2.  The first cities appeared in
southern (1) MESOPOTAMIA.
 This became the civilization
of (2) SUMER.
 Sumer was a civilization of
(3) CITY-STATES, or cities
that acted like small
independent countries with
their own leaders
 Why did this happen?

3.  As you know, the (4)
TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES
RIVER PLAIN is a difficult
environment.
 The rivers flooded the land
in the spring due to (5)
MELTING MOUNTAIN SNOW.
 The rest of the year it (6)
RARELY RAINED and the
sun-baked soil was as hard
as a rock.

4.  (7) LEVEES were dug
along the banks of the
rivers to stop flooding.
 (8) CANALS were dug
to shape the path of
the water.
 (9) DAMS were built to
force the water where
they wanted.
 This created (10)
RESERVOIRS of water.

5.  Building and maintaining an irrigation system
is hard work.
 Canals had to be maintained as they clogged
with (11) SILT, or very fine mud.
 Hundreds of people had to work together.
 Villages grew to towns and between (12)
3500-3000BC, these towns grew into the
world’s first cities. The city-states of Sumer.

6.  As Sumerian city-states grew they fought
over the use of (13) WATER.
 City-states upstream blocked the water from
getting downstream.
 This led to the first civilization bloodshed.
 By 3000BC the city-states of Sumer had (14)
WALLS surrounding their cities as well as (15)
MOATS to protect the people from attack.