2.1 From villages to cities

• Geschiedenis
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 1

2.1 From villages to cities

What's the meaning of the following words?

• Irrigation
• Ancient 
• civilisations
• hieroglyphs
• Rosetta stone 

This lesson

• Read together par 2.1 according to the reading strategy
• Answer the questions 
• time to work
• Video "how to build pyramids"

The landscape of Mesopotamia mainly consisted of                                   . 

Two rivers ran through the desert landscape. These were the                                 and the                 . 

Along these rivers,                  developed.

            

desert

Euphrates

cities

Tigris

The                      is at a low point. There is not enough                            soil for crops to grow. 

Because of heavy                       , the water level in the                   rises. This causes it to                          and cover the land.

When the water level drops, the river leaves              . The                use this to make their land fertile. They store some of the                 in pools. 

river

fertile

rainfall

river

overflow

silt

farmers

water

Which key term from this chapter fits best?

officer

agriculture

craft

trade

A. Because of this agricultural surplus some people could specialise.

B Some farmers learned that they could dig small canals to make more land fertile.

C The craftsmen and farmers traded their wares at markets for food.

G The river overflowed and left fertile silt. Farmers grew their crops there. 

F These people became craftsmen when they specialised in making products with their hands. 

E Because of irrigation and floods, farmers grew more food than they could eat. 

D Some of these craftmen started to live in cities; this is how agricultural -urban societies arose. 

Essence

The first farmers settled close to rivers in Mesopotamia. These rivers overflowed and supplied them with fertile land. The farmers also used irrigation to lead water further inland. This led to an agricultural surplus. The abundance of food allowed people to specialise in other jobs, like traders or craftsmen. Villages in Mesopotamia and Egypt grew to become cities with a highly developed culture. These were the first agricultural urban societies.

Essence

The first farmers settled close to rivers in Mesopotamia. These rivers overflowed and supplied them with fertile land. The farmers also used irrigation to lead water further inland. This led to an agricultural surplus. The abundance of food allowed people to specialise in other jobs, like traders or craftsmen. Villages in Mesopotamia and Egypt grew to become cities with a highly developed culture. These were the first agricultural urban societies.

Essence

The first farmers settled close to rivers in Mesopotamia. These rivers overflowed and supplied them with fertile land. The farmers also used irrigation to lead water further inland. This led to an agricultural surplus. The abundance of food allowed people to specialise in other jobs, like traders or craftsmen. Villages in Mesopotamia and Egypt grew to become cities with a highly developed culture. These were the first agricultural urban societies.

Essence

The first farmers settled close to rivers in Mesopotamia. These rivers overflowed and supplied them with fertile land. The farmers also used irrigation to lead water further inland. This led to an agricultural surplus. The abundance of food allowed people to specialise in other jobs, like traders or craftsmen. Villages in Mesopotamia and Egypt grew to become cities with a highly developed culture. These were the first agricultural urban societies.

Essence

The first farmers settled close to rivers in Mesopotamia. These rivers overflowed and supplied them with fertile land. The farmers also used irrigation to lead water further inland. This led to an agricultural surplus. The abundance of food allowed people to specialise in other jobs, like traders or craftsmen. Villages in Mesopotamia and Egypt grew to become cities with a highly developed culture. These were the first agricultural urban societies.

Time to work...

• Read other paragraphs using the reading strategy
• Make a summary of 2.1
• Read 2.2
• Learn the keywords (make a list of the keywords...make flashcards