Mesopotamia was the place where the Pythagorean theorem was made, and the 1st government, means the land between two rivers. Importance-the two rivers were the Tigris and Euphrates, trade and commerce baskets and pottery. Euphrates was the calmest river, cities on the bank, good for trading. Challenges-flooding, cities would abandon, change courses without notice, Tigris was fast and violent. Mesopotamian s believed in many gods (about 3,000), they wrote on stones, buried people with items. Beliefs- the world was a flat disc, water covered the earth, the universe was born from the enormous sea. Festivals-phases of the moon, annual agricultural cycle, equinoxes and solstices. Geography-located in the fertile crescent, centered around the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, north known as Akkad, south known as Sumer. Bordering-Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, turkey. Reasons to settle, water, warm climate, fertile soil. Lack of resources- few trees, little rainfall, traded surplus for stone, wood, and metal. the worlds first cities like Babylon began around 4000-3500 B.C. Asher found in 3rd millennium B.C.
Nile river flows through Africa and is 4,160 miles long. Importance-life depended on the water and irrigation of the river, provided sources of life. Called the chief of transport for trade and stuff. Trade was easy. People were called Egyptians and lived on both sides of the river, and 5 classes of society, dark skin, dark hair, wore skirts and robes and dresses, girls wore makeup and painted their fingernails. Religion was based on nature, main ones were the sun god (Re or Ra) and the god of the Nile (Hapi). Believed in life after death. 40 million people live there today. It's still in use today.
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