2. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Mesopotamia– Greek word that means
“between the rivers.” It is located between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers
3. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Fertile Crescent—a large arc of rich, or fertile,
farmland. It extends from the Persian Gulf to
the Mediterranean Sea.
• Silt—a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks. Silt is
brought to Mesopotamia by the yearly
flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
4. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Irrigation– a way of supplying water to an area
of land.
• Canals—human-made waterways
• Surplus—more than what is needed.
Irrigation allowed for Mesopotamia farmers to
have a food surplus.
5. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Division of Labor—the type of arrangement in
which each worker specializes in a particular
task or job.
• In what ways did a division of labor contribute
to the growth of the Mesopotamia
civilization?
6. The Rise of Sumer
• Sumerians—the people of the world’s first
civilization. The Sumerians settled in
Mesopotamia in 3000 BC
• City-state—a central city and all the
countryside around it.
7. The Rise of Sumer
• Empire—land with different territories and peoples
under a single rule.
• Sargon—Akkadian emperor who extended the
Akkadian territory. He built a new capital, Akkad, on
the Euphrates river, near what is now the city of
Baghdad. He was the first to have a permanent army.
8. The Rise of Sumer
• Polytheism—the worship of many gods
• Social hierarchy—the division of society by
rank or class.
• Ur—one of the earliest and largest cities of
ancient Mesopotamia. It was located on the
Euphrates river. Ur traded with people from
distant lands such as India.
10. Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
• Babylon– city built on the Euphrates river,
near what is now Baghdad, Iraq. It had once
been a Sumerian city. Hammurabi became
the city’s greatest ruler.
• Hammurabi’s Code– a set of 282 laws that
dealt with almost every part of daily life.
11. Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
• Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi’s Code is written
in Cuneiform.
Stele located in the
Louver Museum
12. Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
• Chariot—a wheeled horse-drawn cart used in
battle.
• Assyrians– group of people who in 900 BC
began to conquer all of the Fertile Crescent.
Their capital city was Ninevah. Their army was
very well organized and skilled.
13. Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
• Chaldeans—group of people from the Syrian Desert
who defeated the Assyrian Empire. Their most famous
king was Nebuchadnezzar. He rebuilt the city of
Babylon.
• Phoenicians—group of people on the western end of
the Fertile Crescent. They were excellent sailors ,and
traded with other people around the Mediterranean.
They built the city of Carthage northern Africa. They
created one of the world’s first alphabets, which is the
basis for our alphabet.
