Ancient Civilizations: Mesopotamia. Geography Environment the land between the rivers
The Land Between Two Rivers
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Transcript of The Land Between Two Rivers
The Land Between Two Rivers
Chapter 3 Lesson 1
ObjectivesLocate the major river systems where the
earliest civilizations developed
Describe the physical settings that supported permanent settlements and early civilizations
VocabularyTributary – rivers that flow into larger rivers
Plateau – a high, flat area of land
Alluvial Plain – a low, flat land formed from fine soil left behind by streams
Silt – soil and tiny rocks carried or deposited on the land by floodwaters
Importance of Major River SystemsMany early civilizations
formed in the valleys of major river systems
People used the river water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and fishing
The land in river valleys was good for farming and raising livestock
See page 95 in textbook for early river valley civilizations
The Tigris and Euphrates One of the earliest
civilizations formed in Sumer in an area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers called Mesopotamia
Sumer arose in southern Mesopotamia
The Need for IrrigationThe hot dry climate of
Mesopotamia made farming a challenge, and rainfall was unreliable
Farmers in southern Mesopotamia solved this problem by developing increasingly sophisticated systems of irrigation
Access to water from the Tigris and Euphrates allowed permanent settlements to thrive in the south
Ubaid CultureUbaid culture was based
on farming
Formed in 5000 BC in southern Mesopotamia
They built irrigation systems, larger homes and temples; produced surpluses; had leaders; created pottery, and traded
SummaryLike some other major rivers systems, the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers gave rise to an early civilization
Between these rivers in southern Mesopotamia, the Sumerians developed new ideas for more complex cultures there
This led to one of the world’s first civilizations in Sumer