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Mesopotamia The Cradle of Civilization Land Between the Rivers Where is Mesopotamia located? A Fertile Valley Known as the Fertile Crescent Ideal for farming Land was rich in edible plants – fruit, wheat, and barley Fish and birds were plentiful Pigs, sheep, and goats lived in wild Why was it beneficial to be surrounded by mountains and desert in developing a civilization? Activity: Locate various cities, rivers, places on a map Colour and label the places Agriculture/Farming Read pgs. 66-71; answer the following questions What made this area an ideal place for farming? How do the hot climate and the river systems work together to make this a fertile land? How does silt create fertile soil? What effect would being able to grow such an abundance of food have on the lives of the people? How would people living in this area meet their needs? Describe the climate of Mesopotamia. How did the people of Mesopotamia overcome these hardships? Read Pg. 70-71 What did the Mesopotamians invent? Agriculture/Farming The development of irrigation changed from being controlled by the environment to becoming capable of changing the environment. The area did not supply enough rainfall for crops so irrigation was needed from the river Was the development of irrigation a positive or negative change? Was it both? In what ways are we changing the environment today? Do these changes have both positive and negative aspects? What can we do to continue growth without damaging the ecosystems around us? Cause and Effect Using page 71 as a reference, compose a cause and effect scenario with your desk partner. Complete Think For Yourself, pg. 71 Government Early societies were organized as villages Villages were small, allowing everyone to make decisions Overtime, Sumerian settlements grew into city-states Government City-State - a self contained urban centre with its own ruler and government Usually surrounded by a small dependent rural area, villages, or towns Government By 3000 BCE, between 15 - 20 Sumerian city-states had been founded Uruk was one of the most powerful Other important city-states were Lagash, Ur, Kish, and Nippur. Conflicts between city-states were frequent, and stronger cities were able to conquer and control other cities Government First governments were ruled by priests Had religious and government responsibilities As conflicts between city-states increased, military leaders were chosen as rulers These rulers became Kings Government Kings… Made and enforced the laws Supervised the building of dams, temples, and canals When rulers died, they were replaced by relatives creating a dynasty Government Dynasty - a succession of rulers who are all related to a common ancestor Sumerians believed that their cities had been created by deities, the lands and people belonged to these deities Deities - gods and goddesses Government As cities grew in size, the responsibilities of the kings grew Additional workers were hired to collect taxes and write and enforce laws These people were part of the upper class Imagine you are the second King of Mesopotamia…what rules would you make? What kind of buildings would you build? Remember…you are living 2,500 years ago…no electricity…no power tools…no shopping malls… Review What is a deity? What is a dynasty? What is a city-state? Social Organization Each city state has its own king or ruler Societies consisted of upper, middle, and lower classes, and slaves Men were head of the household and were responsible for arranging the education of his sons and the marriage of each daughter Social Organization Many households had slaves Slaves were treated fairly because anyone could be a slave through bad luck, debt, or being captured in war. Slaves could own property, become traders and craftspeople, and buy their freedom. Social Order King/Ruler Upper Class (nobles, priests, important government officials, wealthy landowners) Middle Class (trades people, craftspeople, soldiers, well-to-do land owners Lower Class (fishermen, farmers) Slaves What They Ate Sumerians ate grain; such as barley and wheat. Barley was used for bread and cereal Also ate vegetables; such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, onions, and lettuce Raised cattle and goats for milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt Raised sheep for wool Only the wealthy ate meat What They Wore Clothing varied with the seasons and social status During summer… Wealthy women wore colourful (orange, yellow, green, and scarlet), long, loose-fitting gowns Wealthy men wore short, wide skirts Poor men and women wore simple knee-length tunics During winter… Everyone wore heavy clothes made of sheepskins and other animal skins Cloaks made from wool What They Wore Women wore makeup, such as lipstick and eye-shadow, and used perfumes and body oils Both men and women wore jewellery The wealthy wore jewellery made of gold The poor wore jewellery made of coloured stones or shells Activity: Draw a picture of a Mesopotamian woman or man detailing what they wore and the kind of jewellery they used Housing Most houses shared walls, like townhouses do today. There was little wood and stone available for building materials. People built their homes of sun-dried brick. Doors led into a small family courtyard. Kids played in the courtyard. Roofs were flat. Roofs provided a fourth living space. People cooked and slept on their roofs, when weather permitted. Cities Most cities were surrounded by a moat and a high, strong wall Usually made from sun-dried mud bricks. Gates into the cities were made from bronze Cities Inside the gates… The city was a maze of narrow streets that led to the city centre. The city centre, called the temenos, was the ceremonial area and included important buildings such as temples and the king’s palace. Important buildings were made from kiln-dried bricks, rather than sun-dried brick The closer a family lived to the city centre, the more important and the wealthier the family was. Trade Development of Writing Cuneiform People living in southern Mesopotamia developed one of the earliest writing systems in the world. The system was developed so that information could be recorded. This writing system began with pictures or signs drawn on clay tablets and has changed over many years. Around 3100 B.C. people began to record amounts of different crops. Barley was one of the most important crops in southern Mesopotamia and when it was first drawn it looked like this… Cuneiform Name Tag