• Maps
• Ancient Near East
• Topographical features
• Near East in modern times

• Geographical & environmental features of Fertile Crescent (continued)
• Syria Palestine
  • Levant
  • Strip along eastern Mediterranean coast
    • Less than 100 miles wide
    • Around 400 miles long
  • Natural boundaries
    • Taurus Mountains & upper Euphrates (north)
    • Syrian Desert (east)
    • Sinai Peninsula (south)
    • Mediterranean Sea (west)
  • Modern-day Lebanon, Israel, & western portions of Syria & Jordan
  • Largely mountainous
  • Not especially fertile or rich in natural resources
  • Narrow coastal area formed strip of lowland
    • Separated from interior by Lebanon Mountains & rugged hill country in Palestine
  • Importance of mountains & hill country
    • Influenced settlement patterns
    • Obstructed westerly winter winds from Mediterranean
      • Arid conditions on eastern slopes
      • Rainfall on western slopes
        • Crops could be grown without artificial irrigation
    • Deep fractures in hill country of Palestine
      • Jordan Valley
      • Jordan River
        • Links Sea of Galilee & Dead Sea
  • Northern part of Syria-Palestine
    • Natural harbors
    • Cedar forests (Lebanon)

     

• Anatolia
• Western extension of Fertile Crescent
• Called Asia Minor by Romans
• Modern-day Turkey
• Peninsula
  • Black Sea (north)
  • Sea of Marmara (northwest)
  • Mediterranean Sea (south)
  • Aegean Sea (west)
• Interior region high plateau (Anatolian Plateau)
  • Flanked by mountain ranges
    • Pontus Mountains (north)
    • Taurus Mountains (south)
• Eastern Anatolia
  • Mountain ranges coalesce
    • Join 2 main mountain ranges of Persia (Iran)
      • Elburz Mountains (north)
      • Zagros Mountains (northwest-southwest)
        • Separate Mesopotamian lowlands from Iranian plateau
• Anatolian Plateau
  • More than 1500 feet above sea level
  • Contain some broad flat valleys with lakes & rivers
  • Extreme climate
    • Hot dry summers
    • Cold winters with heavy snows
  • Limited precipitation
    • Annual rainfall can be less than 300mm
  • Cultivation restricted to areas surrounding rivers
    • Konya Plain
      • Catalhoyuk
    • Wheat & barley most important crops
• Coastal areas
  • Contrast sharply with interior region
  • Black Sea coast
    • Steep & rocky
      • Pontus Mountains
    • Limited access inland
      • Narrow valleys
  • Mediterranean coast
    • Fairly narrow coastal plain
    • Rich in agricultural resources
    • Taurus Mountains run parallel to coast
  • Climate
    • Much different than Anatolian Plateau
    • Hot, moderately dry summers
    • Mild, moist winters
    • Annual precipitation 600-1400mm
      • Greatest amount of rainfall on Black Sea coast

       

III. COURSE QUESTIONS

• How did early societies develop in the Fertile Crescent?
  • What role did agriculture play in this development?
  • What other factors fostered this development?
• At what point did civilization emerge in this region?
  • What is civilization?