Geography, Irrigation, and Early Sumerian Innovations

Apuntes

The Fertile Crescent is a curved region with rich soil in the Middle East. It includes Mesopotamia, which means "land between the rivers." In the northern part of Mesopotamia, streams and rivers were fed through the Taurus and Zagros mountain ranges. Each spring, the rivers flooded, spreading water and silt across the plain. This left behind rich, fertile soil perfect for farming. Mesopotamia is a historical region that includes areas such as Assyria, Nineveh, Assur, Babylon, and Sumer. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were crucial for irrigation, especially in the southern region, which was dryer and hotter. The Sumerians used technology to irrigate, or supply water to, their crops. This irrigation led to an increase in population because better farming resulted in a more dependable food supply. Polytheism is the belief in more than one god. The Sumerians believed that some parts of their lives were controlled by the gods. They tried to avoid making the gods angry. Only priests could communicate with the gods, which is why Sumerians believed the success of their society depended on their priests. Each Mesopotamian city shared the same god but had one chief god. The ziggurat was a p...