MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA””The land between two The land between two

rivers…”rivers…”

mesopotamiamesopotamia• Mesopotamia is located in the

Middle East in present-day Iraq…

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA

“Cradle of Civilization”Their civilization spanned:

3500BC to 1900BC

The settlement of Sumer represents the world’s first

civilization…Mesopotamia is Greek for:

“The land between two rivers”

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA

Mesopotamia was located in present day Iraq and between the Tigris and Euphrates

Rivers….

“The land between two rivers…”

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA

“The land between two rivers…”

The Fertile Crescent…Mesopotamia’s location is between two rivers which

forms the “fertile Crescent”Because of their location, Mesopotamians introduced

a “New Technology”…

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA

AGRICULTURE…

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA

With the introduction of Agricultural techniques and overall farming…

Mesopotamians were able to have a constant food source that they did

not have to hunt for…

More food= healthier people=permanent civilizations

Keep in Mind: Where there is water there is life…

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA

• Mesopotamians:

Self-sufficient

Healthier living

Surplus of food

This leads to the development of the city-state…ex. Sumer, Ur etc.

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA

With a surplus of food and the development of city-states, Mesopotamia began to introduce new technologies and ideas…

Trading of surplus food Riverboats called

turnips A system of record

keeping to manage their trading

The WHEEL… Formal contracts on

clay tablets A system of writing

called cuneiform

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA

The center of the city-state was a temple called a Ziggurat

A brick wall surrounded the city-state and the farms were located outside the city-state’s wall

Homes were originally built from bundles of reed but with new advancements they began to build two storied homes for the upper class with one storied homes for the lower class

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Farmers grew wheat and barley…They would trade their surplus up and down the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers…

People ate:Barley CakesFlat BreadBarley BeerFishHunted

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The Ziggurat:

“Mountain of God or Hill of Heaven”

The Ziggurats were temples located at the center of the city-state…

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIA CLOTHING:Made from: Wool and Flax

Men Wore:Skirt-like Garments

Women Wore:Gowns- Shoulders to

ankles the right shoulder was bare…

Their hair was braided

Gold and Silver Jewelry was worn as well…

MESOPOTAMIAMESOPOTAMIAMesopotamians Contributions are…

1. The first written language: Cuneiform2. Earliest known literature3. A code of Law: Hammurabi’s Code of Law4. Art and Architecture5. Sewers6. Flush Toilets7. THE WHEEL8. Plow: farming9. Sailboat: to carry larger items on the Tigris and Euphrates

Rivers10. A Mathematics System based on the numeral 6011. Early concepts of Algebra12. Geometry13. Weights and Measures

This all served the world until the Roman Period