Mesopotamia, meaning "between two rivers" in Greek, was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in an area known as the Fertile Crescent. Around 12,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers began settling in Mesopotamia and by 7,000 BC had started farming wheat, barley and livestock. To control floods and drought, they developed irrigation systems like canals. This led to food surpluses and the rise of cities between 4,000-3,000 BC where trade and culture flourished, though agriculture remained the main activity.

1. Social Studies for 8th E.G.B.
Teacher: Mauricio Torres
GEOGRAPHY OF MESOPOTAMIA

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: “in between rivers”

4. THE LAND BETWEEN RIVERS

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 didn’t, 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 hasn’t 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