Name- ____________________
Social Studies, Six-Huebner
The Land Between Two Rivers
Review
 The first know schools were set up in Sumer, where boys and possibly a few girls were
taught the new invention of writing. When graduated, they became scribeskeeping records for kings and priests.
The Location of Mesopotamia
 Mesopotamia, or the land between two rivers, had rich soil, life-giving rivers, and a
central location that brought traders from other areas.
 Mesopotamia is part of the Fertile Crescent, which goes from the Mediterranean
Sea in the east to the Persian Gulf in the south.
 The _______________ and ____________________ Rivers made Mesopotamia one of the
best places to grow crops.
Rivers of Life and Death
 Spring… melting snow picked up topsoil… flooded the land… leaving the rich soil on
the land… rivers also had fish, clay and tall, strong reeds to build boats
 The floods could also be destructive.
The First Cities
 Farming in Mesopotamia succeeded… food was in surplus… populations grew…
cities developed
Independent Cities Form
 Mesopotamia cities shared common languages and culture, but were not ruled by
a single ruler.
 Instead, the cities remained independent _______________-_______________.


Each Sumerian city had its own special _______________ or __________________, its
own ____________________, and later its own _______________.
Read “A Brief Tour of a Sumerian City” on page 33. Use the chart to list how
Sumerians lived.
In the marketplaces Sumerian houses
For a fee, scribes wrote letters for people who could not read or write.
Sumerian Religion
A ziggurat was _____________________________________________________________________.
Ziggurats were pyramids made of terraces, one on top of another, linked by ramps and
stairs. Some were more than 8 stories high.
At the top of the ziggurat was a
.
The Sumerians believed that gods came to earth using the ziggurat as a stairway.
Ancient Religious Beliefs
 The people of Sumer worshipped many gods and goddesses. This is known as
____________________ (poly + theism).

Sumerian _______________ warned that gods would punish people who angered
them and reward people who served them well.
Honoring the Gods
 The Sumerians honored their gods in _______________ ____________________.

Temple priests ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

_______________ sounded and _______________ burned as plates of food were laid
out for the gods and goddesses.
The Fall of Sumer
 City-states fought with each other over land and the use of river water.

The Akkadian King Sargon conquered the city-states, united them, and improved
the government and military.

Sumer and Akkadia eventually fell to Babylonia.
Farming in Mesopotamia
First…
Next…
Then…
Farmers cultivated wheat, barley, cucumbers, and figs.
Finally…
What inventions improved the way Mesopotamian people farmed?
1. _________________________
2. _________________________