Mesopotamia The Land Between Two Rivers

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MesopotamiaThe Land Between Two Rivers

• Mesopotamia included all of Iraq, parts of Syria,
  and parts of Turkey.
• Northern Mesopotamia is a plateau.
• Southern Mesopotamia is a plain.
• Sumer made up most of southern Mesopotamia.

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Sumer

• Sumer spread over more than 10,000 square miles.
• In Sumer, the worlds first cities, Ur and Kish,
  arose.

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The Remarkable Sumerians

• Creative, energetic people
• Civilization developed around 3, 500 B.C.E.
• Farming villages and irrigation systems existed
  in Sumer.

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Sumerian City-State

• City-states consisted of a city, surrounding
  villages, and farmlands.
• Farmers produced food.
• City dwellers did other kinds of work such as
  canal builders, butchers, and potters.
• Goods and services were exchanged for food.

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Sumerian City-State Continued

• Mesopotamia was a region, not a country or
  nation.
• No central power controlled all of the city-
  states.
• Each city-state was independent.
• Priests ruled the early city-states.
• Religion must have played an important role in
  Sumerian life.

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Kish- a Typical City State

• Built of mud brick
• Most houses were small and windowless.
• Some homes were larger, belonging to the wealthy.
• Thriving marketplace farmers and merchants
  traded for goods.

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Harsh Land of Sumer

• Hot summers, little rain, few resources, and
  parched dry land made farming initially
  difficult.
• Yet, irrigation systems with dams, gates, and
  canals allowed for successful farming.

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Builders of Civilization

• Irrigation helped create and maintain this
  civilization.
• Administrators organized building and took care
  of the canals.
• Great temples were built, and Sumerians traded
  with merchants in Iran and Iraq for needed stone,
  wood, and metal.
• In return, Sumerian farmers gave the merchants
  wheat, barley, dates, wool, and dairy products.

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Artisans

• Skilled workers called artisans made other goods
  to exchange at markets such as
• glittering jewelry
• decorative pottery
• musical instruments
• colorful fabrics.

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Bulla

• Small clay or stone tokens were used to keep
  records.
• Tokens were placed in a football-shaped container
  called a bulla.

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New Technology

• Mesopotamian inventions included
• plow
• wheel
• sailboat
• strong tools and weapons
• mixed copper and tin to make bronze