Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
Imagine traveling across the desert to trade food. Having wars that could last for months. Living in landscapes that vary from huge mountains
to flat plains, and dealing with extreme heat and huge sandstorms. If you lived in Ancient Mesopotamia these are things you would have to deal
with as a part of life.
Mesopotamia was a civilization located in the continent of Asia in the Fertile Crescent. The longitude and latitude of this location is - longitude -
21*9’33.43”E - latitude - 40*30’15.45”N. The word Mesopotamia means the land between the rivers. The rivers that this land is located in between
are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It is located in what is now modern day Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran.
The landscape of Mesopotamia was very wide-ranged. In Northern Mesopotamia the land was mostly hills and plains. Southern Mesopotamia
was marshy and had wide, flat, barren plains. Since their land was made up of plains it left them vulnerable to foreign invasions. Their two main
rivers were Tigris and Euphrates. These rivers provided a water source for wide scale farming. Mesopotamia is located in what is called the
Fertile Crescent. This is an area of land that has very fertile soil. Now because of their large water supply they invented ways to control it. A few
things they used to prevent flooding were canals, dams, reservoirs, drains, and aqueducts. These systems also made it easier for trading
because they could travel across the plains without getting stuck in mud.
Mesopotamia traded mostly between the people in city-states. Although the trade was mostly among themselves they also traded with a few
other civilizations including Egypt and India. Mesopotamians had three ways to travel donkey, boat, and on foot. They traded away wool, leather,
sesame oil, jewelry, and copper. Things they traded for were copper, ivory, pearls, semi-precious stones, rubies, and grain. With all of their rivers
and seas it made it easier to travel.
Mesopotamia is surrounded by the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and the Persian Gulf. Sumer is in the Fertile Crescent and is
next to Lagash, Umma, Uruk, and Ur and it is in East Mesopotamia. Babylon is in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and is in the middle of
Mesopotamia. Phoenicia is in the Fertile crescent and is next to the Mediterranean Sea which is on the left side of Mesopotamia. The
Mediterranean Sea is on the left side of Mesopotamia and is close to the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent is located at the top of
Mesopotamia. Considering the location of Mesopotamia the civilizations they mostly fought with were Egypt and India.
Mesopotamia was a civilization that didn't have very many other civilizations to go at war with. The armies in Mesopotamia were extremely
organized. They often marched in large groups in very straight lines. The Mesopotamian’s weapons and armour were usually made of bronze.
Their battles were usually amongst cities. One of their bigger battles was between Umma and Lagash. It was a long and hard fought battle but
Lagash emerged victorious. When Mesopotamia did fight other civilizations they were very taxing because of the harsh climate.
Mesopotamia’s precipitation was very scarce. The only precipitation fell between November and March. The Mesopotamians were very
dependant on the flow of the rivers because of how hot it can get. Summers in Mesopotamia are very hot, it can easily get up to 100 degrees on a
normal day. In the winter when the snow melts it causes flooding and it enriches the soil but also leaves mass destruction. Farmers hated having
all their crops washed away so they learned how to control the flood with levies.
Now you know Mesopotamia was an amazing civilization. Some of the interesting things about them included the area they were located in,
their wide-ranged landscapes, what they traded and who they traded with. As they dealt with extreme temperatures they preserved through all
of their hardships and emerged as the civilization you now know. Would you have wanted to live there?
