By 3000 B.C., the Sumerians had built a number of cities. –Each city shared the same culture. –Each city developed their own governments, each with their own rulers. Each city and the surrounding land it controlled formed a city-state.

Sumerian city states included: Ur Kish Lagash Umma Uruk *Each city state had their own rulers and military

Sumer’s early governments were controlled by temple priests. The farmers believed that the success of their crops depended upon the blessings of the gods Remember the sacrifices? A portion of every farmer’s crop were given to the high priests as taxes. In times of war, the priests would appoint a tough fighter to command the city’s soldiers.

Wars became more frequent Around 2,500 B.C., Sumerians metalworkers discovered that melting together certain amounts of copper and tin made bronze. This conversion was known as the Bronze Age Warriors traded in stone and copper weapons for bronze swords and spears. Eventually, Sumerian priests gave military commanders permanent control of the city-states in Sumer.

In time, some military leaders became full-time rulers. These rulers usually passed their power on to their sons. The sons would eventually pass their power on to their heirs. A series of rulers from a single family is called a dynasty.

From 3,000 B.C. to 2,000 B.C.,the city-states of Sumer were almost constantly at war with one another. The cities were so weak that they could no longer ward off attacks from the people of the surrounding deserts and hills. About 2,350 B.C., Sargon of Akkad attacked and conquered the city-states of Sumer

Sargon led his army from Akkad and conquered all of the city-states in Sumer. - Akkad was in northern Mesopotamia - Sumer was in southern Mespotamia By taking control of both northern and southern Mesopotamia, Sargon created the first empire.

An empire brings together several peoples, nations, or previously independent states under the control of one ruler. Sargon’s dynasty lasted only about 200 years. –It eventually fell to internal fighting, invasions, and a famine. (a widespread scarcity of food) In about 2,000 B.C., nomadic warriors named Amorites invaded Mesopotamia. After a series of wars, the Amorites overtook the Sumerians and established their capital in Babylon. The Babylonian Empire reached its peak during the reign of Hammurabi from 1792 B.C. to 1750 B.C.

Hammurabi’s Code unified all of the diverse groups within his empire -He recognized that a single, uniform code of laws would bring all the people under his empire together, despite differences -He collected existing rules, judgments, and laws into the Code of Hammurabi. -Hammurabi had the code engraved in stone and copies placed all over his empire

Hammurabi’s Code Featured 282 specific laws that dealt with everything that affected the community, family relations, business conduct, property issues, and crime.

Nearly two centuries after Hammurabi’s reign, the Babylonian Empire fell to the neighboring Kassites. Over the years, new groups dominated the Fertile Crescent. These new groups would continue many ideas and technologies of the early Sumerians. Sumerian technologies: - arithmetic and geometry city walls, buildings, and irrigation systems - architectural innovations arches, columns, ramps - cuneiforms a system of writing