Mesopotamia // Mesopotamia

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The rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, are today located in Turkey, Iraq and Syria. 6,000 years ago, large parts of these areas were simply called Mesopotamia, which means “the land between the rivers”.

The map shows where Mesopotamia was located in relation to today.

The climate in the area has always been warm but also very dry. However, much of the fruit sold in Norway comes from this area. The ground in this area is fertile. How can it be so dry, and at the same time so fertile?

As you have probably guessed, it is because of the rivers. Without the big rivers, the area would have been desert, and for that reason almost nothing would have grown there.

Illuastrasjon som viser det en bygning, ørken og dyrket området ved eb elv. Skal illustrere en bygning og dets plassering i datidens mesopotomia — _{The rivers ensured the possibility to cultivate the land and harvest good crops.}

In the spring, when the snow in the mountains melts, the rivers flood. The water rises and the riverbanks overflow. When the water recedes and the rivers go back to their normal width, fertile mud is left on the surrounding fields. This sludge contains good and nutritious soil.

The people of Mesopotamia developed many good techniques and tools to utilise the water in the best possible way. With all the water, they could make the soil fertile and grow almost anything they wanted. In addition, many fish lived in the rivers.

The first farmers

The people who lived in Mesopotamia were the first farmers. They were the first to start growing wheat. By ploughing, watering and fertilising the soil, they discovered that the soil became very fertile. This resulted in them being able to harvest wheat grains several times a year. Larger crops and more food resulted in them being able to collect and store the food for later use. To help them with their work, they used animals such as oxen and horses. The people of Mesopotamia were the first to start with livestock.

Bilde av hvete korn — The people who lived in Mesopotamia were the first farmers.

Bilde av en Ziggurat, et tempeltårn i Ikrak — The people who lived in Mesopotamia were the first farmers.

There was a lot to live off of in Mesopotamia, which led to many moving there. This is how the world’s first cities emerged. This was many thousands of years ago. Eventually the cities became well organised. They also had schools and a military. Mesopotamia is known for its temples called ziggurats, and other amazing structures. People had several different occupations. Some call the people of Mesopotamia the first cultured people.

Inventions

In the very south of Mesopotamia was a country called Sumer. The Sumerians made several important inventions, in the subject of mathematics and geometry. They created a number system using 60 as the base number. We use part of it today. An hour has 60 minutes and a minute has 60 seconds. We divide circles into 360 degrees.

Bilde som viser urgammel kileskrift fra Meopotamia — Number system with 60 as base number.

Between 3500 and 3000 BC in the fourth century BC, they developed a writing system called cuneiform. Cuneiform was originally a pictorial form of writing. It was eventually simplified and images were replaced by characters. The Sumerians wrote on clay tablets and in stone. The art of writing spread eastwards and westwards, including as far as Egypt. Other inventions are for example, the wheel and the plow. They also put keels in their boats so they wouldn’t easily capsize, and they started using sails so they didn’t have to constantly row.

Cities

The Sumerians built large cities. The largest city of Sumer was called Uruk. The city of Ur was another important trading city with connections to the sea. Each city was often its own state with its own king. The kings had great power as they were also religious leaders. The king, his servants, the priests, and the craftsmen lived in the cities.

There were often walls around the entire city to protect the people from enemies. The farmers who lived around the city had to pay taxes to the king in the form of grain, meat, fish and vegetables. The Sumerians did not use money to purchase goods. They traded for the goods they needed. Merchants sailed abroad and traded copper and gold. The artisans traded food for goods such as ceramics, jewelry and clothing, as well as various utility items.