Chapter 3 Mesopotamia and the Fertile

Crescent
SectionNotes Video
Geography of the Fertile Crescent Mesopotamian Achievements
The Rise of Sumer
Sumerian Achievements
Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescen
Maps
The Fertile Crescent
t
River Valley Civilizations
Sargons Empire, c. 2330 BC
Babylonian and Assyrian Empires
HistoryCloseup Phoenicia
The City-State of Ur Mesopotamia and the Fertile Cresc
ent
Assessment Map
QuickFacts
Hammurabis Code
Images
Development of Writing
Chapter 3 Visual Summary
Sumerian Achievements
Gilgamesh Statue
 Geography of the Fertile Crescent 6.2.1
6.2.2

The Big Idea

The valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the site of
the worlds first civilizations.
Main Ideas
The rivers of Southwest Asia supported the growth of
civilizations.
New farming techniques led to the growth of cities.
 Main Idea 1:
The rivers of Southwest Asia
supported the growth of civilizations.

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the most important

physical features of the region known as Mesopotamia.
Farm settlements in Mesopotamia eventually developed
into civilizations.
 Land Between Two Rivers

Mesopotamia means between the rivers in Greek.

Mesopotamia is part of a larger area of rich farmland
called the Fertile Crescent.
Mesopotamia was divided into two regions in ancient
times: northern and southern Mesopotamia.
 Rise of Civilizations

Annual floods on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers brought

silt that made the land ideal for farming.
Silt is a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks.
Plentiful food led to population growth and the formation
of villages.
Villages later developed into the worlds first civilizations.
 Main Idea 2:
New farming techniques led to the growth of
cities.

Farmers used irrigation and canals as a way to control

river flow.
Increased amounts of food led to surpluses, which meant
that fewer people needed to farm.
As a result, new occupations developed.
 Controlling Water

The water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates would rise or

fall, depending on the amount of rainfall. Irrigation and
canals helped solve flooding and drought problems.

Irrigation A way of supplying water to an area of land

Canals Human-made waterways

Farmers also built up the banks of the rivers to hold back

the floodwaters.
 Food Surpluses and Effects

Irrigation increased the amount of food farmers produced.

This created a food surplus, or more food than they
needed.
Fewer people needed to farm, so they took on other roles
and jobs.
When workers specialize in a particular task, a division of
labor is created.
Large projects were undertaken, which led to the need for
structure and rules.
Settlements grew in size, creating cities between 4000
and 3000 B.C.
 The Rise of Sumer 6.2.3

The Big Idea

The Sumerians developed the first civilization in
Mesopotamia.
Main Ideas
The Sumerians created the worlds first advanced society.
Religion played a major role in Sumerian society.
 Main Idea 1:
The Sumerians created the worlds first
advanced society.

Created basic political units called city-states

Had strong armies
Built walled cities for protection
 City-States

Consisted of a city and all the countryside surrounding it

The amount of countryside in each city-state depended on
its military strength.
Fought each other to gain more farmland
Gained and lost power over time
 Sargon

Akkadian ruler who had the first permanent army

Defeated all the city-states of Sumer

When his army conquered northern Mesopotamia, he

established the worlds first empire.

Empire: land with different territories and peoples under

a single rule

Sargon ruled for 50 years. After his death, his empire lasted
only a century longer.
 Main Idea 2:
Religion played a major role in Sumerian
society.

Sumerian polytheism was the basis for all Sumerian

society.
Polytheism is the worship of many gods.
Gods had enormous powers.
Priests had great statues built in Sumer.
Priests were people who performed religious
ceremonies.
 Sumerian Social Order

Social hierarchy: the division of society by rank or class

Kings were at the top of the order because they claimed
to be chosen to rule by the gods.
Social order
Kings
Priests
Skilled craftspeople, merchants, and traders
Large working class of farmers and laborers
Slaves
 Men and Women in Sumer

Men generally held the political power and made laws.

Women generally took care of the home and children.
Education was generally reserved for men, but some
upper class women were educated.
Some women were priestesses in Sumerian temples.
Enheduanna, a priestess who wrote hymns, is the first
known female writer in history.
 Sumerian Achievements 6.2.9

The Big Idea

The Sumerians made many advances that helped their
society develop.
Main Ideas
The Sumerians invented the worlds first writing system.
Advances and inventions changed Sumerian lives.
Many types of art developed in Sumer.
 Main Idea 1:
The Sumerians invented the worlds first
writing system.

The cuneiform system involved the use of sharp tools

called styluses.
The Sumerians first used cuneiform to keep business
records.
The Sumerians also used their writing skills to write books
about history, poems, and math.
 Invention of Writing

Cuneiform Scribes Other Uses

Worlds first Writers Wrote works of
system of writing literature, stories,
Kept track of
proverbs, and
Cuneiform items people
songs
symbols could traded and
represent wrote down Wrote poems
syllables. Earlier government about the gods
pictographs had records and military
represented only victories.
Scribes could
objects.
move up in Created epics,
The Sumerians social class. long poems that
wrote on clay tell the stories of
tablets with a heroes.
stylus.
 Main Idea 2:
Advances and inventions changed
Sumerian lives.

Development of the wheel

Used for carts and wagons
Potters wheel
The plow increased farm production.
Sewers under city streets
Math and science
Number system based on 60
Names of animals, plants, and minerals
Used medicines for healing and catalogued medical
knowledge
 Main Idea 3:
Many types of art developed in Sumer.
Architecture The Arts
Rulers lived in large Sculptors produced many
palaces. statues of the gods for their
temples.
Most Sumerians lived in
houses with many rooms Jewelry was a popular item
around a small courtyard. made from imported gold,
silver, and gems.
Mud bricks were the
houses main building Engraved cylinder seals are
blocks. one of Sumers most
famous types of art.
A ziggurat, or pyramid-
Battle scenes
shaped temple tower, rose
above each city. Show ownership
Highly decorative
 Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent 6.2.4

The Big Idea

After the Sumerians, many cultures
ruled parts of the Fertile Crescent.

Main Ideas
The Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia and created a
code of law.
Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the regions culture.
The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern
Mediterranean region.
 Main Idea 1:
The Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia and
created a code of law.

Hammurabi was Babylons king.

During his rule, Babylon became the most important city
in Mesopotamia.
Hammurabis Code was a set of 282 laws he created that
dealt with almost every part of daily life.
 Hammurabi

Babylons king and Brilliant war leader Oversaw building

the citys greatest who brought all of and irrigation
monarch, or ruler Mesopotamia into projects and
of a kingdom or his Babylonian improved the tax
empire Empire system

Developed a set
of laws that was
written down for
all to see
 Hammurabis Code

Hammurabi wrote down 282 laws which contained some

ideas still found in laws today.
Specific crimes brought specific penalties.
Social class was taken into account. It was a greater crime
to injure a rich man than a poor one.
It was unique not only because of how thorough it was,
but also because he wrote it down for all to see.
 Main Idea 2:
Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the
regions culture.

Armies battled for control of fertile land.

Different peoples ruled Mesopotamia.
Hittites
Kassites
Assyrians
Chaldeans
Each group affected the culture of the region.
 The Hittites & Kassites

The Hittites were the first to master ironworking, so they made

the strongest weapons of the time.

They used the chariot, a wheeled, horse-drawn cart, which

allowed them to move quickly around the battlefield.

They were taken over by the Kassites after their king was
assassinated.

The Kassites ruled for almost 400 years.

 The Assyrians

The Assyrians had a strong army that used chariots and

iron weapons.
They spread terror before battles by looting villages and
burning crops.
Assyrian kings ruled their empire through local leaders
who each governed a small area.
The local leaders demanded heavy taxes.
 The Chaldeans

The Chaldeans attacked the Assyrians when they were

weak and destroyed their empire.
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city
that had the famous Hanging Gardens.
They admired the Sumerian culture, studied their
language, and built temples to Sumerian gods.
Babylon became a center for astronomy.
 Main Idea 3:
The Phoenicians built a trading society in the
eastern Mediterranean region.

Resources Expansion of Alphabet

Trade
Trade
Prized Cedar Recorded their
trees for timber Sailed ships activities
around the
Accessed the sea Made writing
Mediterranean
for trade much easier for
Sea
everyone
Built great
Founded several
harbors Is the basis for
new colonies
the English
along the trade
language
routes
Became wealthy
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