities between 4000and 3000 Be.

Despite the growth of cities, society inMesopotamia was still based on agricul-ture. Most people still worked in farmingjobs. However, cities were becoming impor-tant places. People traded goods there, andcities provided leaders with power bases.

o Food surpluses allowed some people to stopfarming and concentrate on other jobs, likemaking clay pots or tools.

They were the political, religious, cultural,and economic centers of civilization.

READING CHECK Analyzing Why did theMesopotamians create irrigation systems?

rE·"'"~~;-,I SUMMARY AND PREVIEW Mesopotamia's1 rich, fertile lands supported productive.farming, which led to the developmentof cities. In Section 2 you will learn aboutsome of the first city builders.

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ANIMATEDHISTORYFertileCrescent2400-1600 BC

Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and People1. a. Identify Where was Mesopotamia?

b. Explain How did theFertile Crescentget its name?c. Evaluate What was the most important factorin making Mesopotamia's farmland fertile?

2. a. Describe Why did farmers need to develop asystem to control their water supply?b. Explain In what way~ did a division of laborcontribute to the growth of Mesopotamiancivilization?c. Elaborate How might running large projectsprepare people for running a government?

Critical Thinking3. Identifying Cause and Effect Farmers who used

the rivers for irrigation were part of a cause-effectchain. Use a chart like this one to show that chain.

Water levels Or!in rivers get 1\ ~"---'V"'l

too low., ------- ~...."../

4. Understanding Geography Make a list of thewords you might use to help young studentsimagine the land and rivers. Then start to sketchout a picture or map you could use on your poster.

MESOPOTAMIA AND THE FERTILECRESCENT 57