what created the fertile crescent

Full Answer

What civilizations lived in the Fertile Crescent?

• Leader: Sargon the Great
• Sargon’s greatest achievement was the unification of lower Mesopotamia (after conquering Sumerians in 2331 BCE)
• Established capital at Akkad
• Spread Mesopotamian culture throughout Fertile Crescent
• Yet dynasty established by Sargon was short-lived… Akkadians were conquered by the invading barbarians by 2200 BCE

Why was Mesopotamia known as the Fertile Crescent?

Why is Mesopotamia called Fertile Crescent? Named for its rich soils, the Fertile Crescent, often called the “cradle of civilization,” is found in the Middle East. Irrigation and agriculture developed here because of the fertile soil found near these rivers. Access to water helped with farming and trade routes.

What was the history of the Fertile Crescent?

Fertile Crescent, the region where the first settled agricultural communities of the Middle East and Mediterranean basin are thought to have originated by the early 9th millennium BCE. The term was popularized by the American Orientalist James Henry Breasted.

What is the time period of the Fertile Crescent?

This happened in the region of a place that is now called the Fertile Crescent about what we think happened in the time period 11,000-8,000 B.C.E.The Fertile Crescent wasn’t necessarily the place where the Neolithic Revolution began (even though it was) it was just the place where soil was really good and animals and plants were abundant.

What is the fertile crescent?

Named for its rich soils, the Fertile Crescent, often called the “cradle of civilization,” is found in the Middle East. Because of this region’s relatively abundant access to water, the earliest civilizations were established in the Fertile Crescent, including the Sumerians. Its area covers what are now southern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, and parts of Turkey and Iran. Two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, regularly flooded the region, and the Nile River also runs through part of it. Irrigation and agriculture developed here because of the fertile soil found near these rivers.

Why did agriculture and irrigation develop in the fertile Crescent?

Irrigation and agriculture developed here because of the fertile soil found near these rivers. Access to water helped with farming and trade routes. Soon, its natural riches brought travelers in and out of the Fertile Crescent.

What are the challenges of the fertile crescent?

Turkey, Syria, and Iraq all depend on the waters flowing from the region. Increased population and demands on the rivers from urbanization have depleted the once-fertile soil.

Is the Fertile Crescent still alive?

While the current state of the Fertile Crescent is awash with uncertainty, its status as the cradle of civilization remains intact.

What is the fertile crescent?

The Fertile Crescent, often called the "Cradle of Civilization ", is the region in the Middle East which curves, like a quarter-moon shape, from the Persian Gulf, through modern-day southern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and northern Egypt. The region has long been recognized for its vital contributions to world culture stemming from ...

When was the fertile crescent first populated?

Known as the Cradle of Civilization, the Fertile Crescent is regarded as the birthplace of agriculture, urbanization, writing, trade, science, history and organized religion and was first populated c. 10,000 BCE when agriculture and the domestication of animals began in the region. By 9,000 BCE the cultivation of wild grains ...

What did Babylon control in 2000 BCE?

By 2000 BCE, Babylon controlled the Fertile Crescent and the region saw advances in law ( Hammurabi 's famous code), literature ( The Epic of Gilgamesh, among other works), religion (the development of the Babylonian pantheon of the gods), science (astronomical measurements and technological developments), and mathematics.

What did George Santayana say about the Fertile Crescent?

The philosopher George Santayana famously noted that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" and this paradigm rings as true for the Fertile Crescent as it does for any other region in the world today.

What caused the destruction of the cities of the fertile crescent?

Rampant urbanization and the over-use of the land also resulted in the decline and eventual abandonment of the cities of the Fertile Crescent.

Where is the fertile crescent located?

This fertile crescent is approximately a semi-circle, with the open side toward the south, having the west end at the south-east corner of the Mediterranean, the centre directly north of Arabia, and the east end at the north end of the Persian Gulf. (193-194)

What crops were planted in the Temples?

Emmer wheat, barley, chickpeas, lentils, and many other crops were planted, harvested, and sent to the temples where food supplies were stored. From c. 3400 BCE, the priests of the temple complexes were responsible for the distribution of food and the careful monitoring of surplus for trade. Remove Ads. Advertisement.

Who invented the term "fertile crescent"?

The term "Fertile Crescent" was popularized by archaeologist James Henry Breasted in Outlines of European History (1914) and Ancient Times, A History of the Early World (1916). Breasted wrote:

Where is the fertile crescent?

The Fertile Crescent is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East, spanning modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, together with the southeastern region of Turkey and the western fringes of Iran. Some authors also include Cyprus .

What is the fertile crescent flora?

The Fertile Crescent flora comprises a high percentage of plants that can self-pollinate, but may also be cross-pollinated. These plants, called " selfers ", were one of the geographical advantages of the area because they did not depend on other plants for reproduction.

How has the natural fertility of the Bronze Age been extended?

Since the Bronze Age, the region's natural fertility has been greatly extended by irrigation works , upon which much of its agricultural production continues to depend. The last two millennia have seen repeated cycles of decline and recovery as past works have fallen into disrepair through the replacement of states, to be replaced under their successors. Another ongoing problem has been salination —gradual concentration of salt and other minerals in soils with a long history of irrigation.

What were the technological advances in Mesopotamia?

Technological advances in the region include the development of agriculture and the use of irrigation, of writing, the wheel, and glass, most emerging first in Mesopotamia .

Why is Cyprus considered the cradle of civilization?

The region is one of the cradles of civilization because it is one location where settled farming first emerged as people started the process of clearance and modification of natural vegetation to grow newly-domesticated plants as crops.

What is the name of the region that was the cradle of civilization?

This region, alongside Mesopotamia (Greek for "between rivers", between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, lies in the east of the Fertile Crescent), also saw the emergence of early complex societies during the succeeding Bronze Age. There is also early evidence from the region for writing and the formation of hierarchical state level societies. This has earned the region the nickname "The cradle of civilization ".

Who invented the term "fertile crescent"?

Origins of the Expression "Fertile Crescent". American Egyptologist James Henry Breasted (1865–1935) of the University of Chicago is credited with popularizing the term "Fertile Crescent.". In his 1916 book "Ancient Times: A History of the Early World," Breasted wrote of "the Fertile Crescent, the shores of the desert bay.".

What is the Fertile Crescent?

Updated October 16, 2020. The "Fertile Crescent," often referred to as the "cradle of civilization," refers to a semi-circular area of the eastern Mediterranean region, including the valleys of the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The region includes parts of the modern countries of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, northern Egypt, and Iraq, ...

What did Breasted see as a borderland?

Breasted, on the other hand, had a bird's eye view of the map during World War I and he saw it as a "borderland." Historian Thomas Scheffler believes Breasted's use of the phrase reflected a zeitgeist of his day. In 1916, the crescent was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, a pivotal geo-strategic piece of the battles of World War I. In Breasted's historical drama, says Scheffler, the region was the site of a struggle between "desert wanderers" and the "hardy peoples of the northern and eastern mountains," an imperialist concept, building on the Biblical battle of Abel the Farmer and Cain the Hunter.

What were the temples built for?

Highly decorative temples were constructed to honor many different gods. From about 2500 BCE, great civilizations arose in the Fertile Crescent. Babylon was a center for learning, law, science, and mathematics as well as art. Empires arose in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Phoenicia. The first versions of the Biblical stories of Abraham ...

What is the cradle of civilization?

Gill is a Latinist, writer, and teacher of ancient history and Latin. She has been featured by NPR and National Geographic for her ancient history expertise. The "Fertile Crescent," often referred to as the "cradle of civilization," refers to a semi-circular area ...

Where did cities flourish?

Cities did though, first flourish in the Fertile Crescent. By 6,000 years ago, early Sumerian cities such as Eridu and Uruk were built and began to flourish. Some of the first decorated pots, wall hangings, and vases were created, along with the world’s first brewed beer.

Where did domestication take place?

Archaeological studies over the last century have shown that the domestication of plants like wheat and barley and animals such as sheep, goats, and pigs took place in the adjacent mountains and plains outside of the boundaries of the Fertile Crescent, not within it.

What is fertile crescent?

The Fertile Crescent includes a roughly crescent-shaped area of relatively fertile land which probably had a more moderate, agriculturally productive climate in the past than today, especially in Mesopotamia and the Nile valley.

When was the fertile crescent first settled?

Fertile Crescent, the region where the first settled agricultural communities of the Middle East and Mediterranean basin are thought to have originated by the early 9th millennium bce. The term was popularized by the American Orientalist James Henry Breasted.

When was agriculture first used in the fertile crescent?

Radiocarbon dating has shown that incipient agriculture and village agglomerations in the Fertile Crescent there must be dated back to about 8000 bce, if not earlier, and that the use of irrigation followed rapidly.

Which ancient civilizations were part of the Fertile Crescent?

The ancient countries of the Fertile Crescent, such as Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, and Phoenicia, are regarded as some of the world’s earliest complex societies. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn, Managing Editor, Reference Content. History at your fingertips.

Where is Mesopotamia located?

history of Mesopotamia: The origins of Mesopotamian history. In the narrow sense, Mesopotamia is the area between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, north or northwest of the bottleneck at Baghdad, in...

What created fertile soils in the fertile crescent?

Dust deposits carried by the wind to other places created fertile soils in the Fertile Crescent. (shankz / Adobe Stock )

Why was the Levant fertile?

Dr Amit is quoted as saying that this “allowed extensive dune fields like those in the Negev to build up, creating new sources of dust and ultimately, thicker soils in places like the Levant.” The southern Levant was fertile because of these dust deposits, especially from the Negev. Amit also tells us that erosion in the region was not an important factor and that “What's important is whether you get an influx of coarse [dust] fractions. [Without that], you get thin, unproductive soils.” These dust deposits were likely spread to the Levant region by changing wind patterns.

How did the Levant form?

The thick soils in the Levant were formed over 200,000 years ago during an Ice Age. Glaciers covered large areas and they churned up rocks and this created dust and sand. This accumulated in the Negev Desert and led to anomalous dust depositions in the surrounding area’s soils. As a result, the soils of the southern Levant contain a higher proportion of coarse silt quartz and this led to the development of a loosely compacted yellowish-gray deposit of windblown sediment (loess), which is very fertile. Dr Amit and her colleagues wrote in The Geological Society of America study that “This proximal intense dust supply produced greatly thicker soils.”

Is the Mediterranean soil fertile?

The southern Mediterranean area was fertile despite some unique environmental and geophysical features. Thick soils are more fertile and tend to form in moist and humid environments. However, in the arid Levant, the soil is thick and good for agriculture. According to The Geological Society of America article, the “more arid southeastern regions have thick, productive soils,” which is atypical.

Is the Mediterranean dust deposit zero?

Significantly, in the modern Mediterranean region new dust deposits are now basically zero. The process stopped with the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age in the Holocene. Dr Amit explains that “now we’re only reworking the old loess.” This means that many soils in highland areas are in a fragile state. People, therefore, must engage in more sustainable practices to preserve the soil and this is especially critically for the region’s agriculture.

Welcome to Uruk, the First Great City

There were very large settlements and even some proto-cities in Mesopotamia as early as 5000 B.C.E., but nothing compares to the grandeur and cultural importance of Uruk, a massive walled city in Sumer (southern Mesopotamia) that reached its height from 4100 to 3100 B.C.E.

Writing Began as Recordkeeping

Perhaps the greatest cultural innovation to come out of the 1,000-year Uruk period was writing.

The Wheel Also Got Rolling Here

If writing wasn't enough, there's also evidence that the wheel was invented around the Uruk period. Interestingly, the very first wheels weren't used for transportation, but for making pottery.

60 Seconds in a Minute? Thank the Sumerians

More than 5,000 years later, we tell time using a number system invented by the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia. Today we use a "base 10" (decimal) system for most of our calculations, but the Sumerians relied on two other systems: "base 12" (duodecimal) and "base 60" (sexigesimal).

What was the geography of the fertile crescent?

Geography of the Fertile Crescent. Due to its varied geography, Mesopotamian agriculture was highly diverse in terms of food sources, regional crop yields, and annual rainfall or irrigation variation (agricultural production could be up to 100x higher in particularly good years). There were two types of agriculture:

What is the birthplace of agriculture?

The ancient Near East, and the historical regions of the Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia in particular, are generally seen as the birthplace of agriculture. In the 4th millennium BCE, this area was more temperate than it is today, and it was blessed with fertile soil, two great rivers (the Euphrates and the Tigris), as well as hills and mountains to the north.

What type of agriculture did Mesopotamia have?

Due to its varied geography, Mesopotamian agriculture was highly diverse in terms of food sources, regional crop yields, and annual rainfall or irrigation variation (agricultural production could be up to 100x higher in particularly good years). There were two types of agriculture: 1 Dry agriculture without irrigation, where people mostly cultivated cereals and relied on rainfall, which was primarily practiced in upper Mesopotamia and Syria. 2 Irrigation agriculture, which was centered in lower Mesopotamia.

How was irrigation first conducted?

Irrigation was at first conducted by siphoning water from the Tigris-Euphrates river system directly onto the fields using small canals and shadufs; crane-like water lifts that have existed in Mesopotamia since c. 3000 BCE. In the drier regions, agriculture was only possible with irrigation canal systems, which are attested from the mid-1st millennium BCE, including aqueducts. The Jerwan aqueduct, the oldest known aqueduct in the world, was constructed by king Sennacherib I of Assyria between 703 and 690 BCE.

What were the crops that were grown in Mesopotamia?

The main types of grain that were used for agriculture were barley, wheat, millet, and emmer. Rye and oats were not yet known for agricultural use.

How was grain harvested?

Harvest required significant manpower, as there was immense time pressure on completing the harvest before winter set in. Grain was cut with a sickle, dried in shacks, and threshed by driving animals over it to "tread out" the grain. After threshing, the grain was separated from the chaff by winnowing, which was only possible in windy weather. The grain was then either stored in granaries or transported away along the waterways (sometimes even exported to other countries). In the granaries, cats and mongooses were used to protect the store from mice.

Why did agriculture start?

Agriculture started most likely because hunter-gatherers who collected grains would have had to take them back to their camp in order to separate the grain from the chaff.

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