Unit 2: Mesopotamia, Ancient
Egypt, and Kush
Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the
Fertile Crescent 51-77
Bell Work
9-9
 P. TN10 (1-5)
Bell Work 9/10
Societal Changes
Instructions: List features of the following societies. Leave cities blank
and we will come back to it.
Characteristics
____________
Hunter-Gatherer
Society
Characteristics
Farming Societies
(Small Villages)
Characteristics
_______________
Cities
(Civilizations)
______________
Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the
Fertile Crescent
 The first civilizations grew up in river valleys
in Asia and Africa. Such valleys provided
water and fertile land for farming. In the
region of the Tigris and Euphrates river valley,
the Sumerians developed the world’s first
civilization.
Mesopotamia and the Fertile
Crescent
 Early farming villages were not technologically
advanced.
 As the communities grew more food, their
settlements grew in size. What inventions,
technology, or organizations would be needed
in the community as it grows?
Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the
Fertile Crescent
 Fertile
Crescent
 Silt
 Irrigation
 Canals
 Surplus
 Division
of Labor
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Rural
Urban
City-State
Gilgamesh
Sargon
Empire
Polytheism
Priests
Social
Hierarchy
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Cuneiform
Pictographs
Scribe
Epics
Architectur
e
 Ziggurat
 Monarch
 Hammurabi
’s Code
 Chariot
 Nebuchadn
ezzar
 Alphabet
Civilization
A civilization is a society with cities, a central government,
workers, who specialize in certain jobs leading to social
classes, that has religion, writing, art, and architecture.
There is no civilization without agriculture – societies need a
stable food supply before they can develop.
A civilization is made up of many parts. We will use the
acronym G.R.A.P.E.S. to remember them!
Geography – Where is the civilization? What sort of crops
can they grow? What natural resources do they have?
Religion – What do the people believe? How do their beliefs
affect their lives?
Achievements – What did they contribute to the world?
What did they invent? What did they build (architecture)?
Politics – What was their government like? Who made the
decisions in the society?
Economy - -How did the society distribute their resources?
Did they trade or use money? What did they sell or trade?
What did they need to get from outside of their civilization?
Social Structures – What were their social class systems?
Who was considered more important in their society? What
were their art, music, and recreation like?
Fertile
Crescent
Mesopotamia
Flooding &
Silt
Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia (land between the rivers)
 Draw a quick sketch of the Fertile Crescent with
labels.
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
Fertile Crescent (color this area green)
Asia Minor
Arabian Peninsula
Persian Gulf
Mediterranean Sea
Mesopotamia
Tigris and Euphrates River
Africa
 P. 55
Farming Community Activity
 Part I: Sketch a small farming community in
its early stages (color #1)
 Add irrigation to your community (color #2)
 Add surplus of food to your community (color
#3)
 Surplus of food leads to a division of labor.
Add division of labor (color #4)
Bell Work
Happy Patriots’ Day
9/11
1. What is the acronym for characteristics of a
civilization and what does each letter stands
for?
2. What region did the first civilization choose
to settle?
3. How did Mesopotamians control the floods
that destroyed crops, killed livestock, and
washed away homes?
Things You Should Have Included in
Your Farming Community Sketch
 Wood/
Mud
Houses
 Crops
 Water
Source
 Megalith
 Water
Diverti
ng
From
the
Water
Source
to
Crops
 Added
Food
Sources
through
out the
commu
nity
 People
in the
commun
ity
doing
chores:
making
pottery, cropping,
taming animals,
building canals,
building homes
How might big construction projects
like the building of canals and large
buildings lead to laws and
government?
Farming settlements grew in size and
complexity. They gradually developed
into cities between 4000 and 3000 BC.
Go Back and fill in characteristics or features of a civilization
Characteristics
____________
Hunter-Gatherer
Society
Characteristics
Farming Societies
(Small Villages)
Characteristics
_______________
Cities
(Civilizations)
______________
Quick Review
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


What is the acronym for characteristics of a
civilization and what does each letter stands for?
What region did the first civilizations choose to
settle?
How did Mesopotamians control the floods that
destroyed crops, killed livestock, and washed away
homes?
What lead to the creation of laws and
governments?
Bell Work
9/12 and 9/13
A.
Match the following with the correct term from Chapter 3-1
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
B.
a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks
type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular
task or job
a way of supplying water to an area of land
a large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland
more than needed
between the rivers
human-made waterways
Read pages 58-59. Complete the questions on page 59.
Please answer the questions in complete sentences.
Page 59-60
Academic Vocabulary Quiz
 You will need:
1 Sheet of Paper
Writing Utensil
Part I- Correctly spell the word given beside the number.
Part II: Put the word that correctly matches the
definitions below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
being the first or earliest of the kind or in existence
growth or progress
a rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something
a member of the Eskimo peoples inhabiting northernmost North America from northern
Alaska to eastern Canada and Greenland
a prominent or conspicuous part or characteristic
the striking of one thing against another; forceful contact; collision
to divide and give out in shares; deal out; allot
mutual relation of two or more things or parts
to introduce something new; make changes in anything established
not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased
Chapter 3-2
The Rise of Sumer (Page 60-64)
 Moveable Groups Rules
– You may only take your composition books as you
move to the next group
– You must work together/stay together as you
answer the questions in each section
– Write your answers in complete sentences
– You will have 6 minutes per group/when the
music starts to play, it is time to move to the next
group (counter-clockwise)/when the music goes
off, you should be in a seat
3-2 Moveable Group Questions
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Chapter 3-2 (60-64)
Group 1-You do not have to write the questions; however, write answers incomplete sentences.
What area in Southern Mesopotamia was known as the world’s first civilization?
Where and how did most Sumerians live?
As cities grew, they formed city-states. What were city-states and how did they get along with each other?
Which Sumerian king became a legendary figure in Sumerian literature? Where was this legendary figure from?
Looking at page 70-71, what was the world’s oldest written epic?
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Group 2-You do not have to write the questions; however, write answers incomplete sentences.
What group of people lived north of Sumer and how were they different from the Sumerians?
Though they lived in peace for many years, in the 2300s, the peace broke. Why did the peace break between the Sumerians
and the Akkadians?
What was the capital of the Akkadian Empire?
How was Sargon able to build the first empire and how far did it stretch?
On page 62-63, study The City-State of Ur picture and answer the question on page 63.
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Group 3-You do not have to write the questions; however, write answers incomplete sentences.
What was the basis of all Sumerian society?
Sumerians were polytheistic. What is polytheism?
What kind of powers did Sumerians believe their gods possessed?
Why did priests gain high status in Sumer?
What is social hierarchy? Another phrase that means social hierarchy is ____________.
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Group 4-You do not have to write the questions; however, write answers incomplete sentences.
Explain the social hierarchy in Sumer (upper to lower class).
Trade had a great impact on Sumerian life. What did Sumerians trade?
How was life different for men and women in Sumerian Society?
How did trade affect Sumerian Society?
What was Enhenduanna the first to do? Why might Enheduanna have had an easier time than other women in becoming a
writer?
• What was Enhenduanna the first to do? Why
might Enheduanna have had an easier time
than other women in becoming a writer?
Bell Work 9/16
Epic of Gilgamesh
 Read this Primary
Source and answer
the questions on page
71.
Complete the Chart Below
Sumer
G.=________
R. =________
A. =________
P. =________
E. =________
S. =________
Picture: Ziggurat at Ur
p. 51
Mesopotamian temples known as ziggurats served as
places of worship and were the largest, most
important buildings in their cities. The photo here
shows one of the most famous Mesopotamian
ziggurats, the ziggurat at Ur. The ruins of the
ancient Sumerian temple, believed to have been built
in about 2100BC, are located near the present-day
city of Nasiriyah, in southeastern Iraq. Attempts at
restoring the ziggurat took place in the 1930s, but
only the lower level of the temple was restored.
What types of technology or knowledge were
probably needed to build this temple?