Ancient Civilization:

Mesopotamia
 Mesopotamia
• Means in Greek "between rivers". The so-called region initially encompassed the territories between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It currently comprises Iraq and eastern Syria.
• It is known as the cradle of civilization.
• They were very advanced for the time and allowed the development not only of that but of other cultures
One of the inventions
inventions
of Mesopotamia that
has been most
transcendental is
writing. Initially, the writing
Mesopotamian system consisted of a
civilization developed symbol for each
a form of writing existing word. It was
called cuneiform so complex that it
because the took more than 10
characters used are years to learn all the
wedge-shaped signs

Its creation was Later, it was simplified

thanks to trade and reduced to 600
because people had characters that could
the need to record the be mixed to give rise
commercial to other words.
transactions they
carried out.
 The irrigation
Through this system, they were able to control
the flow of water from the rivers and use this
resource to irrigate the crops.

The first irrigation system consisted of a series

of ditches that went from the river to the fields.
The water was transported by gravity.

With irrigation, agriculture became feasible

even in areas where the land was not very
fertile and where rainfall was scarce.
 The wheel

The first wheels

were not created for
transport but to
operate systems
(such as irrigation).
The existence of this
object gave rise to
other inventions,
such as the carriage.
 The carriage
The first carriages date from the year 3200 a. C. This instrument was developed as a
method of personal transportation used in wars and sports.

To activate the vehicle, animal strength was used. This is why the domestication of beasts,
mainly horses and bulls, intensified.

Over the years, the Mesopotamians perfected the design, so much so that the carriage
became an essential element for agriculture and a symbol of wealth (since real families
moved using these vehicles).
 The maps
The oldest maps were found in
Mesopotamia and date from 2300
B.C. These were simple sketches
made on clay tablets with a
stiletto and showing the area
of ​Acadia (today, northern Iraq).
The maps of Mesopotamia laid
the foundations for the
development of cartography, a
discipline that was practiced and
perfected by Greeks and
Romans.
 The concept of time
The concept of time and its
division was the work of the
Mesopotamian civilization, who
relied on the sexagesimal
system of the Sumerians to
create 60-minute hours and
60-second minutes.
The number 60 was chosen
because it was the result
obtained by dividing the
360 ​degrees of a
circumference by 6.
Mathematical concepts
The Mesopotamians were the first to develop a numerical
system. This system was born from the need to count the
goods that were sold and that were bought. Its existence
facilitated commercial transactions.

They also perfected the sexagesimal system (based on 60)

developed by the Sumerians. This favored the appearance
of other mathematical concepts, such as the division of the
circumference in 360 degrees and the year in 12 months.