Name: MAP TITLE: Date: Period: KEY: ¥=Majw Kingdom in Mesopotamia * = Major city-state in MesopotamiaName: 1. Complete your map using the instructions on the 2. Use “The Civilization of Sumer” article to complete the following acti Date: MESOPOTAMIA MAP ACTIVITY Part ONE Directions: Write 5 facts using complete sentences about the geography of Mesopotamia. **Use the "Geography of Mesopotamia” section to help you. di Period “Mesopotamia Map Instructions” page. (not attached) ies to learn about the geography of Mesopotamia. Part TWO rections: Early Mesopotemians began to settle around the Tigris and Euphrates River in order to farm. There were many effects. Write avout 4 of these and draw a visual for each below. “Use the “Farming the Land” and “City- States of Sumer”/”Cities Emerge” sections to help you, Part THREE Directions: Using the compass rose and a ‘map, determine whether the statements written below are true or false. sw SE S 1. The Euphrates River is west of the Tigris River. 2. The Mediterranean Sea is east of Mesopotamia. 3. Egypt is southwest of Mesopotamia, 4. The Zagros Mountains are east of the Fertile Crescent. 5. The Syrian Desert is south of Mesopotamia,MESOPOTAMIA MAP INSTRUCTIONS Please only use colored pencils, NO markers! **NEATNESS COUNTSI!I** |. Title your map: Ancient Mesopotamia 2. Label the following bodies of water and color them blue *Mediterranean Seq *Red Sea *Persian Gulf 3. Label the following rivers and trace them in blue. River lines are already on the map for you “Euphrates River “Tigris River (Yoo-fray-teez) (Tie-gris) 4. Locate and label the following major kingdoms in Mesopotamia using the star * symbol. The symbol is on the map already *Sumer *Akkad “Assyria *Babylonia (soo-mer) (ur-cod) (bab-uh-lone-ee-a) 5. Locate and label the following major city-states in Mesopotamia using the dot e symbol. The symbol is on the map already *Ur *Nineveh “Babylon (00-r) (nin-ub-vuh) (bab-a-ton) 6. Locate and color the Fertile Crescent region green 7. Locate and color the Syrian Desert light brown. Label in black 8. Locate the Zagros Mountains. Draw in the mountains with triangle symbols using brown (color) **4444. Label in black 4. Create a map key by adding symbols/color to represent bodies of water & rivers, deserts, mountains, and the Fertile Crescent (two symbols have already been created in the key for you)Black SeaSection 1 The Civilization of Sumer © Fertile land between the © Priests and kings held great © Sumerian achievements Key Tigris and Euphrates rivers power in the city-states of included new technology, 2 Ideas cupported the earliest Sumer. written language, and epic known civilization poetry Key Terms Fertile Crescent» Mesopotamia irrigate citystate © Visual Gtossary barter polytheism ziggurat cuneiform = Ideas and Details Take notes using the graphic organizer in your journal. he Fertile Crescent is a region of the Middle East that stretches ane ina large, crescent-shaped curve from the Persian Gulf'to the cectalestaad¥. ‘Mediterranean Sea. The Fertile Crescent includes Mesopotamia (mes uh puh Tay mee uh), a wide, flat plain in present-day Iraq. This plain lies between two great rivers, the Tigris (ry gris) and the Euphrates (yoo FRaY teez). In fact, Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers” in Greek. Here, thousands of years ago, the world’ first civilization began to form. This was the civilization of Sumer (soo mur).F E name suggests, the Fertile Crescent’s ‘soil is rich and fertile. Some of the most productive land in the region is in ‘Mesopotamia. This rich soil allowed Sumerian farmers to grow many grains and vegetables. They also raised sheep, goats, and cattle, Geography of Mesopotamia Northern ‘Mesopotamia includes the foothills of the Taurus and Zagros mountain chains. ‘To the south, these foothills flatten into plains that stretch southeast toward the Persian Gulf Southern Mesopotamia is a hot, dry region with little rainfall, At first glance, the land looks like a desert. But the soils are not desert soils. In fact, they are rich with nutrients. ‘The southern part of Mesopotamia owes its good soil to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, These rivers begin in the mountains of southeastern Turkey and flow south and cast, through present-day Iraq. The rivers unite in southern Iraq and continue to the Persian Gulf as a single waterway known as the Shatt-al-Arab. For many years, the Tigris and Euphrates have carried fine, fertile soil called silt down from the mountains. Each spring, the rivers flood their banks, spreading floodwaters and silt across the plain, When the floods end, they leave behind a fresh layer of moist, fertile earth that is perfect for growing crops. But Mesopotamia’s geography also gave Sumerian farmers many challenges. ‘The heavy spring floods could wash away crops and even whole villages. During the summer, the hot sun baked the ground rock hard. With little rain for months, plants died. Farming the Land Despite these challenges, the Sumerians used technology to turn Mesopotamia into productive farmland, Remember that technology is the practical application of knowledge to accomplish a task. World © CONNECTIONS The Fertile Crescent’s major crops were barley and wheat. Both are grown today in the United States, primarily in the Great PI La ‘The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are a key part of life in the Fertile Crescent.58 Syrian Desert The Sumerians used technology to irrigate, or supply water to, their crops. ‘They dug many miles of irrigation canals to bring water from the rivers to their fields. With irrigation, crops could still get water during the hot, dry summer. Sumerians also developed a new way of planting crops. Earlier farmers had used a plow pulled by oxen to cut a long furrow, or trench, in the soil. Then the farmers dropped seeds into the furrow by hand, But Sumerian farmers developed a seed funnel that they attached to their plows. As the plow moved forward, seeds auto- matically dropped from the funnel into the soil. This made planting faster and easier. Reading Check How did geography affect the Sumerians? Crescent was Sumer? Interaction How do you think bodies of water influenced the development of e'vilization in the region? Places to Know! Label the following places on the ‘outline map in your Student Journal Mesopotamia, Sumer Persian Gulf KEY DW eerie cose D sine © Gy City-States of Sumer Better agricultural techniques helped the Sumerians produce more food. With a dependable food supply, the population of villages began to grow. Around 3400 3.c., cities started to form in southern Mesopotamia. Cities Emerge ‘The first Mesopotamian city was Uruk, shown on the map on this page. Uruk had a population of more than 40,000 people. Other early cities were Ur, Lagash, and Nippur. Some cities grew large and powerful. They became the world’ first city-states, A city-state is an independent state that includes a city and its surrounding territory. Each Sumerian city-state had its own government and laws, and each had its own main god.