Writing and City Life — Chapter Summary

Mesopotamia was the land between

Mesopotamia was the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, now part of Iraq. The name comes from Greek words meaning middle and river. It was t

Agriculture began in north

Agriculture began in north-east Mesopotamia between 7000 and 6000 BCE. The south was a desert, but irrigation from river water and silt made farming h

Cities are more than large settlements

Cities are more than large settlements. Urban life depends on division of labour, trade, manufactures, services, storage, and organised authority.

The first Mesopotamian tablets

The first Mesopotamian tablets, around 3200 BCE, contained picture-like signs and numbers and were used mainly for lists of goods coming into or going

Cuneiform is a wedge

Cuneiform is a wedge-shaped writing system derived from signs pressed into wet clay with a reed. It represented syllables, not single vowels or conson