Mesopotamia

World Map

Map Activity

Please label the following…

1. Ur <Sumer>2. Uruk <Sumer>3. Mesopotamia4. Euphrates River5. Akkad6. Persian Gulf7. Red Sea8. Mediterranean Sea9. Tigris River10. Babylon

Map

Foldable Part 1

Sumerian Background1. What is a levee and what is it used

for?

2. How did the Sumerians control their environment?

3. How did the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers make the Sumerians more organized?

The Rise of Sumer

Who were the people who settled in Southern Mesopotamia?

The Sumerians: They were a short, stocky, black-haired people who settled in Southern Mesopotamia.

The Rise of Sumer

How did the Sumerians control their environment?

1. When the floodwaters went down, natural levees, or raised areas of soil, remained behind.

2. The Sumerians built the levees higher and used them to keep back the floodwaters.

3. When the land became dry in the summer, they poked holes in the levees.

4. They used water in the canals to water their crops.

The Rise of Sumer

What is a levee and what is it used for?

A levee is a raised area of soil or earth that is used in the irrigation of crops.

How did the features/bodies of

water affect the people of Mesopotamia?

The rivers would flood annually which made the land around the rivers extremely fertile.

The Rise of Sumer How did the flooding of the

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers make the Sumerians more organized?

To figure out when the rivers would flood the Sumerians created a calendar.

The irrigation system took much planning. People had to learn how to work together. The Sumerians set up governments to make laws so they would know what was expected of them.

Foldable Part II

City- States 1. How did the Sumerians

build their cities? (materials used)

2. What areas made up a Sumerian city-state?

3. What is a city-state?

City-States

What is a city-state: It is a city that has it’s own

government and acts as an independent country.

How did the Sumerians build their cities?

They used sun-dried, mud-brick because there was little stone and timber to build with.

City-States

What areas made up a Sumerian city-state?

City-state: Each city-state was made up of the city and the farmland around it.

At the center of each Sumerian city was the ziggurat.

Each city was surrounded by a wall of sundried mud bricks.

Near the center were the houses of the upper class priest and merchants.

Next were the houses of the middle class such as government officials shop keepers and artisans.

The farther out were the homes of the poor, farmers and fishermen.

Key VocabKey Vocab

Define artisan:Define artisan: Skilled workerSkilled worker

Cuneiform-Cuneiform- Sumerian writingSumerian writing

Scribe Scribe A writerA writer

Foldable Part III

Religion and Family Life

1. What was the Ziggurat?

2. What was the purpose of a ziggurat?

3. What is cuneiform?

4. Why did writing develop?

5. Who has all the power in a Sumerian house hold?

Religious and Family LifeReligious and Family Life

How were Sumerian schools different How were Sumerian schools different from the wealthy children? from the wealthy children?

They were only for the sons of the They were only for the sons of the rich.rich.

They were known as tablet houses They were known as tablet houses because their main purpose was to because their main purpose was to teach students how to write.teach students how to write.

Religious and Family LifeReligious and Family Life

Why was writing Why was writing developed?developed?

People had to keep People had to keep track of business track of business deals. As cities grew, deals. As cities grew, there were too many there were too many people and goods to people and goods to remember. remember.

Write-Pair-ShareWrite-Pair-Share

What was life like for What was life like for Sumerian women?Sumerian women?

Overall life for women was Overall life for women was difficult women could be sold, difficult women could be sold, rented, or easily divorced.rented, or easily divorced.

Women did have some rights Women did have some rights however, they could buy and however, they could buy and sell property. They could run sell property. They could run businesses and own and sell businesses and own and sell enslaved people.enslaved people.

Homework:Homework:

Who was Gilgamesh?Who was Gilgamesh?

Who is Gilgamesh's best friend?Who is Gilgamesh's best friend?

What is Gilgamesh searching for?What is Gilgamesh searching for?

What is his story similar to?What is his story similar to?