The growth of trade, construction and writing in Mesopotamia
I can explain how farming in Mesopotamia led to the growth of trade, writing and building.
The growth of trade, construction and writing in Mesopotamia
I can explain how farming in Mesopotamia led to the growth of trade, writing and building.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Mesopotamian civilisations like the Sumerians were able to trade their extra food with people who lived far away.
- Archaeologists think that as these civilisations traded more they needed a way of recording what was being traded.
- They began to write down and count what they were giving and receiving in a special writing called cuneiform.
- Because their farming was productive, they could stay in one place, and so they built cities with large stone buildings.
- Some of the biggest of these stone buildings were called ziggurats, which were large, stepped religious buildings.
Keywords
Trade - people trade by buying or selling items they need or want
Record - people write or draw to record ideas, events and memories
Cuneiform - a type of ancient writing invented in Sumer was called cuneiform
Ziggurat - a ziggurat is a large religious building made from stone during Mesopotamian civilisations
Common misconception
Writing is only created with pens or pencils.
Discuss different forms of writing such as print on a poster, graffiti, and lettering on clothing.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
civilisation.
Mesopotamia.
farmers.
Exit quiz
6 Questions
when people buy or sell items they need and want
to write or draw ideas, events and memories
an ancient form of writing
a large ancient religious stone building