
Mesopotamia city-states


Have you ever wondered about the cities, houses and why they settled in Ancient Mesopotamia? Imagine what it would be like to have to share a wall with your neighbor, have to walk farther to get to places because your poorer, and coming together to make the first cities.
The four major city-states of Mesopotamia were Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, and Akkadia. The first major city was Sumer. Sumer was in the southernmost region of Mesopotamia. It is now modern day Iraq and Kawait. Sumer was also known as, “The land of black headed people.” According to AncientWorld.com, Sumer was finally invaded and taken over by the Babylonian Empire. It no longer exists today but it was the oldest city-state that has ever been discovered. Babylon, at it’s time, was the Empire to beat. At its peak Babylon was the biggest Empire in the world with a population of 200,000 people. According to Ducksters.com Babylon doesn't exist today but is now being rebuilt by the US Navy. Next, is Assyria, it was the greatest of the Mesopotamian Empires. It was the oldest city in the world dating back to 2,500 BC. It ended when it got too big to control and when people rebelled against the empire and people from Babylon and Media attacked Assyria. Lastly Akkadia, Know one knows were it was located but it is thought that it was located on the western bank of the Euphrates River. It was the first empire in the world. It started in about 3,000 BC and collapsed in about 2,154 BC.
Mesopotamia means land between two rivers. It was built there because there was very fertile soil. According to AncientWorld.com Mesopotamia was developed where it was because it had very fertile, rich land. The two rivers would flood once a year which would bring in silt onto their farmland, it was very fertile soil. They were also able to dig ditches and canals to carry and store water all year long. King Hammurabi used the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to flood and capture other villages.
People in Mesopotamia did not have a lot of materials to choose from when they built their house like we do now. They primarily used mud. The farmers were the poorest. They could not afford much. So for their houses, according to Wikipedia, were made out of mud bricks, mud plaster to hold them together, reeds, and sometimes wood for doors. The lower class people used the same things, mud bricks, mud plaster, sandstone bricks, and wood for doors. The upper class, such as the nobleman, used mud bricks, mud plaster, sandstone blocks, stone and wood for doors. They used these materials because it was cheap and easy to make. According to Wikipedia, mud bricks were good in regions with little timber. They also helped to insulate the houses so they were cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
The houses were built two or three stories tall and some had no windows. The first floor was a courtyard were the family kept small animals and a garden. The second floor was where the family lived and then they had a flat roof. Sometimes they would even share a wall with their neighbor. They shared a wall to cut down on construction costs. Therefore it would not take as many mud bricks to build the house. The houses were also designed to keep the residents cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Imagine what it was like to have to walk farther to get to places because you aren't as wealthy as others. Coming together to make the first civilizations, and to have to use the same wall as your neighbor. Now you know about the cities, houses and why they settled in Ancient Mesopotamia.