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Geography of the Fertile Crescent :
====Early people preferred settling where there was rich soil, nearby rivers, and often floods,so crops could grow. Southwest Asia was very well suited for farming crops because it lay between two rivers. The two rivers were called the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and they were the most important physical feats. of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia (or "Between the rivers") is between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea.====

The Rise of Civilization:
====Early settlers established the first civilization in Mesopotamia more than twelve thousand years ago. During that time, early people learned how to plant crops for food. Every year,floods on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers brought silt. Silt made the land great for farming crops. The first farm settlements formed in Mesopotamia as early as seven thousand BC (Before Christ).Early villagers soon developed into the world's first civilization.====

Farming:
====Mesopotamia was suitable for farming because it lay between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Which had floods that and brought silt. Over time, farmers grew crops such as wheat, barley, and types of grain. Sumerians soon began eating livestock, birds, and fish, which were good sources of food. These types of foods and crops helped increase the population and villages began to grow.====

Food Surplus:
====Farming wasn't an easy thing to do in Mesopotamia. There was hardly any rainfall, so they depended on the Tigris and the Euphrates water levels. This meant the water levels depended on the how much rain fell in the eastern Asia Minor. When there was a lot of rainfall, floods happened. The flooding demolished the crops, killed the livestock, and washed away homes. When there wasn't enough rainfall, the crops dried up. Later, Mesopotamians used irrigation to control the water, they dug canals that connected the rivers to the crops. To prevent the crops from being flooded, they built banks around the rivers and dug out large storage basins to hold water supplies.====

Division of Labor:
====As a result, irrigation made farmers more productive, fewer people needed to farm. This meant that people would be able to do other jobs. People became crafters, religious leaders, and government workers. Since people were working on different jobs, the society could accomplish more. Certain jobs or projects required certain workers, for example constructing buildings and digging irrigation systems, required certain (or specialized) workers, managers, and organization. Which lead to rules, structure, laws, and government.====

Hammurabi's Code:
====Hammurabi was a powerful leader and ruler Babylon. Once Hammurabi was ruler of Babylon, he improved Babylon's tax collection system, irrigation projects, and buildings. He also increased trade and was famous for his code of laws. Hammurabi's code was a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life. There were laws on trade, loans, and theft to marriage, injury, and murder. Certain ideas from Hammurabi's code are found in laws today. In Hammurabi's code, social class mattered to penalties. Hammurabi's code was very important because it was written down for everyone to see, that way people could read what was against the law. Hammurabi ruled for 42 years. During that time, Babylon became the most important city in Mesopotamia. After Hammurabi's death, the Babylonian's power decreased. Hammurabi's code is important to us today because without it, society would be hectic and there would be no punishment for people who did wrong.====

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N'nyree N. Yvett D. Isabel V.