Fertile - Crescent Updated 0313

Fertile- Crescent
A Cradle of Civilization
Middle East
 The Fertile Crescent is where lands are fertile/healthy and a crescent/boomerang-

shaped region in the Middle East.
 Technological advances in the

region include the development of
writing, glass, the wheel, agriculture,
and the use of irrigation. It has been
called the "cradle of civilization".
In what countries does it lies?
 the Fertile Crescent includes Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt,
and Jordan, as well as the surrounding portions of Turkey and Iran.
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia an area geographically located between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers. Mesopotamia means the land between two rivers.
Mesopotamia comes from the Greek word “meso” which means
between, and “potamos” means river.
Practice of Agriculture
The earliest civilizations settled down and began
farming and grew powerful
Early Human Civilization and
Contributions
Akkadian
 Sargon- first great leader of Semites

 First empire in history
 He founded the first empire of Mesopotamia
 Started a dynasty
 Established a city states or individually governed cities and organizing a tax
system that allowed the government for projects such as city walls, and
irrigation waterways.
 Service postal w/ stamp
 Government: Monarchy
 First to invent the abacus
Babylonian
 known under the rule of Hammurabi.

 Hammurabi-first law giver in the history of the world.
 Hammurabi’s Code- he wants “to make justice visible in the land, to destroy
the wicked person and the evil-doer, that the strong might not injure the
weak.” Contains 282 laws arranged such as trade, family, labour and real
estate
 Marduk- their chief God
Hittites
 The first to use iron to their weapons in warfare also used horses and
chariots
 Usage and respect of different languages- use of 9 languages within their
territories
 Land titles and list of titles
 Inventory of land and products that became the basis of taxation
Assyrian
 Asshur- Assyrian’s center/city state

 Ashurnasipal II –-greatest Assyrian ruler; under his rule, Assyria reached its peak
 Nineveh- it’s capital
 Asshur- their chief God
 Known for the most brute and ferocious rule enforcement
 Built the first ever library in the history in a clay tablets(200,000)
Sumerian
 Ur- oldest city state practices polytheism(believing in
many Gods/Godesses).
 Cuneiform- first writing system
 Ziggurat- pyramid like temple governed by concept of
theocracy home of deities
 The first to create bronze and wheels
 Used lunar calendar- calendar shows the moon phases
of a year
example January and July is a lunar eclipse
 Developed sexagesimal system(base 60) an hour of
time divided into 60 minutes
 Epic of Gilgamesh
Hebrew
 Abraham- led the Jewish people
 Exodus- how they were delivered from slavery and left Egypt led by
their prophet Moses to Mount Sinai where Yahweh promises the
land of Canaan for their faithfulness.
 Introduced monotheism –worshipping one God
 Torah - the first five books of Hebrew Bible, Pentateuch( Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus Numbers, Deuteronomy).
Chaldean
 Nebuchadnezzar- their greatest ruler

 Babylonian Captivity- Under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, Chaldeans invaded
Jerusalem, and brought thousands of Jews to Babylonia as slaves.
 Hanging Gardens- one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
 Hanging Gardens- which were man-made terraces of flora and fauna, watered
by machinery and cited as one of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World.
 They are very interested in astronomy; they were nicknamed as ”stargazers of
Babylon”.
 The Zodiac came from them, as they believed that the stars and constellations
have an effect on man’s fate.
 Invented mirror
Persian
 Cyrus the Great- their first leader; allowed different religions to exist under
his rule
 Darius the Great- annexed Iran, Indus valley, and more; this made Persia
the most powerful empire in the ancient world,
 Satrapy- the term for Persia’s provinces; for a higher government’s
efficiency. It’s governors are called satrap.
 Zoroastrianism- Persia’s official religion; founded by Zoroaster
 Ahura Mazda- chief God/God of truth
 Use of coins
Phoenician
 Known as “The Great Merchants of the Ancient World”

 Main product: purple textile; came from murex, a shellfish. Only the
wealthiest can buy this product due to the time and effort it takes to
get the purple liquid.
 The first to make glass bottles
 Most important contributions: (Phoenician) alphabet, borrowed later
by Greeks
 Ba’al – Lord of the Heavens
Fertile Crescent Today
 Today the Fertile Crescent is not so fertile:

Beginning in the 1950s, a series of large-scale irrigation projects
diverted water away from the famed Mesopotamian marshes of the
Tigris-Euphrates river system, causing them to dry up.
 More than 200,000 Marsh Arabs lost their homes

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What were some of the earliest civilizations that developed in the Fertile Crescent region?

What were some important technological advances that occurred in the Fertile Crescent region?

Fertile- Crescent

 The Fertile Crescent is where lands are fertile/healthy and a crescent/boomerang-

 Technological advances in the

 Sargon- first great leader of Semites

 known under the rule of Hammurabi.

 Asshur- Assyrian’s center/city state

 Nebuchadnezzar- their greatest ruler

 Known as “The Great Merchants of the Ancient World”

 Today the Fertile Crescent is not so fertile:

 More than 200,000 Marsh Arabs lost their homes

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