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hello friends welcome to new happy learning video today we're going to learn about the

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first and most important of human civilizations today we're going to learn about Mesopotamia the

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word Mesopotamia means between two rivers in Greek so this civilization was named because

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it's situated between two rivers tigris and euphrates within these fertile lands the first

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ever city states were born four thousand years before christ the most important cities were

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uruk and lagash these city states were independent from each other

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they were surrounded by a great wall to protect themselves the ziggurat a temple where priests

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lived was built in the center of the city here they controlled trade agriculture and taxes

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the supreme priest had the city's political and religious power agricultural fields spread across

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these cities which were traversed by irrigation channels that used the river's water to water

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cultivations and animals would drink most of the city's citizens were farmers and shepherds

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but there were also artisans that sold their own products at markets because of their well-being

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both cities began to grow but so did the conflicts between them due to the control of land

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These battles arose military leaders that little by little turned into monarchs, into kings.

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Between the years 3000 and 1000 BC Mesopotamian lands were conquered by various towns or cities.

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The first one was the Arcadian Empire, then the Babylonian Empire,

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followed by the Assyrian Empire, and finally the Persian Empire.

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So, we've got to know part of Mesopotamia's history,

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but do you know why it has been such an important civilization for humanity?

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Well, there are many reasons, but the first one is because Mesopotamia was where around 3500 BC

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the first written language was found.

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At first, it was composed by simple drawings called pictograms.

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Look at these examples.

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Over time, these drawings were simplified and started to transform into symbols,

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which is what we know today as cuneiform writing.

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As you can see, this writing was made with a wooden punch over clay boards.

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Another great contribution Mesopotamia made was its art.

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art. They created the Ark and Vault that helped them construct magnificent temples and palaces.

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To decorate the walls and doors within these temples and palaces, they used paintings like

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this one where the King Ashurbanipal is hunting lions.

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By the way, before we say goodbye, do you know what country Mesopotamia is today?

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Well, it's Iraq!

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You can see it here!

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Goodbye friends and don't forget to subscribe to Happy Learning TV!