Historians Study and write about what people did long ago

Ice Age Most of the world was covered in ice. People roamed looking for food.

Paleolithic 2.5 million years ago Hunters and Gatherers Nomads Adapted to environment Made fire Cave drawings-not sure why they did it, maybe for religious

Neolithic 8,000 years ago Made pottery Made tools out of wood Domesticated animals Specialized Built mud houses and places to worship Had extra goods to trade

Mesopotamia-means land between two rivers

Fertile Crescent Rich soil was ideal for growing and for setting up settlements Modern Day Countries Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria

Sumerians Believed in many gods & that gods protected them Used Irrigation to water crops Built Ziggurat (temple) to worship Social Classes Cuneiform (writing on clay tablets)

Sumerian Contributions #1 Writing Literature Wagon wheel Plow Sail boat Mapped stars 12 month calendar

Babylon 2340 B.C. King Sargon of Akkadians “Sargon the Great” –First Empire 1800 B.C. Hammurabi Extremely Strict Hammurabi Code 282 laws

Babylon Largest Richest Prettiest

King Nebuchadnezzar Built Hanging Gardens for his wife from Iran Used water from Euphrates River and it was an incredible irrigation system

Babylon Ishtar Gate was the main gate going into Babylon In the center of the city was the Ziggurat (temple)

Babylon 605 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar ruled his people called Chandleans The Persians captured Babylon and the empire fell in 536 B.C.