MESOPOTAMIAN GEOGRAPHY

Cradle of Civilization

Location

 Ancient Mesopotamia lay in what we know today as Iraq, northeast Syria and part of south east Turkey.

  The name comes from the Greeks  Meso: meaning middle  Potamos: meaning river Thus Mesopotamia literally means “land between the rivers”.

 Specifically the Tigris and Euphrates

Tigris River

Euphrates River

The Fertile Crescent

Mesopotamia was part of an area known as the “Fertile Crescent” which stretched in an arc from the Persian Gulf through northeast Syria to the Mediterranean Sea.

It was the site of the world’s first permanent farming villages

Egyptian Geography The Nile River

• Early Egyptians lived along the banks of the Nile.

• It was a source of life.

• It supplied them with food, fish, & water.

• It was also used for the

transportation

of goods & people.

• The

Nile is the worlds longest river

(7000 km in length) . • It flows northward to the Mediterranean Sea.

• Just before the Sea the Nile splits into branches, forming a fan shaped

delta

.

• In the late spring & summer the Nile gets more volume from tropical rains (central Africa), & melting snow (Ethiopian mountains) causing it to flood.

• This annual predictable flooding is called

the Inundation

.

• In fall when the waters recede a thick deposit of dark soil is left on nearby fields. • This soil (

Black Land)

is perfect for farming.

• There were 3 main seasons: flood season, growing season, & dry season. • Their calendar of 365 days was based on these cycles.

.

• In dry season the Egyptians learned to irrigate using a

shaduf

.

• Beyond the fertile areas is the

Red Land.

• It contains

Western Desert

and the

Eastern Desert

(Libyan) (Arabian).

•

1) Lower Egypt containing the Nile Delta is in the north.

• This is where papyrus was harvested, then used to make paper, sandals, rope, etc.

• This area also opened on the Mediterranean sea & trade.

• 2)

Upper Egypt

containing the Nile Valley is in the

south

.

• Its ancient cliffs border the desert on both sides & cataracts protected Egyptians from foreign invasion.

Characteristics of civilization

 Natural Resources: Civilizations emerge in regions able to support growing populations. Fertile soil and a regular source of water are needed to support larger communities.

 According to our list of characteristics, both Egypt and Mesopotamia meet this first criteria of a civilization.