Introduction to Mesopotamia

Turn to page 95 of your textbook Take out your vocabulary sheets and

describe the words

1. Tributary 2. Plateau3. Alluvial plain4. Silt

Do Now

Developed in the valleys of four major river systems

1. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers2. Nile River3. Indus River4. Huang He

Earliest Civilizations

Civilization called Sumer developed in the fertile crescent.

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have many tributaries. Both rivers lead to the Persian Gulf.

Area called Mesopotamia, which means “the land between the rivers.”

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Northern Mesopotamia sat on the high, flat land of a plateau.

Mesopotamia

Southern Mesopotamia lay on the low, flat land of an alluvial plain.

Mesopotamia

In the spring, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers often overflowed. As the floodwaters drained, they deposited soil and tiny rocks on the land to form a new layer of silt.

Mesopotamia

Fertile Crescent Today

Turn to page 23 of your Homework and Practice Book.

Use the maps from your textbook to fill in the map.

Activity