Mesopotamia

The Land Between Two Rivers•Mesopotamia (between the rivers) is a region in SW Asia• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers• Rich soil• Drew people in to become farmers and

city builders

•Sumer was a region inside of Mesopotamia• Schools• System of writing (cuneiform)• Scribes

Rivers of Life and Death•Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were the source of life for all people in Mesopotamia

•Positives• Annual floods provided rich fertile soil for

crops• Supplied fish, clay, transportation

•Negatives• Floods did not happen at the same time

each year• Without warning, crops, homes, animals,

and people could be swept away

Tigris River

The First Cities•As farming succeeded in Mesopotamia, communities began to rise due to surplus of food.

•Earliest cities rose in Sumer along the rivers by around 3500 BC

•City-States shared a common culture and language, but had their own rulers, gods, and army (a city, but also an independent state)

•Public squares were popular places where merchants would sell good and various forms of entertainment would occur.

Sumerian Religion•Polytheistic- the belief in many gods

•Ziggurats were temples to the main god or goddess of the city. It was believed that the temple provided the gods a stairway down to earth.

The Fall of Sumer•Sumerian city-states fought each other over land and use of the rivers

•Around 2300 BC, Sumer was conquered by neighboring Akkad.

•King Sargon of Akkad, united all Sumerian city-states for 100 years

•Eventually independent city-states formed again.

•After 2000 BC, Sumer was no longer a major power.