Fertile Crescent aka Mesopotamia aka Land Between Two Rivers aka green banana

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Fertile Crescentaka Mesopotamiaaka Land Between
Two Riversaka green banana
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Nomads to Farmers ( 20 minutes)
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River Civilizations

• People often settled near rivers
• crops grew well
• water supply
• transportation

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The two rivers

• Tigris and Euphrates made up Mesopotamia which in
  Greek means land between two rivers which if you
  look at it in your book it looks like a green
  banana
• It is also called the Fertile Crescent because
  this area, shaped like a crescent moon is rich
  with fertile soil for growing crops

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• People first settled in this area 12,000 years
  ago and 7,000 years ago, began a system of
  agriculture and domestication.
• They learned that the soil was rich with silt- a
  natural fertilizer
• This led to population growth and eventually
  several villages and the worlds FIRST
  civilization

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Learning

• They learned to irrigate water to artificial
  lakes and basins
• They dug canals- human made waterways to areas
  that did not receive sufficient water
• Because of this they were successful farmers and
  created a surplus (extra supply)
• They also had to specialize who did what and
  created a division of labor
• Cities then began to develop

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Irrigation
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Sumer

• Located in Southern Mesopotamia
• Worlds first Civilization
• Most people were farmers
• Lived in rural areas
• But there were urban areas
• Eventually grew to over 100,000 people by 2000BC

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• Established political units city-states
• Controlled all of the surrounding countryside-
  how much depended upon military strength
• They would fight each other- eventually had
  strong armies
• Built up protection walls around the main cities

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• 3500 BC Kish was most powerful
• 2500ish- Ur and Uruk fought for power
• One of Uruks kings, Gilgamesh, legendary ruler
• Akkadians gain land- (north of Sumer)
• They were peaceful until 2300s BC

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Sargon

• Was one of the original babies in a basket
• He sought to extend the Akkadian territory
• Built Akkad on the Euphrates river
• First ruler to have a permanent army
• They defeated all the city states of Sumer as
  well as N. Meso
• He then established the WORLDS FIRST EMPIRE!!!!!!

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• He ruled for more than 50 years
• His empire lasted on a century after his death
  b/c they could not keep invaders out
• Eventually they rebuild Ur and establish Sumer as
  a Superpower again

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Religion

• They were polytheistic- belief in MANY
  gods/goddesses
• Each city state had its own protector God/dess
• Religious temples- Ziggurats- only priests could
  enter them
• Priests were connected to Gods
• Were at the top of the social pyramid

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Religion
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Social Hierarchy

• Social pyramid- ranking by class
• King
• Priest
• Craftworkers, Merchants,Traders
• Farmers/ laborers
• Slaves

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Sumerian LegaciesWATCH

• Writing-
• cuneiform- worlds first writing system
• Pictographs-picture symbols
• Scribes- trained writers
• Epics- long poems that tell stories of
  Heroes such as Gilgamesh

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Gilgamesh
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• Arts
• Gold statues
• Ivory statues
• Pottery
• Jewelry with gems
• Engraving cylinders
• Music with reed pipes, drums tambourines, lyres
• Sang and dance

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Technology

• Technology
• Temples
• Studying architecture
• Wheel ( potters wheel then for carts)
• Glass
• Plow
• Irrigation
• Sewers
• Bronze weapons
• makeup

• Number system
• 12 month calendar
• Classified plants and animals
• Drugs
• diagnoses

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Cities

• Sumer
• Uruk
• Ur
• Akkad

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Highly Organized Civilization

• Government- emperor
• Social pyramid
• Polytheistic religion
• Traded with other places
• Army
• Walled cities
• Sewers
• System of education

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15 minute Sumer Video
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Babylon

• Once a Sumerian town
• Gained power
• 1792 BC Hammurabi became a monarch-a sole ruler
  of a kingdom or empire
• Brilliant war leader
• Oversaw expansion of his empire
• Improved tax collection

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• Most famous for his Code of Laws- first set of
  common laws for ALL people!
• 282 laws that dealt with every part of daily
  life.
• It was written down for all to see ( but could
  all read???)
• Ruled for 42 years until his death

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Hittites and Kassites

• First people to master iron working- made strong
  weapons!
• Invented the chariot!
• Took over Babylon- their king was killed Kassites
  came in and ruled for 400 years

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Hittite Warrior
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Assyrians

• 1220s controlled Babylon for a short while
• 300 years later they began to regain strength of
  people and the army
• 900 BC began conquering and controlling once
  again

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• By using iron weapons and chariots
• Well organized army
• Before attacking they spread terror
• Looting and burning villages
• Killed those who didnt obey
• New capital set up in Nineveh
• Ruled through local leaders set up taxes and
  enforced laws

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Chaldeans

• Wars eventually broke out between groups and in
  612 the Chaldeans came in and destroyed Ninevah
  and the Assyrian rule
• Nebuchadnezzar was king- rebuilt Babylon and
  beautified his kingdom- Hanging Gardens
• Studied Astronomy

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Hanging Gardens
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Phonecians

• Western Mesopotamia
• Phonecia- wealthy trading society
• Grew prized cedar trees and were able to trade
  these over the Med. Sea
• Became expert sailors
• Founded Carthage (remember this for Rome)
• Established the worlds first ALPHABET