CivilizationBegins

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Civilization Begins

• The Fertile Crescent

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What is Civilization?

• Civilization route word civilis, Latin refers
  to a community of citizens and or a city.
• Remember your five characteristics of
  civilization!!!!
• ?Advanced cities, specialized workers, complex
  institutions, record keeping/writing, and
  advanced technology.

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New aspects during the Neolithic Period

• 1. As more people began to farm they learned
  how to irrigate, (transfer of water to the
  crops).

• 2. Barter Economy people exchange their goods
  and services directly without using money.
• 3. Merchants were people who arranged the
  exchange of goods between villages.
• Merchants would buy and sell goods for profit.

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New aspects during the Neolithic Period

• 4. Metal working became a new craft at the very
  end of the New Stone Age.
• 5. People learned how to combine copper with
  other substances to make harder and stronger
  metals called alloys.
• 6. Copper and tin bronze, one of the first
  alloys. Bronze made stronger tools and fancier
  jewelry.

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Mesopotamia

• Mesopotamia land between rivers.
• It is part of the Fertile Crescent, and is often
  called the cradle of civilization.
• It is located between the Tigris and Euphrates
  Rivers. Modern day Iraq.

?Home of the worlds first civilizations.
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Mesopotamia

• The Fertile Crescent provided several valuable
  resources.
• 1. The abundant supply of water.
• 2. A natural supply of food.
• 3. A rich soil for growing crops, and making
  bricks and pottery.

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The Sumerians
1. Historians believe that the Sumerians
created the worlds first civilization, which
developed from 3500 to 2500 B.C.
2. The Sumerians became the first group of
people to settle in the Mesopotamian river
valley.
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The Sumerian Writing System

• 1. They developed their own writing system known
  as cuneiform.
• 2. This was written on wet clay tablets with
  reeds. Then they were baked to harden.
• 3. This writing system did not use letters, it
  used wedged shape symbols.
• 4. Through their writings we know about their
  culture.

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Keys to Sumerian Success

• 1. They had a division of labor a developed
  ability to farm. They also had scribes,
  recorders of daily records.
• 2. They had a well developed system of
  writing.

3. Their civilization was supported by the

same people for a
substantial amount of time.
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Keys to Sumerian Success

• 4. They had a central government
• With an organized set of laws.
• 12 separate units, called city-states.
• Each city-state built a Ziggurat, (temple to
  honor its god or goddess).

5. Priests served as the middlemen between the
gods and Sumerians. During wartime, the priests
chose strong fighters to lead the soldiers.
Power was given back to the priests after war.
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Downfall of the Sumerians
1. For 1,000 years the city-states of Sumer were
constantly at war with one another.

• 2. With no natural protective barriers the
  city-states were subject to invasions.
• 3. After 230 years of attack invaders finally
  took over the Sumerian lands.

Who would conquer the Sumerians and take control
of the Fertile Crescent?