Mesopotamia
Chapter 4
Introduction
• Throughout history, the
need to have water for
drinking and growing
crops influenced where
people settled.
• The earliest known
civilization,
Mesopotamia,
developed in what is
now Southern Iraq
Mesopotamia
-Mesopotamia
means “land
between the
two rivers”
-Mesopotamia
began on the
plain between
the Tigris and
the Euphrates
Mesopotamia
• Timeline from Hunters and Herders to village
farmers
• 7000B.C.-Hunters/Herders began to settle in
Mesopotamia
• 4000B.C.- Farming villages are being built
along the two rivers (Tigris and Euphrates)
Love-hate relationship with the River
• Early Mesopotamian farmers used water from
the 2 rivers to water their fields, however,
farmers could not always rely on the rivers
• In summer, little or no rain would leave the
farmers with no water to plant crops in the fall
• In the spring, rains and melting snow from the
Mountains caused river to flood (sometimes
sweeping away crops, homes, and livestock)
Love-hate relationship with the River
• These sometimes violent and damaging floods
were also helpful. When floods ended, silt
was left on banks and plains. Silt is very good
for farming!
• Overtime the people of Mesopotamia learned
to build dams to control these floods. They
also dug canals that let water flow from a
water source to the fields (Irrigation)
Timeline from Hunters and Herders to
village farmers
• Irrigation led to a surplus of food!!
• Surplus of food allowed people to specialize in
other jobs
• By 3000 BC, Several farming villages in Sumer
(region in southern Mesopotamia) had grown
into cities
Sumer
Sumer’s Civilization
• People of Sumer were
known as Sumerians. They
built the first cities in
Southwest Asia including:
• Ur
• Uruk
• Eridu
City-States Arise
• The harsh landscape that surrounded the cities of
Sumer made it hard to travel by land and
communicate with other groups.
• As a result, Sumerian cities became independent.
They grew their own crops and made their own
goods. They gained political and economical
power over the lands around them
• By doing this, they formed their own city-states
City-States Arise
• Each city-state had its own government and
was not part of any larger governing state.
• The population of each city-state ranged from
about 5000-20000 people.
City-States Arise
• Ruins and artifacts have led historians to believe
that each Sumerian city-state was protected by a
large wall
• Wood and stone was in short supply for the
Sumerians used mud and crushed reeds from the
river to make bricks for building
• The city gate would stay open during the day and
would close at night
• Public building were located in the center of the
city
City-States Arise
• Often, city states would go to war with each
other over resources and political borders.
• During times of peace, city-states would trade
with other groups and would help each other
by forming alliances to protect their common
interests.
Gods, Priests, and Kings
• The Sumerian people worshiped many gods, a
type of belief known as polytheism
• Some gods had power over forces of nature
• Some gods guided the things people did.
• Sumerian people honored whatever god
would help their activity
Gods, Priests, and Kings
• Sumerian people honored all gods, however
each city-state claimed 1 god as its own
• To honor its god, a city-state would build a
large temple called a ziggurat (meaning “to
raise high”)
• In early days these special priests ruled the
city-state before they became monarchies
Social Classes
Upper
•Kings
•Priests
•Warriors
•Government Officials
Middle
•Merchants
•Farmers
•Fishers
•Artisans
Lower
•Enslaved people
•Criminals
•People who could not pay
their debts
Gender Roles
Men
•Head of home
•Boys went to school and trained for a
special job
Women
•Ran the home
•Taught their daughters how to run the
home
•Raised children
Law required parents to care for their
children and also for adult children to take
care of their parent if they should ever need
help
Farmers and Traders
• Most people who lived in Sumer were farmers
• They grew:
-Wheat
-Barley
-Dates
• They raised:
-Sheep
-Goats
-Pigs
Trade
• Trade was an important part of Sumer’s
economy
• Trade routes linked Sumer to places as far as
India and Egypt
• They traded wheat, barley, and tools for
timber, minerals, and metals
Mesopotamia
• Mesopotamia has been considered the
beginning of organized human society
• They came up with the first known writing
system (cuneiform) in order to keep records,
share information, and pass along stories to
later generations.
Cuneiform
• Cuneiform consisted of
1200 characters and was
written on clay tablets with
sharp reeds
• Only a few people-mostly
boys from wealthy familieslearn how to read and write
cuneiform
• Some students became
scribes
Epic of Gilgamesh
• The Sumerians gave us the
Epic of Gilgamesh, which is
the world oldest known Epic
(or long poem that records
the deeds of a legendary or
real hero)
• It was written more than
4000 years ago
Technology and Mathematics
• The Sumerians were the
first to use the Wheel
• They created Carts
• Developed the chariot
• Developed the sailboat
• Developed the wooden
plow
• They were the first to
develop Bronze
Technology and Mathematics
• Came up with the 60 second minute
• Came up with the 60 minute hour
• Came up with the concept of a 360 degree
circle
• Developed the 12 month calendar based on
the moon