The document summarizes the geography, climate, and early history of Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent region. It explains that the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers provided water and fertile soil for agriculture. Early settlements developed irrigation systems to control flooding. Several Sumerian city-states emerged, centered around ziggurats and ruled first by priests and later by kings. Writing was developed to meet record-keeping needs, and empires like Akkadia, Babylon, and Assyria rose as various groups sought to control the region.

1. Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent

2. The Geography of Ancient Mesopotamia

3. Mesopotamia
 Region where Tigris & Euphrates Rivers flow
 Name means: “land between two rivers”
 Rivers: provide water and means of travel

4. Fertile Soil
 Rain & melting snow caused river flooding
 Soil picked up from mts.
 Rivers overflowed their banks causing flooding and
spreading of silt onto land (good for growing crops)

5. An Arid Climate
 Less than 10” of rain w/ hot summers
 Arid Climate
 Ancient people could still grow crops due to rivers and
fertile soil
 3500 B.C.
 Widespread farming villages across Mesopotamia

6. Flood & Droughts
 Floods were unpredictable
 Extent of floods dependent on amount of rain & snow
melt
 Too little rain & snow melt meant no flood
 Would cause drought & people would starve

7. Irrigation
 6000 B.C.
 People took steps to control water supply
 Built earth walls to hold back water during floods
 Built canals to carry water to the fields
 Constant challenge to keep canals free from muddy silt

8. A Land of Few Resources
 No forests for wood in Mesopotamia
 Little stone and minerals
 Reed & Brick Houses
 Used to build homes
 Crumbled easily in bad weather & had to be repaired often
 Brick Walls
 Area was invaded easily because it was not surrounded by
mts. or other natural barriers
 Mesopotamia often conquered or stolen from
 Built brick walls around their towns & villages
 Sometimes 25 feet thick w/ guard towers and surrounded by open
ditches or moats

9. Trading for Resources
 Obtained stone, wood, copper, and tin through trade
 Traded for luxuries such as gold, ivory, ebony, and
precious stones
 Offered grain, dates, and other farm products
 Could do this due to a surplus of crops
 Jobs such as trading, digging canals, building
walls, and farming were done over and over
 Community leaders organized groups of people to do
the work at the right time

10. The First Civilizations

11. The Rise of Civilization
 Villages grew larger & larger
 Eventually became cities
 Workers Organized to solve problems
 Building & cleaning irrigation canals
 Society & culture grew more complex
 Changes led to civilization
 1st 3300 B.C. in Sumer

12. Sumerian City-States
 Cities were:
 Centers of trade, learning, & religion
 Most people lived in countryside
 Over time cities ruled surrounding lands & villages
 Called a city-state
 Sumer had 12 city-states
 Babylon, Kish, Nippur, and Ur
 Fertile land; farmers grew lots of food; supported larger
populations

13. A Sumerian City
 Narrow, winding streets; walls surrounded cities, w/
gates to let people in
 Homes built of reeds and mud or brick
 Series of rooms arranged around a courtyard

14. The Ziggurat: Center of the City
 Largest & most important structure in city
 Center of temple complex
 Like a city hall (priests ran irrigation system & other
important aspects of city life)
 People paid for services with grain and other items
 Priests controlled grain surplus & city-state’s wealth

15. Priests Become Leaders
 Priests
 Played political role & religious role
 People went to them to ask the gods for help
 Sumerians believed in polytheism
 Believed in many gods and goddesses
 4 main gods: gods of the sky, winds, hills, and fresh water
 Each city-state worshipped their own main god
 Believed gods could prevent bad things from happening
 Each god had many priests who worked to satisfy the gods & claimed
to have influence with them
 Because of this people accepted priests as leaders

16. New Leaders in Sumer
 3000 B.C.
 City-states were attacked because of their wealth
 Some from far off lands
 During these times a powerful man was asked to rule them and
protect the city
 At 1st just in time of war; eventually full time
 New leaders
 Took over some of priests jobs
 Maintained canals, managed grain surplus, & acted as judges
 Eventually became a king of people
 2375 B.C.
 Sumer became a kingdom under one king
 Priests were still important for pleasing the gods and keeping

17. Sumerian Society
 Social Classes created
 King & priests were part of upper class
 Believed to have links to gods
 Landowners, gov’t officials, & rich merchants were also part of
upper class
 Middle class
 All other free people (farmers, artisans, etc.)
 Lowest class
 Slaves: had some rights; could conduct business, borrow
money, & buy freedom

18. Role of Women
 Women were included in all social classes
 Some were priestesses, owned land, worked as
merchants and artisans, and raised children

19. Sumerian Scientific Developments
 Good at solving problems
 Invented and developed knowledge to better their lives
 Early Inventions:
 The plow: helped farmers
 The wheel: transport goods & used to make pottery
faster
 Mathematics:
 Developed arithmetic to keep records of crops and trade
goods
 Number system based on 60

20. Written language
 Invented writing to meet business needs
 Merchants needed records of exchange
 Also wanted to label goods
 Marked outside of containers with pictographs
 Pictographs:
 1st showed actual objects
 Later stood for ideas & sounds
 Eventually stopped using pictures & used wedge-shaped symbols
 Wedge-shaped writing called cuneiform
 Writing System was complex
 600 different symbols; took years to learn; few people were able to read
and write
 Scribes: people to specialized in writing
 Professional record keepers
 Writing later used to write about wars, floods, & reigns of kings

21. Empires of the Fertile Crescent

22. The First Empire Builders
 3000 to 2000 B.C.
 Kings fought over Sumer land
 More land = more wealth and power to king
 No single king was able to control all of Mesopotamia

23. The Akkadian Empire
 Sargon
 2371 B.C. took control of region
 1st creator of 1st empire (Akkadian Empire)
 Eventually ruled lands from Persian Gulf through
Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean Sea
 Area known as Fertile Crescent: rich soil and water made area
good for farming
 Empires
 Important because they change the way people live
 May bring peace, encourage trade, include people from several
cultures (ideas, technology, & customs)

24. The Babylonian Empire &
Hammurabi
 Akkadian Empire fell apart due to attacks from outside
people
 Amorites invaded Sumer & set capital in Babylon
 Hammurabi ruled Empire
 Created a code of law to control the lands & that people
had to follow
 He reviewed all existing laws and drew up a single law &
displayed it on a huge pillar in Babylon

25.  Hammurabi Code
 Goal: justice to everyone in empire
 Id wrongdoings & their punishment
 Society should be run by the rule of law & apply to everyone
 People have right to know laws and the punishment for not
following them

26. Assyrians & of F.C.
 Assyria took control
Chaldeans
 Built powerful army and set out to control neighboring
lands
 A Powerful Empire
 Used latest inventions for war
 Iron swords, iron-tipped spears, battering rams, ladders,&
dug tunnels
 Ashurbanipal
 Ruled during height of Assyrian Empire
 Assyrians governed land by appoint governor to rule
each land
 Sent tribute to Assyrian emperor
 Pay for protection give by Assyrian army
 Fail to pay & army destroyed cities in governors land &
people where exiled

27. Assyria Crumbles
 Medes & Chaldeans joined forces to defeat Assyrians
 Burned capital of Nineveh to the ground

28. A New Babylonian Empire
 Chaldeans ruled former Assyrian empire
 Capital was Babylon
 Nebuchadnezzar II was emperor
 Rebuilt city of Babylon
 Added artificial mts. covered with trees and plants; appeared
to be floating gardens
 Chaldeans were cruel rulers
 Destroyed Hebrews’ sacred temple in Jerusalem
 Held thousands of Hebrews captive

29. Persia Controls Southwest Asia
 Medes
 Controlled east of F.C.
 Area bounded by mts. ranges
 Perians
 Nomads from Central Asia
 Created tiny kingdoms & thrived through trade
 Grew in power and threatened for control

30. Cyrus Founds the Persian Empire
 Cyrus took control of Medes Empire
 Vision of conquering lands around Persia & uniting to form one
empire
 Conquered Anatolia, lands once controlled by Assyrians &
Chaldeans
 Needed way to control lands filled w/ different people
 Set up a policy of toleration
 Allowed people to keep their customs & beliefs
 Worship their own gods, speak their language, & practice their own way
of life
 Had to pay tribute though
 Fewer revolts & people lived in peace

31. Darius Expands the Empire
Cambyses
 Successor of Cyrus
 Ruled through hard means
 After his death rebellions broke out
 Darius
 Strong leader who came to power & dealt with rebellions
 Looked to expand boundaries
 Expanded as far east as India (2,800 miles)
 New policies for huge empire
 Empire divided into 20 provinces
 Each had local gov’t
 Satraps (governors) carried out orders in provinces and collected taxes
 Military commander for each satrap
 Had spies (king’s eyes and ears) to be sure satraps followed orders

32.  Darius also built a Royal Road to help unite the empire
 1,775 miles long
 Royal messages sent along the road
 Mail and military troops also used road
 Darius set up a code of law based on Hammurabi’s model &
minted coins (promoted business and made it easy to pay
taxes)
 Planned a march against Egyptian rebels
 But died before that happened
 Son Xerxes dealt with Egypt