Ways of Mesopotamia
How are you doing in Mesopotamia today?
Farming in Mesopotamia
Farmers in Mesopotamia have raised crops such as wheat, barley, and a wheat-like grain called emmer. Every spring the farmers would harvest their crops. Then they threshed, or separated, the grain from the husk, or outer shell, of the plant. Threshing continued throughout the summer.
Assur
Ancient ziggurats towered above the landscape in Mesopotamia about 5,000 years ago. Even after many years of erosion, the Ziggurat Assur still stands in what is Iraq.
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh was probably a real king who ruled over the ancient Sumerian city-state of Uruk sometime between 2700 B.C. and 2500 B.C. As the years passed, he became a figure of legend. People described Gligamesh as one-third man and the two-thirds god. Stories of Gligamesh and his adventures were passed on as oral tradition for centuries before being written down in about 2500 B.C. Today people still read about this hero.
The Fall of Empires
Several empires rose and fell in southwestern Asia during ancient times.
Dealing With Water
To prevent floods from damaging farms and crops, farmers have built dikes and dug canals. Canals carried some of the extra water back into the river after floods.
Divisions in Society
Over time, ancient Sumerian society became divided into social classes, or groups with different levels of importance. The highest social class in Sumer was made up of the king, priests, and other important leaders and their families.