Unit 3 - Mesopotamia
Geography: How does Geography
effect settlement of people?
Warm-Up
• 1. make a new cover page and table of contents
page
– Unit 3 - Mesopotamia
• 2. glue in notes
• 3. copy questions onto next clean page
1. What geographic features made
Mesopotamia the site of the world’s first
civilization?
2. What were the effects of settlement in
Mesopotamia?
Geography of the Fertile Crescent
Main Ideas:
1. The rivers of Southwest Asia
supported the growth of civilization.
2. New farming techniques led to the
growth of cities.
The Big Idea: The valleys of the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers were the site
of the world’s first civilizations.
The Land Between The Rivers
• The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the most important
physical features of the region known as Mesopotamia.
• Mesopotamia means “between the rivers” in Greek
• The region called Mesopotamia lies between Asia Minor
and the Persian Gulf.
• The region is part of a larger area called the Fertile
Crescent, a large arc of rich, or fertile, farm land.
The Fertile Crescent extends from the Persian Gulf to the
Mediterranean Sea.
Mesopotamia was made of two parts.
Northern Mesopotamia was a plateau bordered on the
north and east by mountains.
Southern Mesopotamia was a flat plain. The Tigris and
Euphrates rivers flowed down from the hills into this lowlying plain.
The Rise of Civilization
o Hunter-gatherer groups first settled in Mesopotamia
more than 12, 000 years ago.
o Every year floods on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
brought silt, a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks to the
land.
o The fertile silt made the land ideal for farming.
o The first farm settlements formed in Mesopotamia as
early as 7000 B.C.
 Farmers grew wheat, barley, and other types of grain.
 Plentiful food led to population growth and villages
formed.
 Eventually, these early villages developed into the
world’s first civilization.
Farming and Cities
Although Mesopotamia had fertile soil, farming
wasn’t easy there, because the region had little
rain.
This meant the water levels in the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers depended on how much rain fell
in eastern Asia Minor where the two rivers
began.
Too much rain caused flooding. Flooding
destroyed crops, killed livestock, and washed
away homes.
When water levels were too low, crops dried up.
Farmers knew they needed a way to control the
rivers’ flow.
Controlling Water
• To solve their problems with water, Mesopotamians
used irrigation, a way of supplying water to an area of
land.
• To irrigate their land, they dug out large storage basins
to hold water supplies.
• Then they dug canals, human made water ways, that
connected these basins to a network of ditches.
• These ditches brought water to the fields.
• To protect their fields from flooding, farmers built up
the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• These built up banks held back flood waters even when
rivers where high.
Food Surpluses and Division of Labor
• Irrigation increased the amount of food farmers could
grow.
• Farmers could produce a surplus, or more than they
needed.
• Some people became free to do other jobs.
• New occupations developed, some people became crafters,
religious leaders, and government workers.
• This type of arrangement in which each worker specializes
in a particular task or job is called a division of labor.
• Having people available to work on different jobs meant
that society could accomplish more.
• Large projects, such as, constructing buildings and digging
irrigation systems, required specialized workers, managers,
and organization.
• To complete these projects, the Mesopotamians needed
structure and rules provided by laws and government.
The Appearance of Cities
• Mesopotamian settlements grew in size and
complexity.
• They gradually developed into cities between
4000-3000 BC.
• Despite the growth of cities, society in
Mesopotamia was still based on agriculture.
• Most people still worked in farming jobs.
• Cities were becoming important places.
• People traded goods there, and cities
provided leaders with power bases.
Discuss
1. What
geographic
features made
Mesopotamia
the site of the
world’s first
civilization?
2. What were the
effects of settlement
in Mesopotamia?
• How did geography
shape the development
of ancient civilizations?
• What conclusions can
be drawn based on
patterns of settlement?
• How did ancient
societies use
technology to change
their environment?
Independent
•
Cause-and-Effect Posters
• Briefly brainstorm the causes of settlement in the Fertile Crescent and the
results of this settlement. Now that you have some ideas….complete the
activity below.
• Create a poster using illustrations to show the causes-and-effects of
settlement in the Fertile Crescent. Include a minimum of three causes and
effects
– Example: You would draw the below items.
• Cause 1: Water levels in rivers get to low.
• Effect 1: Mesopotamians enjoy many food.
• Include vocabulary from the lesson into your poster in either a visual or
word/phrase.
Independent
• Cause-and-Effect Advertisement
• Briefly brainstorm the causes of settlement in the Fertile
Crescent and the results of this settlement. Now that you
have some ideas….complete the activity below.
• Create an advertisement poster to entice people to move to
Mesopotamia. Why would people want to move to
Mesopotamia? Include a minimum of three reasons why
people would wish to move.
• Include vocabulary from the lesson into your advertisement
in either a visual or word/phrase.
Independent
•
Cause-and-Effect Treaty
• Briefly brainstorm the causes of settlement in the Fertile Crescent and the
results of this settlement. Focus on the importance of irrigation in the
region. Now that you have some ideas….complete the activity below.
• Create an “Irrigation Treaty” that clearly explains the following:
– Why different villages must cooperate to maintain the irrigation
system? Include a minimum of three reasons.
– Two specific actions that all villages will take to maintain the system.
A Treaty is a document which two or more groups of people agree upon
ending a disagreement. Treaties need to be as fair as possible to
prevent future problems.
Include vocabulary from the lesson into your treaty in either a visual or
word/phrase.