Mesopotamia+Eight

= M esopotamia by Jolie& Grace S. =

__**Overview**__
Mesopotamia was in Asia(Middle East). Early civilizations first developed in Mesopotamia over six thousand years ago. Mesopotamia literally means "land between two rivers" because it is located between two rivers called the Euphrates and the Tigris. Some of the first cities were established, a writing system was developed, empires were created, and monumental buildings were constructed. Mesopotamia has a variety of culture not like Egypt and Greece.

Much of Mesopotamian history lay buried beneath the sand and soil for thousands of years, and in the past two hundred years, people have begun to excavate objects and buildings which reveal the ancient history of this region. They found clues in the mounds known as 'tells', and the ruins of ziggurats*, that treasures lay below the surface.

The first pioneers to enter Mesopotamia built permanent homes of sun-dried bricks made of mud and straw. They started a new life in the Southern region. The people, who settled down and began to develop villages and a civilization, are known as the Sumerians. These people were the ones responsible for inventing the first cities and written language. 

This is a map of Mesopotamia.

__**Adapting and Managing the Environment**__
Farming in Mesopotamia depended on a lot on The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. These people also depended on the two rivers for fresh water or places to bathe and water their livestock. The wave of Tigris was fast, and hard to get through, but on the other hand, Euphrates was placid so it was easier for people to ship things, and get by it.

In a hot climate with little rain, the Mesopotamians were fortunate to have the annual flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates which brought rich soil for farmers. In Lower Mesopotamia, river flooding was a problem that the Sumerians solved by a land reclamation scheme. They used the river silt to enlarge their farmlands. Farther north, ditches and canals and reservoirs were required for irrigation during hot seasons, and also allowed for water to be carried to the areas which had been desert, this allowed more food to be produced. This kind of sophisticated farming, produced a rich and varied diet. For example, the diet consisted of cucumber, lentils, turnips, and also, beef, mutton, pork and many other foods.

The fertile land along the rivers was used for producing such crops as wheat, barley, sesame, and flax. They also planted dates, cucumbers, apples, onions, and a variety of spices. They raised sheep, goats, and cows. They slaughtered many of their animals, but also knew how to use the wool from sheep, and took milk from their cows. The Mesopotamians were building houses with mud. They used mud clay which is made out of wet mud, and some straws to build a rectangular shape, then they dried it out. After the dried mud was as hard as rocks, they built the house.

__Climate and Geography__
Mesopotamia is a land between two rivers Tigris and Eupharates. Mesopotamia is also being called as a fertile crescent. Northern Mesopotamia is made up of hills and plains. The land is quite fertile due to the seasonal rains, and the rivers and streams flowing from the mountains. Early settlers farmed the land and used timber, metals and stone from the mountains nearby. Southern Mesopotamia is made up of marshy areas and barren plains. Cities started along the rivers which flow through the region. Early settlers had to irrigate the land along the banks of the rivers in order for their crops to grow. Since they did not have many natural resources, contact with neighbouring lands was important so that they could trade. In North Mesopotamia, steep hills and many cold mountainous areas are in close proximity to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. For example, the Kurdistan Mountains range in extremely close vicinity to the Choaspes, Diyala, and Ulai rivers. In South Mesopotamia, wet marshlands exist, and much desert land held in the Arabian Desert is a denizen of this southern fraction of Ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is made up of different regions, each with its own geography. The geography of each area and the natural resources found there affected the ways that people lived.

The Climate of Mesopotamia was pretty nice, and warm, but sometimes it gets very hot. The climate of Mesopotamia is semi-arid (arid- a place with a lack of available water) with a vast desert expanse (like Egypt)in the north which gives way to a huge region of marshes, lagoons, mud flats, and reed banks in the south. Rains were seasonal in this area- land flooded in the winter and spring and water was hard to find at other times. There was a climate change in around 500 BCE, and became hot and dry because of the loss of the ice age.

Mesopotamia, most likely in spring when there was lots of water.

__**Modern Lessons**__
First of all, back in the old days, they used mud clay to make bricks for the house. However in the modern days, they use concretes and woods to build houses. Also, they used clay tablets instead of papers, but now they use papers instead which is lighter and mobile. In Mesopotamia it rained a lot in the spring.With the rivers flooding over they needed some way to stop them. They had built dams and aqueducts. People in modern day life use these techniques as well . In the Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamians found that they had a large surplus of grain. But, there was no metal, wood, and stone as a natural resource here. Other countries around Ancient Mesopotamia had quite a lot of metal, wood, and stone, but hardly any grain. Mesopotamians traded with other countries, so that both countries could get the things that they needed. In present time, it is very often for neighbouring countries to trade resources with one another when one country has to much of something, and another has to little. A logical thing to do it trade, so that both nations get what they need.

Back then, the mesopotamians didn't have any advanced technology objects. For example, they didn't have any pencils or something that people can write with, but something that is advanced technology. People that were living Mesopotamia, most of the people didn't know how to read or write, however these days almost all of the people have gotten education; I found out that 98% of Canadian know how to read or write.

__**Bibliography**__
External links: wikipedia geography wikimedia wikimedia2 [|mr.donn's website] history-world [] Internal links: General Idea Modern Lessons About Sumerians


 * Useful Links**

[|General Information] [|Overview of Mesopotamia] [|Definition&Timeline]

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 * Video with Pictures**