2. WATER IS LIFE
⢠With bands of hunter-gatherers settling down all
around the world, into farming settlements, they began
to domesticate animals and plants.
⢠Civilizations needed water to support their growing
numbers.
⢠They learned how to control floods.
⢠These were the River Valley Civilizations.
3. THE LAND BETWEEN RIVERS
⢠The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the most important physical features of the region
known as Mesopotamia.
⢠Its Greek for: âin between riversâ
5. GEOGRAPHY
⢠It lies between Asia Minor and the Persian Gulf.
⢠The region is part of an area known as the
Fertile Crescent (a large arc of rich, fertile
farmland).
⢠Mesopotamia is made of two parts:
⢠A plateau in the North.
⢠A flat plain in the South.
Vocabulary
Plateau: An area of flat, high land.
Plain: is a land with with relatively low relief.
6. RISE OF CIVILIZATION
⢠12,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers first settled in the
area.
⢠Every year, the flood of the rivers made the land ideal
for farming, because the soil was rich in nutrients.
⢠By 7,000 BC they began producing:
⢠Farming: Wheat, barley and other types of grain.
⢠Growing: Livestock, fish and birds.
7. FARMING & CITIES
⢠The first thing farmers needed, was to control
water.
⢠If it rained too much were the rivers
began, floods would destroy crops, kill
livestock and wash away everything.
⢠It it didnât, then crops dried up.
⢠Controlling Water
⢠They developed irrigation.
⢠They dug canals. Vocabulary
Irrigation: a way of supplying water to an
area of land.
Plain: human-made waterways.
8. FOOD SURPLUSES
⢠With these new developments, along with
the use of Iron Tools, farmers now
produced more than what they actually
needed, and this is called surplus.
⢠Along with surplus, trade was the next
step. This allowed for people in the area to
feed on a wide variety of foods.
⢠People now had more time for themselves,
so new jobs were created and also
something called division of labor.
9. BIGGER GOALS
⢠When people where available to
work on different jobs, this meant
that society could accomplish
more.
⢠This was done because:
⢠Large projects needed more
specialized workers.
⢠They needed to be organized
(structure and rules).
⢠To complete those goals,
government and laws were needed.
10. CITIES ON THE HORIZON
⢠Settlements in Mesopotamia grew in size
and complexity.
⢠Between 4000 and 3000 BC they developed
into cities.
⢠Even though cities emerged, their main
activity was still agricultural based.
⢠But in cities everything was done in a much
larger scale:
⢠Trading
⢠Building
⢠Culture
11. ASK YOURSELF
(FOR FURTHER READING USE YOUR BOOKS, CHAPTER 3, SECTION 1)
⢠Identify:
⢠What does Mesopotamia mean?
⢠What were the two rivers where it developed?
⢠Explain:
⢠What is the Fertile Crescent?
⢠How did irrigation help farmers?
⢠Summarize:
⢠When, how and why were settlements established in Mesopotamia?
⢠Analyze:
⢠What effects did irrigation have on farming?
12. ASSIGNMENT!
⢠Type a paragraph describing your life in Mesopotamia as a
farmer, and bring it for next class.
⢠It hasnât rained in a very long time, but you know the rainy
season is coming.
⢠What will you have to do in order to use the floods to your
advantage?
⢠Draw an image, beneath the paragraph, showing your home.
13. BIBLIOGRAPHY
⢠Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World History (Teacher´s Edition) (1st Edition ed.). (H.
McDougal, Ed.) Orlando, Florida, US.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
⢠Images taken from Google.com