Kaela's+Mesopotamia+Page

Kaela's Homepage

__Location:__
 * Between Persian Gulf and med sea.
 * Tigris River and Euphrates River.
 * Modern day Iraq.
 * Southwest Asia

__Geography:__
 * Curved shape.
 * Flat swampy land.
 * Rich soil=silt
 * Fertile Crescent
 * Desert Climate
 * Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers."

__Economy/Agriculture:__
 * Traded grain, cloth and tools.
 * Received stone, wood, and metal.
 * Grew wheat, barley and sorghom.
 * Trade through exchanged ideas.
 * Cultural diffusion.

__Time Period:__


 * 4500 BC, People began to farm.
 * 3300 BC Sumer (City-State) [Sumerians] (People)

__Environmental Challenges:__


 * Unpredictable flooding- Good soil- bad for 5 minute crop life.
 * No natural resources- Natural resources limited.
 * Little rain= desert.
 * No natural barriers- defenseless, easy to see enemy coming.
 * Not alot of building materials.
 * Need water for survival and crops. Built irrigation ditches.

__War/Military/Defense:__


 * Built city walls
 * Constant water between city states
 * Hard to defend= no natural barriers.
 * Spread culture.
 * Man picked a leader during times of war.

__Institutions:__


 * City-state independent
 * Self governing city included its surrounding farm land.

__Empires:__


 * Independent countries/ city-states brought water under 1 ruler.
 * (Sargon created the first.)
 * Babylonian: Invaded mesopotamia.

__Dynasty:__


 * Series of rulers from one family.

__Architecture:__
 * Arches
 * Ramps
 * Columns
 * Pyramids
 * Ziggurat Top: Temple or church (closest to god.) Middle:Gort, Bottom: Market place. Around the bazaar= market place. Exchange ideas.

__Literature:__
 * Epic of gigemesh.
 * Gives us information on how the might have lived.
 * Story is similar to the Noahs Ark Legend. (Flood)

__Social Classes:__
 * Top Layer: Kings, landholders, and priests.

__Equality: (Womans Rights):__
 * Women could be merchants, farmers, or artisans.
 * Women could own property.
 * Women could be priests.
 * Some upper class learned to read and write and some became scribes.
 * More rights then women in many ancient societies.

__Technology:__ __Important people:__
 * Inventions: Wheel, plow, bronze, sail.
 * Needed math to plan and build things.
 * Arithmetic and technology.
 * Base 60 (60 seconds= 1 minute) 60 minutes= One hour.
 * 360` circle.
 * Architecture: arches, ramps, pyramids, ziggurat
 * Writing cuneiform. (on clay tablets)
 * Sargon- conquered
 * Sumer- (adopted Sumer and spread culture)
 * Hammorabi- Leader of the babylonian empire. (known for code of law)

__Government:__
 * Controlled by preists controlled first.
 * During war men chose a tought fighter to lead at first control ended after war was over.
 * With more frequent wars tough fighters= Commanders got permanent control.
 * Hammurabi's code of law.

__Location:__
 * Between Persian Gulf and med sea.
 * Tigris River and Euphrates River.
 * Modern day Iraq.
 * Southwest Asia

__Geography:__
 * curved shape.
 * Flat swampy land.
 * Rich soil=silt
 * Fertile Crescent
 * Desert Climate
 * Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers."

__Economy/Agriculture:__
 * Traded grain, cloth and tools.
 * Received stone, wood, and metal.
 * Grew wheat, barley and sorghom.
 * Trade through exchanged ideas.
 * Cultural diffusion.

__Time Period:__
 * 4500 BC, People began to farm.
 * 3300 BC Sumer (City-State) [Sumerians] (People)

__Environmental Challenges:__
 * Unpredictable flooding- Good soil- bad for 5 minute crop life.
 * No natural resources- Natural resources limited.
 * Little rain= desert.
 * No natural barriers- defenseless, easy to see enemy coming.
 * Not a lot of building materials.
 * Need water for survival and crops. Built irrigation ditches.

__War/Military/Defense:__
 * Built city walls
 * Constant water between city states
 * Hard to defend= no natural barriers.
 * Spread culture.
 * Man picked a leader during times of war.

__Institutions:__
 * City-state independent
 * Self governing city included its surrounding farm land.

__Empires:__
 * Independent countries/ city-states brought water under 1 ruler.
 * (Sargon created the first.)
 * Babylonian: Invaded Mesopotamia.

__Dynasty:__
 * Series of rulers from one family.

__Architecture:__
 * Arches
 * Ramps
 * Columns
 * Pyramids
 * Ziggurat Top: Temple or church (closest to god.) Middle:Gort, Bottom: Market place. Around the bazaar= market place. Exchange ideas.

__Literature:__
 * Epic of gigemesh.
 * Gives us information on how the might have lived.
 * Story is similar to the Noah’s Ark Legend. (Flood)

__Social Classes:__


 * Top Layer: Kings, landholders, and priests.

__Equality: (Woman’s Rights):__
 * Women could be merchants, farmers, or artisans.
 * Women could own property.
 * Women could be priests.
 * Some upper class learned to read and write and some became scribes.
 * More rights then women in many ancient societies.

__Technology:__
 * Inventions: Wheel, plow, bronze, sail.
 * Needed math to plan and build things.
 * Arithmetic and technology.
 * Base 60 (60 seconds= 1 minute) 60 minutes= One hour.
 * 360` circle.
 * Architecture: arches, ramps, pyramids, ziggurat
 * Writing cuneiform. (on clay tablets)

__Important people:__
 * Sargon- conquered
 * Sumer- (adopted Sumer and spread culture)
 * Hammurabi- Leader of the Babylonian empire. (known for code of law)

__Government:__
 * Controlled by priests.
 * During war men chose a tough fighter to lead at first control ended after war was over.
 * With more frequent wars tough fighters= Commanders got permanent control.
 * Hammurabi's code of law.