Mesopotamia Title: Geography. Do Now This week in history, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish Settlers in 1781. Much has changed since that day..

MesopotamiaTitle: Geography

Do NowThis week in history, Los Angeles

was founded by Spanish Settlers in 1781.

Much has changed since that day..What are changes you would

like to see in our city, how do you think we should begin that change and why do you think it would make Los Angles a better place to live?7L

Glossary BuilderCivilization:

the condition that exists when people have developed effective ways of organizing a society and care about art, science, etc.

Tigris River: The Eastern river in ancient Mesopotamia

Euphrates River: The Western river in ancient Mesopotamia

Irrigation: To deliver water to the land for farming, using

canals or ditches.

Mesopotamia VideoWe are now going to watch the

rest of the video we watched before the test last week. Watch carefully for the mention of the new vocabulary words: civilization, Tigris and Euphrates

Rivers and irrigation

Big Idea The valleys of the Tigris and

Euphrates rivers were the site of the world’s first civilizations

Main Ideas The rivers of Southwest Asia

supported the growth of civilizations

New farming techniques led to growth of cities in Sumer

MESOPOTAMIA Means “the Land Between the rivers”

The Fertile Crescent In Northern Mesopotamia, the land is fertile. There is seasonal

rain. The rivers and streams are fed from the hills and mountains of the region.

In Southern Mesopotamia, the land is mostly flat and barren. Temperatures can rise over 110 degrees Fahrenheit. There is very little rainfall. Storms do blow in from the Persian Gulf, which cools things off. The area does have slight seasons. It can get quite cool at certain times of the year.

Many thousands of years ago, early settlers wandered into the land between two rivers. Natural vegetation and wildlife kept the people well fed. The rivers provided fresh drinking water, and a place to bathe. These early people settled down, invented a system of irrigation, and began to farm the land.

The Tigris River: The Tigris was the

eastern of the two rivers and flowed from a source deep in the Armenian mountains all the way to the Persian Gulf, about 1,200 miles.

Located in present day Iraq, Turkey and Syria

Euphrates River The Euphrates

was the western of the two rivers and flowed from a source deep in the Armenian mountains all the way to the Persian Gulf, almost 1,800 miles.

The Fertile Crescent

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Both rivers were the lifeblood of Mesopotamian

civilizations, giving the Sumerians water and a vehicle for their trade and defense.

Waters from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers helped Sumerian farmers grow enough crops to feed towns and cities

Reflection The soil was good for farming because

of yearly flooding.

How would this help the development of a civilization and help the Sumerians to prosper?

Irrigation As we have seen before, the people of

Mesopotamia adapted to their environment and developed systems to help them to survive: Irrigation: Waterways that would bring the

important water into fields and farm areas farther from the banks of the rivers

We Still Use Irrigation today!!

Why is Irrigation Important? Because water was able

to flow through these irrigation channels

Irrigation channels allowed farmers to have water in areas that were once a barren desert

As the civilization grew, the irrigations system expanded to allow water to areas farter from the rivers

Agriculture in Mesopotamia

Because the land was so fertile, people began to rely even more on farming.

Irrigation brought water to dry areas

Silt: rich minerals which helped to fertilize the soil, making it rich in nutrients.

Crops prospered and life became more predictable

Sumerian Farming Manual You are going to create a Mesopotamia

Farming Manual with 6 steps. You must describe the step and how to do it properly along with a diagram or picture of what it would look like.

I will show you how to cut the paper and you will complete the rest in class or for homework if you do not finish

Sumerian Farming Manual1. Local officials decide when to let water flow onto

crops2. Farmers let animals graze in soil to trample and

eat weeds.3. Farmers break up the soil using hand tools4. Spread seeds and plow5. Plant seeds6. Harvest the plants

EXIT SLIP

QUESTION 1 What are the names of the two

rivers that designed the borders for Mesopotamia?

a) Tigris and Nileb) Tigris and Euphratesc) Nile River and the Red Sead) Euphrates River and the Nile

QUESTION 2 In your own words, describe why

the rivers were important in the success of Mesopotamia? In other words, how did the two rivers

help Mesopotamia grow and thrive?

QUESTION 3 Which was NOT a step in the

farming process?a) Farmers let animals graze in soil to

trample and eat weeds.b) Farmers break up the soil using hand

toolsc) Hire others to help on large farmsd) Spread seeds and plow

QUESTION 4 Which was NOT benefit of irrigationa) Water flowing in the irrigation was cleanerb) Water was able to flow more easilyc) It allowed farmers to have water in areas

that were once a barren desertd) The irrigations system expanded to allow

water to areas farter from the rivers

QUESTION 5 The Fertile Crescent got its name

because…a) It rained so often the land was always

lush and greenb) Snow melting from the mountains

watered the plantsc) The irrigation system allowed farmers

to water their plantsd) The Tigris and Euphrates rivers often

over-flowed making it very green but also swampy