The Marvels of Ancient River Valley

Civilizations

Mesopotamia
Tisha
9A

Part C – History Project

Introduction
• Mesopotamia is one of the oldest civilizations in the world
• The name means "Land Between Two Rivers" in Greek
• It existed from around 3500 BCE to 500 BCE
• Located in what is now modern-day Iraq
• It is often called the Cradle of Civilization
• This is because so many important things were invented there
• Things like writing, the wheel and early laws all started here
Major River Valley Civilizations
• There were 4 main ancient river valley civilizations:
• 1. Mesopotamia – Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Iraq)
• 2. Ancient Egypt – Nile River (Egypt)
• 3. Indus Valley – Indus River (India and Pakistan)
• 4. Ancient China – Yellow River (China)
• All of them grew near rivers because rivers gave water for farming
• We are focusing on Mesopotamia for this project
Geographical Location
• Mesopotamia was in the Middle East
• It sat between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River
• These two rivers flow into the Persian Gulf
• The land around them was very fertile – good for growing crops
• Today this area is mostly in Iraq, with parts in Syria and Turkey
• The flat plain between the rivers is called the Fertile Crescent
• This made it a perfect place to start farming and building cities
Origin and Discovery
• People first settled in Mesopotamia around 6000 BCE
• The Sumerians were one of the first groups to build proper cities
• Uruk, Ur and Eridu were some of the earliest cities in the world
• Around 3500 BCE the Sumerian civilization really got going
• Later came the Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians
• Archaeologists started digging up ruins in the 1800s
• They found thousands of clay tablets with writing on them
Social Structure and Daily Life
• Society was split into different groups or classes
• At the top: the King and priests
• Then nobles, warriors and landowners
• Then merchants, craftsmen and traders
• Then farmers – most people were farmers
• At the bottom: slaves
• Daily life: people ate bread, fish, onions and dates
• Women could own property and run businesses which was unusual
Government and Administration
• Mesopotamia was made up of city-states – each city ruled itself
• Each city-state had its own king
• The king made laws, led the army and collected taxes
• Kings said their power came from the gods
• Sargon of Akkad created the first empire around 2334 BCE
• Hammurabi was a famous king of Babylon
• He wrote the first major law code in history – 282 laws!
• The laws were carved into a giant stone called a stele
Writing System
• Mesopotamia invented the world's first writing system
• It is called Cuneiform
• Cuneiform means wedge-shaped in Latin
• People used a reed stylus to press marks into wet clay tablets
• At first it was just pictures – then it became symbols
• It was used for keeping records of trade and laws
• Only special people called scribes knew how to write
• Scribes went to school for many years to learn
• Over 400,000 clay tablets have been found by archaeologists
Religion and Beliefs
• Mesopotamians believed in many gods – this is called polytheism
• Each city had its own main god or goddess
• Some important gods: Anu (sky), Enlil (wind), Enki (water)
• Inanna was the goddess of love and war
• They built huge stepped temples called Ziggurats for the gods
• Priests were very powerful – almost as powerful as kings
• They made daily offerings to keep the gods happy
• The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient story from Mesopotamia
• It includes a great flood story – similar to the story of Noah
Trade and Occupations
• Trade was very important to Mesopotamia
• They exported grain, wool, pottery and cloth
• They imported timber, metals and precious stones
• Merchants traveled by boat along the rivers
• Common jobs included: farmers, scribes, weavers, blacksmiths
• Potters made clay pots for storage and trade
• Fishermen caught fish from the rivers
• Markets were held in cities where people could buy and sell
Art and Architecture
• The most famous buildings were Ziggurats – giant stepped temples
• The Great Ziggurat of Ur is one of the most well-known
• Buildings were made from mud bricks because there was no stone
• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is one of the 7 wonders (maybe!)
• Artists made beautiful jewelry from gold and precious gems
• They carved detailed statues of gods and kings
• Cylinder seals were small carved tubes used as signatures
• Mosaics were made from shells, stones and colored tiles
Science and Technology
• Mesopotamia made some of the most important inventions ever
• They invented the WHEEL around 3500 BCE – first used for pottery
• They created a number system based on 60 (we still use this!)
• 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour – that is from them
• They mapped the stars and named many constellations
• Doctors had medical knowledge and performed basic surgery
• They built canals, dams and levees – very advanced engineering
• The first ever map was made in Mesopotamia
Agriculture and Irrigation
• Farming was the most important activity in Mesopotamia
• The land between the rivers was very fertile
• But rain was unreliable so they invented irrigation
• Irrigation means bringing water to fields through canals
• They built networks of canals from the rivers to the crops
• Main crops: barley, wheat, lentils, sesame, dates and onions
• They kept animals like cattle, sheep, goats and pigs
• Farming produced extra food which let other jobs exist
Military and Warfare
• City-states were always fighting each other for land and power
• Mesopotamia had one of the first organized armies in history
• Soldiers used spears, axes, swords and bows and arrows
• Weapons were first made from bronze and later from iron
• They invented the war chariot – a wheeled vehicle pulled by horses
• Chariots gave a big speed advantage in battles
• Sargon of Akkad conquered all city-states to make the first empire
• The Assyrians were known as the most feared warriors
• They were experts at siege warfare – attacking walled cities
Fun Facts
• Mesopotamians invented beer around 4000 BCE
• Workers were sometimes paid in beer instead of money
• The world's oldest written story is the Epic of Gilgamesh
• They played board games – the Royal Game of Ur is 4500 years old
• The first female author we know of was from Mesopotamia (Enheduanna)
• They used clay tokens before they had proper writing
• Ancient Babylon had wide roads and something like city planning
• The first recipe ever written down was a Mesopotamian beer recipe
Similarities with Other Civilizations
• Mesopotamia and Egypt both built near rivers for farming
• Both had powerful kings and priests at the top of society
• Both were polytheistic (believed in many gods)
• Both built large monumental structures (Ziggurats vs Pyramids)
• Mesopotamia and Indus Valley both had planned city layouts
• Both used standard weights and measures for trade
• All 4 river valley civilizations developed writing systems
• All of them had armies and went to war over territory
Differences from Other Civilizations
• Egypt used stone for buildings – Mesopotamia used mud bricks
• Egypt had Hieroglyphics – Mesopotamia had Cuneiform
• Egypt's Pharaoh was seen as a living god – Mesopotamian kings were not
• Egypt was more stable – Mesopotamia changed rulers often
• China developed silk and paper money – Mesopotamia did not
• Indus Valley cities were more neatly planned than Mesopotamian cities
• Egypt focused on the afterlife – Mesopotamia focused more on this life
• Mesopotamia had more city-states – Egypt was more unified
Decline of the Civilization
• No single reason caused the decline – it was many things together
• Constant wars between city-states made everyone weaker
• Outside invaders kept attacking: Hittites, Kassites, Assyrians
• Over-farming made the soil salty – a problem called salinization
• Less food meant less power for the rulers
• The Assyrian Empire eventually collapsed in 612 BCE
• In 539 BCE the Persian king Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon
• This is usually seen as the end of Mesopotamian civilization
Contributions to Modern Society
• The wheel – every vehicle today uses this idea
• Writing – the whole idea of written language started here
• Law codes – the idea that laws should be written down and fair
• Time – 60 seconds, 60 minutes, 24 hours all come from Mesopotamia
• Math – their base-60 system is still used in geometry and time
• Astronomy – they named stars and constellations we still use today
• Agriculture – irrigation techniques are still used in farming
• Literature – the Epic of Gilgamesh is still studied in schools
Conclusion
Mesopotamia was one of the greatest civilizations that ever existed.
It gave the world writing, the wheel, law, math, and so much more.
Even though it ended over 2000 years ago, we still use its inventions
today.
Every time you check the clock or drive in a car, you have
Mesopotamia to thank.

It truly deserves to be called the Cradle of Civilization.