A Difficult Environment
What is a nickname for Mesopotamia?
The Fertile Crescent
What was the mountain with good farming conditions called?
The Zagros Mountains
What was the biggest problem after moving to Sumer?
The uncontrolled water supply
What was the first great change agriculture brought?
The use of permanent shelters.
What is trading?
the business of buying and selling or exchanging items
What profession did most Mesopotamians take up?
Farmers
When did people in the world begin farming?
In the Neolithic time.
What was the Sumerian's solution?
Building irrigation systems
Who are nomads
one who moves from place to place with no permanent home
When did trade become more common?
As people settled in larger towns and villages
What type of region is Mesopotamia?
Plains
When did farmers run out of land in the foothills to grow food?
What are levees?
a wall of earth built to prevent a river from flooding its banks
What materials were old houses built with?
What kinds of things were traders looking for?
They often looked for flint and obsidian
What was scarce in Mesopotamia?
Building materials like wood and stone
What led the farmers to move down to the plains?
The flood
What are some other ways they controlled the water supply?
They dug canals and constructed dams
What was on the inside of these houses?
Places to store food, pits for cooking, and pits for water.
What is Obsidian? What was made with it?
Obsidian is black glass found at volcanic sites, you can make arrowheads and mirrors with it
What Were the Four Major Problems Mesopotamians Faced?
What were the people that moved here called?
The Sumerians
What happened when the land was dry?
Why was the development of permanent shelters important?
They gave people a safe place to stay in case of harsh weather and made life more comfortable.
What was an ore used for beauty called?
The red ore is called hematite, woman used it to make their lips more red.