Early River Valley Civilization: Mesopotamia/ Sumeria

Essential Question: What were the important characteristics of the civilizationsin Mesopotamia? Warm-Up Question:1.Why was the Neolithic Revolution such a big deal?

2. What were the 5 characteristics of civilizations? Give an example of each.

I. River Valley CivilizationsA. The discovery of farming during the Neolithic Revolution allowed ________________ people to settle into civilizations.B. The world’s first civilizations all began in ________________ ________________.C. The first civilization began in an area known as _______________________________. i. Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers” and is often called the “________________

_______________” or as the “Cradle of Civilization.” ii. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers ________________ once per year, leaving behind fertile soil

(called ________________) ideal for farming. iii. The first civilization developed in the Fertile Crescent in ________________. Surrounding

________________ and the lack of natural barriers attracted outsiders to Mesopotamia and made the Sumerians vulnerable to attack.

II. Advanced cities:A. Sumerian city-states were protected by high walls

i. Each ________________________________ had their own ruler and local gods. B. At the city center was a stepped temple called a ________________

III. Specialized WorkersA. Social Structure:

i. At the top of society were priests, and then ________________ii. In the middle were ________________ ________________, like merchants and artisansiii. At the bottom, were common ________________ and ________________

B. The Role of Women: i. They were not ________________ to men ii. Most stayed at home

a. ________________ women had more rights than lower class women. They could go to the market, engage in business, & get divorced

IV. Complex InstitutionsA. Religion: i. Sumerians & Babylonians were ________________

ii. The Hebrews in Palestine were the 1st ________________ faith in history (Judaism) a. The holy book of Judaism is the Torah. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, which serve as moral laws. B. Government: Monarchy i. Babylonian ________________ ________________ created the first written legal code a. Hammurabi’s Code had 282 laws based on justice & ________________ (an eye for an eye) b. The code had different punishments for the various levels of society c. The government was responsible for ________________ and ________________ the weak

V. Record Keeping and Writing:A. Sumerians made the world’s 1st

writing called ________________ i. Only the elite (________________ and ________________) could read and writeB. Sumerians used records to keep track of tradeC. Developed a ________________ ________________ based on 60D. Created a ________________

VI. Technology:A. Sumerians inventions include the wheel, sail, plow, an ________________ system & bronze metalwork.

Closure Activity

Develop a “Hammurabi’s Code” for Rouse High School:- Your code should include at least 5 laws and consequences- Think about things that are important to keep order in a school