More on Mesopotamia

Today in Western Civilization with Mr. Schick we talked about Mesopotamia. We started with how 200,000 years ago the human species emerged in Southwestern Africa and 14,000 years ago a worldwide human race existed. then to how Prehistoric age is the Paleolithic age (Old Stone age) and the Neolithic age (new stone age) was marked by advanced tool making and beginning of agriculture. Initially humans were hunter gatherers and in the Neolithic revolution there was a shift from hunter gatherers to more permanent settlements. Population increased due to food surplus, which made it able to take care of young children. A hierarchy became noticeable in these city-states where women's status lowered as they did more domestic duties. The Invention of the wheel and plow made it possible to produce enough food for storage, these villages were polytheists, worshiping multiple nature, human and animal Gods. The modern day countries of the fertile crescent is Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and part of Turkey. The earliest district known as Sumer occupied the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The population increased dramatically due to the irrigation invention. Cities and towns were founded some had as many as 40,000 people. They had better food which lead to a diversity of jobs, such as priests, tradesmen, artisans, politicians, and farmers. Kings emerged in these cities and towns as well did dynasties and the concept of a city-state. Sumerians also invented the first form of writing, known as "Cuneiform".