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Essential Questions

1. How did the geography of the Fertile Crescent differ from that of ancient Egypt?

2. What were the main achievements of the Sumerian civilization?

3. How did the people of the Mesopotamia adapt to and modify their environment to meet their

basic economic (food, clothing, shelter) needs.

Vocabulary

• cuneiform: Sumerian writing made by pressing a wedge-shaped tool into clay tablets

• arch: A curved structure over an opening that is a very strong form in building

• ziggurats: Sumerian temples built from baked brick placed in layers

• city-state: A form of community that includes a town or city and the surrounding land controlled by it

  • fertile Crescent: is the region in the Middle East which curves, like a quarter-moon shape, from the Persian Gulf, through modern-day southern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and northern Egypt (see the map below).

Do you remember are the characteristics of civilizations?

At the end of the Neolithic Revolution (New Stone Age), people in permanent settlements began to appear, especially in four regions. This process occurred between 8000 BCE t0 3000 BCE.

These regions were

(1) the Nile River valley in Egypt (Africa)

(2) the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates (yoo·FRAY·tees) Rivers in present day Iraq (southwestern Asia)

(3) the Indus River valley in Pakistan/India (southern Asia)

(4) the Huang, or Yellow, River valley in China (Eastern Asia).

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Mesopotamia

Interactive Map: This link allows you to see

The First Civilizations

Section 3: Sumerian Civilization

In this section you will learn about Sumerian civilization. You will learn how geography affected the development of civilization in the region of the Middle East called the Fertile Crescent. You will learn about Sumer’s achievements in writing, architecture, and science. You will also learn what life was like in Sumerian society.

Section 3 Summary

Between 5000 B.C. and 4000 B.C., Neolithic farmers built a civilization in the Fertile Crescent, also called Mesopotamia. This strip of fertile land begins at the Isthmus of Suez and arcs through Southwest Asia to the Persian Gulf. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow through the Fertile Crescent. They rivers begin in what is now Turkey and flow southeast, at times up to 250 miles apart. The valley between them is the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. Both rivers flood often. Unlike the Nile, their floods were unpredictable in their size and timing. Farmers built canals and dikes to bring water to their fields and return the water to the river after floods.

The grasslands and mountains surrounding the Fertile Crescent were not as barren as those around Egypt and offered less protection. Tribes of wandering herders (nomads) often invaded the valley, conquered it, and established empires. New waves of invaders conquered the old, repeating the cycle.

Irrigation- Mesopotamians made the first working irrigation system, controlling water to go from one place to another. The water came from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. They used the water for farming, so they wouldn't have to walk back and forth.

(There is a good demonstration and discussion of the irrigation systems about 5 minutes into this clip.)

The Tigris and Euphrates deposited rich soil, especially near the Persian Gulf. Neolithic farmers settled in this area, called Sumer (SOO·muhr). By 3000 B.C. the Sumerians used metal and developed an early form of writing called pictographs, or picture writing. They wrote by pressing marks into clay tablets using a wedge-shaped tool called a stylus. Historians call Sumerian writing cuneiform (kyooh·NEE·uh·fawrm), from the Latin word for wedge, cuneus. Sumerians had about 600 cuneiform signs.

Write Like a Babylonian

In architecture the Sumerians probably invented the arch, a curved structure over an opening. The arch is a very strong form in building. By combining arches, the Sumerians built dome-shaped roofs. They built striking temples to their gods, called ziggurats, made of baked bricks placed in layers.

The Sumerians may have invented the wheel. In mathematics, they divided a circle into 360 degrees. Each degree was divided into 60 minutes, and each minute into 60 seconds. Compasses and clocks still use this system. The Sumerians also created a lunar calendar. To keep it accurate, they added a month every few years. Sumerians developed a form of community called the city-state, made up of a town or city and the surrounding land controlled by it. Some city-states had thousands of residents. Each city-state had one or more gods (polytheism) . Later leaders joined city-states together and ruled as kings over them. Kings, priests, and nobles were at the top of society, followed by merchants and scholars. Below them were peasant farmers and slaves. Sumerians grew dates, grains, and vegetables and raised animals. They grew flax for linen and wove wool for clothing. Surplus food allowed some people to become artisans and traders.

Do we have a class system in the U.S.?

Social Hierarchy of Ancient Mesopotamia

By 3000 B.C . Sumerians were trading by land and by boat. Education was important for upper-class boys, who learned to write, spell, draw, and do arithmetic. The Sumerians practiced polytheism. Their gods were linked to nature, the sun, and the moon. A god or goddess also guarded each city. The Sumerians buried food and tools with their dead. They believed the dead went to a shadowy lower world, where there was no reward or punishment.

Mesopotamia Crash Course Video Clip

Answer to the Essential Questions

1. How did the geography of the Fertile Crescent differ from that of ancient Egypt?

• There were several geographic differences between the Fertile Crescent and the Nile Valley. The floods in the Fertile Crescent were unpredictable in their size and timing. The Fertile Crescent was not as protected by the natural barriers of desert and mountains as Egypt and therefore was often invaded and conquered.

2. What were the main achievements of the Sumerian civilization?

• Sumerian civilization is know for the development of cuneiform writing, the arch, ziggurats, and the wheel. They developed a system of math based on the number 60, which we now use for clocks and compasses, and an accurate calendar. The Sumerian education system allowed for the teaching only of upper-class males, showing the society's rigid division between classes and the low status of women.

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Practice Questions

1. One reason the Euphrates, Indus, Nile, and Tigris valleys became centers of early civilization is that these valleys had (# - Ju03)

(1) borders and elevations that were easy to defend

(2) rich deposits of coal and iron ores

(3) the means for irrigation and transportation

(4) locations in regions of moderate climate and abundant rainfall

2. The Code of Hammurabi was a major contribution to the development of civilization because it (#6 Ju'04)

(1) treated citizens and slaves equally

(2) ended all physical punishment

(3) recorded existing laws for all to see

(4) rejected the principle of filial piety

3. Which geographic feature had the greatest influence on the development of ancient civilizations? (# 1 Ag'04)

(1) dense forests (3) smooth coastlines

(2) mountain passes (4) river valleys

4.During which period did the domestication of animals and growing of crops first occur? (# 1 Ju'05)

(1) Iron Age

(2) Old Stone Age

(3) Neolithic Revolution

(4) Scientific Revolution

5. Which heading best completes the partial outline below?(# 5 - Ag'06)

I. ______________________________

A. Centralized governments

B. Organized religions

C. Social classes

D. Specialization of labor

(1) Economic Development in Ancient Egypt

(2) Cultural Diffusion in Mohenjo-Daro

(3) Features of the Old Stone Age

(4) Characteristics of Civilizations

“If a man has knocked out the teeth of a man of the same rank, his own teeth shall be knocked out. If he has knocked out the teeth of a plebeian (commoner), he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver.”. . . — Code of Hammurabi

6. Which statement is supported by this excerpt from Hammurabi’s code of laws? (# - Ag'07)

(1) All men are equal under the law.

(2) Fines are preferable to physical punishment.

(3) Law sometimes distinguishes between social classes.

(4) Violence must always be punished with violence.

7. Which geographic factor had a major influence on the development of both Egyptian and Babylonian civilizations? (#4 - Ja'08)

(1) river valleys

(2) cool temperatures

(3) locations near a strait

(4) mountains

8. Which action is most closely associated with polytheism? (#6 - Au'08)

(1) praying in a synagogue

(2) accepting the Eightfold Path

(3) worshipping many gods

(4) reading the Koran

9. One similarity found in both Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations is that each developed a 7 Ag'09

(1) monotheistic religion (3) ziggurat

(2) compass (4) written language

10. The Code of Hammurabi relies on the idea that (#6 -Ja'10)

(1) governments must provide their people with rights

(2) harsh laws are needed to control society

(3) all subjects are equal under the law

(4) religion and government must be brought closer together

11. Which name identifies the region located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers? (6-Ja'11)

(1) Cape of Good Hope (3) Mesopotamia

(2) Sinai Peninsula (4) Horn of Africa

12. The Code of Hammurabi is an example of (40-June, 2011)

(1) written laws (3) religious rules of conduct

(2) economic sanctions (4) early constitutions

• If a son has struck his father, they shall cut off his hand.

• If a seignior has destroyed the eye of a member of the aristocracy, they shall destroy his eye.

• If he has broken another seignior’s bone, they shall break his bone.

13. Which document contains these statements? (4 -Ag'11)

(1) Ten Commandments (2) Code of Hammurabi

(3) Edicts of Asoka (4) Twelve Tables

17. The development of which early civilization was influenced most directly by the Tigris River, the Zagros Mountains, and the Syrian Desert? (Ag'11)

(1) Chinese (3) Egyptian

(2) Maya (4) Mesopotamian

18. The Middle Kingdom of Assyria was located in an area also known as the (2 Ju 12)

(1) subcontinent (3) Fertile Crescent

(2) Holy Land (4) rooftop of the world

19. Which geographic feature did the earliest civilizations in Egypt, India, and China have in common? (3 Aug 12)

(1) mountains that provided protection from invasion

(2) rivers that increased the fertility of the land by flooding

(3) vast forests that supplied lumber for building

(4) tropical climates that included monsoons

20. The ancient Sumerians modified their environment to increase food production by (5 Aug 12)

(1) building terraces

(2) removing rain forests

(3) digging irrigation canals

(4) developing chinampas

21. Which river system is found in Mesopotamia? (3 Ja 13)

(1) Nile River

(2) Yellow River

(3) Tigris and Euphrates rivers

(4) Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers

22. One way in which the ancient Sumerians, and Egyptians are similar is that these civilizations developed (3 Aug 13)

(1) irrigation systems

(2) iron weapons

(3) wheeled vehicles

(4) block printing systems

23 .Which field of study would have been most responsible for conducting the excavation? (2- Aug 14)

(1) economics (3) archaeology

(2) sociology (4) political science

24. Which practice is closely associated with most ancient river valley civilizations? (3- Aug 14)

(1) recording events in cave paintings

(2) using irrigation systems

(3) developing democratic traditions

(4) spreading monotheistic religious customs

Find the answers on our Google Classroom site.

https://sites.google.com/a/psdschools.org/harley-world-history-p-3/home/unit-1-8000bce-600ce-early-civilizations-and-empires