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NOTES:

The Rise of Civilizations & River Valley Civilizations #1: Mesopotamia (WHI.3)

The Five Characteristics of Civilizations

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The Start of Mesopotamia/Geography of Mesopotamia

• Early humans traveled to find ____________ . Why? ____________________________________________

• Migrations --> people are near WATERWAYS

• Travel through the ____________________ , end up in region called the _____________________________

• Fertile Crescent = in modern-day _________ .

• Why is this region fertile?

Importance of Geography:

PROBLEM: Rivers = only real source of water for Sumer

Positives: Negatives:

- Allows ___________ to grow - Unpredictable _____________

- Sumer was ___________ in size

- Deposits silt-rich soil from bottom

of riverbeds - Why does it matter that - Sumer not rich in ___________

the soil is silt-rich? resources

Characteristics of the Fertile Crescent:

• Location of two major rivers, the ______________ River and the ______________ River

• The name Mesopotamia means "_________________________________ "

• One of the earliest known cities (2900 BCE) in Mesopotamia was what? What people was it home to?

Sumerian Scientific, Intellectual, and Technological Advancements:

Sumerian inventions include...

• 3 major inventions: 1) ___________________

2) ____________________

3) ___________________

How did the sail especially help Sumer?

• Calendars

• Counting/number system from __________

• 1st to use bronze (start of Bronze Age)

• Created _______________ (writing system of

Mesopotamia/Sumer)

• Architectural designs ( ___________________ )

Sumerian Religion:

• Sumerians believed in gods - _______________________

• Polytheism = belief in multiple gods)

• What was the main religious building called?_______________

- Ziggurats mean " __________________________ "

- Surrounded by walls for protection

- Served many different purposes,

including _________________________________

• ____________ held high power in society in Sumer

until what happened?

• Military leaders ---> lead to ____________ of kings in Sumer

(leaders pass power to sons)

What is cuneiform (besides really important)?

• Cuneiform = _________________ system which involved what?

• Used a system of __________________ to represent words and/or phrases

• Cylindrical seal used for names/trade

• What is a stylus? _______________________________________________________________

What Do Early Cities Need?

1. To be near _______________________ (for crops, irrigation)

2. Villages - why are villages necessary?

• ______________________________________________

These needs ---> many changes and villages evolve into __________

and _______________ cities

Early Mesopotamian Conquerors:

• Religious leaders originally held power. What happened? ______________________________________________

• More wars = __________________ leaders come to power. These leaders begin to take over nearby villages.

• Gathering control over villages was the start of ___________________ and empire ________________________ .

• Who was the first empire builder? ______________________________________

- Takes power over Sumer

- Came from the city of ___________________

- The Sargon dynasty ____________________ all of Sumer from 2340 BCE to 2125 BCE (the first time all of Sumer has ever been unified)

- Expands empire from ____________ of Sumer to ________________________

- Empire is created. What is an empire? ____________________________________________________________

• Was Sargon of Akkad tolerant? How do we know?

Sumerian Society & Culture:

* Society in Sumer had rigid ______________

classes. *

• Divided into different social classes

• Included upper class, upper middle,

lower middle, slaves, etc.

• Women in Sumer society: What could

they do?

• What role did religion play in daily life?

Important text: Epic of Gilgamesh

Babylonian Empire Rises:

Eventually, the Sargon dynasty's rule falls, and the Babylonian Empire will take its place.

• Empire of Sargon weakens --> ______________ take control of Sumer around 2000 BCE (also known as the Babylonians)

• Babylonians are in power, make the city of _______________ their capital (no longer in Ur)

• Still keep the practices and beliefs traditional to Sumerian culture

• Under what leader and when does the Babylonian Empire reach its height?

LEADER: _______________________________________ WHEN: ________________________

• What is Hammurabi best known for? _________________________________________________________

• This code of law is called Hammurabi's Code

What was Hammurabi's Code based on? _______________________________

Basic idea: " ___________________________________________________________ "

Rules = differed based on how much $$$ someone had

The Rise of Early Cities

Cities start following the boom of the _______________________________________.

Agriculture = people have a steady source of food

More food? ________ people and a need for more

___________________ .

The Area of Sumer:

Small area where ____________ and __________ Rivers met.

What was Sumer's most famous city? _________

• Earliest example of an advanced city, civilization

Ur became a powerful city? What characterized this?

Sumerian cities = had their own _________ and ________

Operated as city-states! (almost like their own states)

Problem Solving in Sumer:

People of Sumer = invent things to help solve geographic issues

• Dug _________________, making more land farmable

• Built walls to ____________

_______________________

• ____________ for resources

(Grain + cloth for wood, metal, other tools)

All About Ur:

Ur was the most powerful city-state in Sumer.

• Sophisticated with ________________ classes

• Who holds the power?

• 1.

2.

• Economy based on ____________________

• Organized areas for ____________________

• Buildings of clay brick

- What did a regular house look like?

- What did a wealthy person's house look like?

ECONOMY of Sumerian Cities:

Based on _____________________________ (farming was the basis for everything)

___________________________ = the most important area (used for trading at bazaars - open air markets). The barter system was used in trading. What is bartering?

Sumerian cities = had their own _________ and ________

Operated as city-states! (almost like their own states)

New Inventions Change Lives (and Bring About Cities)

These inventions include: 1) ______________ , 2) ___________________ , and 3) ________________________________

Why do these inventions matter?

• The more food a settlement has, the more _____________________ it can support. And the more people a

settlement has, the more ______________________ that society becomes.

1. Advanced cities.

The word "city" is Latin for what?

Cities were organized to have different areas for:

1. ____________

2. ____________

3. ____________

Advanced cities also had centers for trade!

2. Specialized workers

Trade is important to civilizations. How do you get items to trade?

Lots of crops (aka ______________) causes economic ______________

Demand for _______________ encourages the crafting of new products

Trade with other peoples = more _______________

Examples: Scribes, priests, metalworkers, merchants, weavers, soldiers, teachers, etc.

3. Complex institutions

Examples include....

1) __________

Meets administrative needs of the civilization

2) __________

Protect civilization and gain land and power

3) __________

Priests have political and religious power; gods are crucial to civilization success

4. Record keeping

TWO reasons for the development of ______________:

1) Keep ________

2 ) ____________ expression

Earliest form of writing is ?

_______________

What are pictograms?

5. Advanced technology (tools)

Examples include...

- _______________

• The wheel and plow

- _______________

• Sailboat (aids in trade too)

- _______________

• Bronze! ( a combo of copper and tin)

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