The document discusses the geography and history of the Fertile Crescent region. It describes key locations like Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The silt deposited during annual floods made the land fertile for farming. Irrigation systems like canals allowed for surplus food production. This led to the development of early civilizations like Sumer, whose cities like Ur traded goods widely. Important later groups mentioned include the Assyrians, Babylonians under Hammurabi, and Phoenicians, known for their sailing and alphabet.

1. Fertile Crescent Vocabulary

2. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Mesopotamia– Greek word that means
“between the rivers.” It is located between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers

3. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Fertile Crescent—a large arc of rich, or fertile,
farmland. It extends from the Persian Gulf to
the Mediterranean Sea.
• Silt—a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks. Silt is
brought to Mesopotamia by the yearly
flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

4. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Irrigation– a way of supplying water to an area
of land.
• Canals—human-made waterways
• Surplus—more than what is needed.
Irrigation allowed for Mesopotamia farmers to
have a food surplus.

5. Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Division of Labor—the type of arrangement in
which each worker specializes in a particular
task or job.
• In what ways did a division of labor contribute
to the growth of the Mesopotamia
civilization?

6. The Rise of Sumer
• Sumerians—the people of the world’s first
civilization. The Sumerians settled in
Mesopotamia in 3000 BC
• City-state—a central city and all the
countryside around it.

7. The Rise of Sumer
• Empire—land with different territories and peoples
under a single rule.
• Sargon—Akkadian emperor who extended the Akkadian
territory. He built a new capital, Akkad, on the Euphrates river,
near what is now the city of Baghdad. Sargon established the
world’s first empire. He was also the first to have a permanent
army.

8. The Rise of Sumer
• Polytheism—the worship of many gods
• Social hierarchy—the division of society by
rank or class.
• Ur—one of the earliest and largest cities of
ancient Mesopotamia. It was located on the
Euphrates river. Ur traded with people from
distant lands such as India.

9. Sumerian Achievements
• Cuneiform– the world’s first system of writing.
• Ziggurat– a pyramid-shaped temple

10. Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
• Babylon– city built on the Euphrates river,
near what is now Baghdad, Iraq. It had once
been a Sumerian city. Hammurabi became
the city’s greatest ruler.
• Hammurabi’s Code– a set of 282 laws that
dealt with almost every part of daily life.

11. Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
• Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi’s Code is written
in Cuneiform.
Stele located in the
Louver Museum

12. Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
• Chariot—a wheeled horse-drawn cart used in
battle.
• Assyrians– group of people who in 900 BC
began to conquer all of the Fertile Crescent.
Their capital city was Nineveh.Their army was
very well organized and skilled.

13. Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
• Chaldeans—group of people from the Syrian Desert
who defeated the Assyrian Empire. Their most famous
king was Nebuchadnezzar. He rebuilt the city of
Babylon.
• Phoenicians—group of people on the western end of
the Fertile Crescent. They were excellent sailors ,
therefore, they were able to trade all around the
Mediterranean area. Their most famous city was
Carthage located in northern Africa. They created one
of the world’s first alphabets. They alphabet we use
today is based on the Phoenicians’