Civilization Arises in Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia was a rich and fertile and watered by two great Rivers: The Tigris and The Euphrates.

Mesopotamia was inhabited by two great ancient people’s: The Semities (North and Central) and The Sumerians (South).

The Sumerians were likely related to the Indus River Valley peoples who built the Harappan civilization.

Like the ancient Egyptians, the people of Mesopotamia harnessed rich potential of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers by the use of extensive irrigation systems. Their Major crops: barley, wheat, beans, onions, and dates.

Sumer: Circa 3000 BC (same time of Menes, Pharaoh of Egypt)

Civilization arises in Mesopotamia.  A dozen city-states appear, Some being: Ur, Uruk, Erida, and Nippur.  The Sumerian city-states, each being indivudually ruled and independant, thrive in intensive agriculture using irrigation techniques.  They are ruled by a priest-king. Step pyramids called ziggurats are built in devotion to many gods or goddesses.
Sumerians develop a writing system, Called cuneiform (means “nail shapes” in latin.)
Whereby the small triangle shaped markings are pressed into wet clay tablets in different combinations to write and repeat words.

In 2300, Sargon of Akkad, King of Kush (A Semitie City-State), unites the lands of the Semite Akkadians, and then conquers and unites all of the Sumerian city-states into Mesopotamia’s first great empire.