Civilization and Mesopotamia

Summary
This is an introductory lesson about the concept and development of civilization.

Objectives
• to describe and explain the significance of the Fertile Crescent;

• to list some of the developments of early societies;

• to identify Mesopotamia.

Suggested Grades
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade

Excerpt
A civilization is typically defined as an organized society where people live in cities, specialize in different tasks, use written language, and have a religion and some form of government. Although people have lived on Earth for hundreds of thousands of years, the concept of civilization has only existed for about the last six thousand years.

The main reason for this is that people primarily lived nomadic lives throughout history. Having a nomadic life means that people frequently roamed from place to place without having a fixed pattern of movement. People did not have permanent homes. They would hunt animals, fish in rivers, and gather wild plants for food. People who live this way are known as hunter-gatherers.

Humans began growing their own food around 9,000 BCE. This was the beginning of agriculture. People then began raising animals, like sheep, cattle, and goats. Since animals could be a source of milk, meat and wool, people no longer had to move around to satisfy their needs.

Continued...