3.1 The Land Between Two Rivers

Genesis 2 - Garden of Eden

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 3 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

The river valley is a source of WATER and FOOD

Drinking, Cooking, and Bathing all happened in the rivers

Because of the rivers, new agricultural techniques are created and more advanced cultures develop

Fish, livestock, and crops all thrived in this fertile valley.

The land of Sumer sits in the river valley between the Tigris and the Euphrates

In ancient times this land was known as Mesopotamia.

It sits on the high, flat land of an alluvial plain

These plains are areas of land formed by silt (fine, fertile soil left over long periods of time as the river flooded in the spring)

The shape of the valley gave it the nickname "The Fertile Crescent"

The rivers provided food and fertile soil, BUT they also caused a problem

The rivers were too unpredictable. Floods in the spring and droughts in other places caused damage to to crops.

The solution: Irrigation! They dug channels into the mud/clay soil that allowed the river to ebb and flow without either damage to the crops or a lack of water during the year.

First known settlement in southern Mesopotamia

Simple way of life developed and changed along with the development of new technology

A big part of that culture was their pottery (seen here)

As time grows, the Ubaid culture and the Sumerians create complex cultures.

By 4000 BC the small farming villages in the fertile valley turn into cities and became one of the world's first civilizations