city-states in mesopotamia
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City-States in Mesopotamia. Chapter 2 Section 1. I Geography of the Fertile Crescent. Fertile Crescent= fertile area of land between the Persian Gulf & Mediterranean Sea in Southwest Asia. A. Fertile Plains. Land btwn Tigris & Euphrates river became known as Mesopotamia - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
City-States in Mesopotamia
Chapter 2 Section 1
I Geography of the Fertile Crescent• Fertile Crescent= fertile area of land between
the Persian Gulf & Mediterranean Sea in Southwest Asia
A. Fertile Plains• Land btwn Tigris & Euphrates river became
known as Mesopotamia– Mesopotamia= Greek word meaning “land btwn
the rivers”• Rivers flooded at least 1 a yr. leaving behind
silt– Silt= Thick, fertile, mud on which farmers could
plant• Food surpluses allowed villages to grow
B. Enviornmental Challenges• Good soil attracted Sumerians whose
language dominated the regionDisadvantages– Flooding unpredictable– Verlnurable to attackbecause the lack of natural
barriers– Limited natural resources (wood, stone, metal)
C. Creating Solutions• Irrigation= ditches that carried water to fields– Allowed food surplus
• Built city walls out of brick & mud for defense• Traded grain for stone, wood, & metal that
they needed
• Large building projects required laborers and ppl to oversee the labor– Projects created a need for laws to settle disputes
over land and water distribution• Laws marked the beginning of organized gov’t
II Sumerians Create City-States• Sumerians 1st group to create a civilzation• Shared same culture & developed govt’s each
with its own ruler– City-State=city and surrounding land it conrolled
A. The Power of Priests• Sumer early gov’t controlled by priests
• Priests collected part of farmers crop as tax
B. Monarchs Take Control• In time of war a man was chosen to lead the
city & soldiers instead of priests– As war became frequent, ppl 7 priests gave
commanders permanent control of armies– Eventually became full time rulers– Passed down power to their sons to forma
dynasty• Dynasty= series of rulers from a single family
• City states came under rule of dysnasties
C. Spread of Cities• Food surplus prosperous city– Able to exchange extra food for goods they
needed• Trade spread of ideas– Cities arose in fertile crescent (now Syria, Iraq,
Turkey)• Sumerians also learned from nearby cultures– Cultural Diffusion= the process of a new idea or
product spreading from one culture to another
III Sumerian CultureA. A Religion of Many Gods• Sumerian culture & others in
region practiced a polytheism– Polytheism= the belief in many gods
• Sumerians described gods doing things humans did but believed they were immortal & all powerful– Built impressive ziggurats & offered
sacrifices to keep them happy so they wouldn’t cause them harm
• Epic of Gilgamesh offers a glimpse of their beliefs and concerns– One of the earliest works of literature in the world– Story of king Gilgamesh in his search for
immortality– Influenced other ancient cultures like Hebrews &
Greeks
B. Life in Sumerian Society• Civilization saw establishment of social classes
PriestsWealthy
merchantsMajority= farmers &
craftsmen
slaves
• Slaves were POWs & sumerians who were sold into slavery to pay debts of their poor parents
• Slaves could earn freedom through obedience & working all day
• Women could pursue most occupations of city life– Could own property– Join lower ranks of priesthood– Could not attend upper class schools where boys
learned to read and write– More rights than many other women in later civ.
IV The First Empire Buildings