olitical Systems conomy eligion

•________________________: belief in many godsSumerians in Mesopotamia believed in almost 3,000 gods!!!

•Gods could be _________________ at any moment and to keep them happy Sumerians:

–Built impressive ______________________ or temples to sacrifice food, wine and animalsSouls of the dead wandered in the land of no return

zigguratziggurat

Power of the Priests

•Sumer’s earliest __________________ were controlled by temple _____________

–Farmers believed they needed blessings for success of their crops

–Priests were the middle man for the GodsPriests demanded portion of farmer crops as tax

• Later followed _______________

rulers: when the power is ___________

down to ____________ ___________.

• Metal tools and weapons (bronze, iron)

• Increasing agricultural surplus (better tools, plows, irrigation)

• Increasing trade along rivers – traded with Egypt

• Development of the world’s first cities

• Specialization of labor

Copyright © Clara Kim 2007. All rights reserved.

ocial Structures chievements eography

Science and Technology •Invented the _______________, the ___________, the ____________

•First to use ________________ to make tools

•Developed system of writing = cuneiform: wedge shaped writing.

Built

___________________________

________, buildings, surveyed

flooded fields.

Epic of Gilgamesh

•Myths and legends recorded in this ___________ poem•One of the ________________ works of literature in the world

The Fertile CrescentThe Fertile Crescent

••Arc of land Arc of land ________________ the

______________________ and the

______________________________________ in Southwest

AsiaOne land…Two Rivers

•Mesopotamia means =

“_________________________

_________________”

–_______________ River and

__________________ River

•Both rivers flooded once a year

and left thick bed of silt.

*___________: rich, new soil

farmers could plant and harvest

enormous quantities of wheat

and barley

Draw the social pyramid

• Rigid (strict) class

system where slavery was

accepted

Copyright © Clara Kim 2007. All rights reserved.

olitical Systems conomyeligion

Trade

•By 3200 BC, ________________ were

trading with the ____________________

•Also traded up and down the Nile

–__________________

–__________________

–Cattle

Granite blocks

Religion

•______________________

•2,000 gods and goddesses

•Built huge temples to honor gods

•Believed in ____________________Osiris – god of the dead

Pharaohs

•Egyptian kings = ____________________

•The Egyptians viewed their pharaohs the

same as the gods

–____________ WERE ____________

–Stood as center of _______________ as well

as _____________________ and __________

Type of Government = __________________ Copyright © Clara Kim 2007. All rights reserved.

ocial chievements eography

•Very ________________ from

the ________________ of

______________ Egypt’s united

kingdom allowed

–High degree of ___________

–Stability

Cultural __________________

(staying the same)

•__________________________

– 4,132 miles long, flows

northward

•Every year in July the river

________________

______________________

leaving behind rich soil.

•The Nile is the _____________

river in the _____________!

Forbidden Deserts on either side

of the Nile = Natural barriers

Upper Egypt

Lower Egypt

•Developed writing =

____________________

–____________________

writing system

•Developed written numbers

for recording taxes

–Addition, subtraction

•Knowledge in __________ =

skillful _________________

–_______________

–Palaces

•Egyptian Architects __________ to

use __________ _____________ in

homes, palaces and temples

•12 month, 365 day calendar from

studying the stars

So accurate it was only

______________off from

_____________ calendar year

Social pyramid

Structures