Mesopotamia
Nader Muthana
Soc 32 Dr. A. Karpathakis
The region known as Mesopotamia is known to all as one of the birth places of civilization. Mesopotamia has a rich history, But what made it so special to researchers was that mesopotamian people is where you start to see people shift from a hunter-gather lifestyle to a agricultural lifestyle.
Mesopotamia was established in an area known as the Fertile Crescent. At this point in history, people settled wherever there was an exceeding amount of natural resources. The crescent was an ideal area. Mesopotamia was the name given to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Mesopotamia means 'between the rivers'. With the rivers on either side, the land remained full of nutrients and perfect for farming.
The first known inhabitants of Mesopotamia were the Sumerians. These people formed methods for irrigating the land. Irrigation caused crops to flourish and created a surplus of food.
Water from the Ataturk dam and reservoir will irri...
mesopotamia, iraq - babylon relief
mesopotamia, iraq - sumerian figureAfter surplus was established the people began to form other types of trades. At this point the first civilization was formed. A civilization is defined as a city-based society held together by economic enterprises.
At the heart of each city-state was the ziggurat. This was a shrine to a god. Life revolved around this holy temple. Those with high community status and various merchant or trade workers lived on the ziggurat grounds. There was also a place to keep sacrificial animals on the grounds (Sumerian).
The writing system of the Sumerians is the oldest known system. It was called cuneiform. This comes from the Latin word cuneus, which mean wedge. The scribes would write using wedge like symbols on moist clay tablets. When these tablets were baked, the information would be permanent.