Title: intro to Mesopotamia
Do Now
Using
what we know from Early
Humans, what are areas where
people will begin to settle.
Describe a location that would
meet all the needs of a
settlement (4-5 sentences)
7L
Language of the Discipline
 Civilization:

the condition that exists when people have
developed effective ways of organizing a society and
care about art, science, etc.
 Tigris

River:
The Eastern river in ancient Mesopotamia
 Euphrates

River:
The Western river in ancient Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia Video
We
are now going to watch
the Mesopotamia video.
Watch carefully for the mention
of the new vocabulary words:
 civilization,
Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers and irrigation
MESOPOTAMIA
 Means
“the Land Between the rivers”
The Fertile Crescent
 In
Northern Mesopotamia, the land is fertile. There is
seasonal rain.
 In Southern Mesopotamia, the land is mostly flat
and barren. There is very little rainfall. The area does
have slight seasons. It can get quite cool at certain
times of the year.
 Many
thousands of years ago, early settlers
wandered into the land between two rivers. Natural
vegetation and wildlife kept the people well fed.
The rivers provided fresh drinking water.
The Tigris River:
 The
Tigris was the
eastern of the two
rivers
 It flows from a
source deep in the
Armenian
mountains all the
way to the Persian
Gulf, about 1,200
miles.
 Located in present
day Iraq, Turkey and
Syria
Euphrates River
 The
Euphrates was
the western of the
two rivers
 It flows from a
source deep in the
Armenian
mountains all the
way to the Persian
Gulf, almost 1,800
miles.
The Fertile Crescent
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
 Both
rivers were the lifeblood of Mesopotamian
civilizations, giving the Sumerians water and a
vehicle for their trade and defense.
 Waters from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers helped
Sumerian farmers grow enough crops to feed towns
and cities
Reflection
 The
soil was good for farming because of
 yearly flooding.
 How would this help the development
of a civilization and help the Sumerians
to prosper?
Map of Mesopotamia
 Together
we are going to create our first
map!
 You need to make sure to color and label
everything.
 Today we will do it together but from now
on you will do it on your own!
Map of Mesopotamia
Tigris
River
Euphrates River
Fertile Crescent
Mediterranean Sea
Red Sea
Egypt
Do Now:
Living
next to a river was perfect for
farming but as the Sumerian
civilization grew people were forced
to live farther and farther from the
water.
How do you think they were able to
still grow crops?
Where did they get the water from?
7L Continued
Language of the Discipline
 Irrigation:

To deliver water to the land for farming,
using canals or ditches.
Irrigation
 As
we have seen before, the people of
Mesopotamia adapted to their environment and
developed systems to help them to survive:


Irrigation: Waterways that would bring the important
water into fields and farm areas farther from the
banks of the rivers
We Still Use Irrigation today!!
Why is Irrigation Important?
 Because
water was able
to flow through these
irrigation channels
 Irrigation channels
allowed farmers to have
water in areas that were
once a barren desert
 As the civilization grew,
the irrigations system
expanded to allow water
to areas farter from the
rivers
Agriculture in Mesopotamia
 Because
the land was so
fertile, people began to rely
even more on farming.
 Irrigation brought water to
dry areas
 Silt: rich minerals which
helped to fertilize the soil,
making it rich in nutrients.
 Crops prospered and life
became more predictable
Sumerian Farming Manual
 You
are going to create a Mesopotamia
Farming Manual with 6 steps. You must
describe the step and how to do it
properly along with a diagram or picture
of what it would look like.
 I will show you how to cut the paper and
you will complete the rest in class or for
homework if you do not finish
Sumerian Farming Manual
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Local officials decide when to let water flow onto
crops
Farmers let animals graze in soil to trample and eat
weeds.
Farmers break up the soil using hand tools
Spread seeds and plow
Plant seeds
Harvest the plants
Do Now
 How
do you think irrigation is used today?
How is our farming different or similar to
the Ancient Mesopotamians?
How irrigation is used today
 http://www.srpnet.com/water/irrigation/
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24LJS
JqpYuY&feature=related
Think about it
 Reflection…Arizona
is mostly a desert, yet it has a
huge city, how do people survive and grow crops
in the middle of a desert?
Finish Farming Manual
 All
pages need to be colored
 It must be finished today!!
EXIT
SLIP
QUESTION 1
 What
are the names of the two rivers that
designed the borders for Mesopotamia?
a) Tigris and Nile
b) Tigris and Euphrates
c) Nile River and the Red Sea
d) Euphrates River and the Nile
QUESTION 2
 In
your own words, describe why the rivers
were important in the success of
Mesopotamia?

In other words, how did the two rivers help
Mesopotamia grow and thrive?
QUESTION 3
 Which
was NOT a step in the farming
process?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Farmers let animals graze in soil to trample
and eat weeds.
Farmers break up the soil using hand tools
Hire others to help on large farms
Spread seeds and plow
QUESTION 4
 Which
a)
b)
c)
d)
was NOT benefit of irrigation
Water flowing in the irrigation was
cleaner
Water was able to flow more easily
It allowed farmers to have water in areas
that were once a barren desert
The irrigations system expanded to allow
water to areas farter from the rivers
QUESTION 5
 The
Fertile Crescent got its name
because…
a) It rained so often the land was always
lush and green
b) Snow melting from the mountains
watered the plants
c) The irrigation system allowed farmers to
water their plants
d) The Tigris and Euphrates rivers often overflowed making it very green but also
swampy