NMC102H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Lapis Lazuli, Fertile Crescent, Carnelian
8 Sep 2018
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Document Summary
Land between two rivers, tigris and euphrates. Key to the founding of the first cities. City states are the most common government in the third century bc. 1st millennium empires rise and fall frequently. Primary sources; writing is huge, texts are critical because it shows us the development of writing. Pantheon of gods at a city and house level. Major deities and how they are depicted. The region is dry most of the year. Climate controls a lot of what could be grown. Sustainable agriculture needs 200 ml of rainfall annually. Artificial irrigation was common south of the fertile crescent. Aqueducts were built by kings to bring water into the cities. Artificial irrigation takes serious manpower and resources. Because they could irrigate lands away from the rivers, settlements were not locked to the course of the rivers, allowing for the creation of settlements in otherwise unsettleable areas.
