Mesopotamia The Fertile Crescent

Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia = located within the Fertile Crescent, between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers –Rivers were NOT a reliable source of water (unlike the Nile) –Ran dry in summer; flooded in spring –Villages joined together to build dams, canals, and ditches

Eden? Many speculate that Mesopotamia was the location of the Bible’s Garden of Eden.

The Sumerian Civilization People from Asia arrived in Mesopotamia Formed 12 city-states = the city and the land surrounding it –Considered the world’s 1 st cities Created ziggurats = stepped pyramids with a temple at the top

The Ziggurat at Ur was first excavated by British archaeologist Woolley in The Iraqi Directorate of Antiquities restored its lower stages in the 1980s.

The Sumerian Civilization Sumerians shared common culture, language, and religion Religion was a theocracies = kings served as both government leaders AND high priests –Practiced polytheism = belief in more than one god Laws regulated the roles of women & men  men had far more rights

The Sumerian Civilization Cuneiform = Sumerian system of writing –The symbols represented complex ideas

The Sumerian Civilization Scribes were trained to read & write documents and stories –Epic of Gilgamesh = oldest story in the world

Like many ancient civilizations, the Sumerians also had “a flood story.” The Epic of Gilgamesh is, perhaps, the oldest written story on Earth. It comes to us from ancient Sumeria, and was originally written on 12 clay tablets in cuneiform script. It is about the adventures of the cruel King Gilgamesh of Uruk (ca and 2500 BCE). In tablet XI we read about Per-napishtim, a man who built a boat and was saved from a great flood brought about by angry gods.

Sumerian Inventions 1.Wagon Wheel 2.Arch 3.Potter’s Wheel 4.Sundial 5.12-month Calendar 6.Metal Plow

First Mesopotamian Empires Babylon Ruled by Hammurabi Strict Code of Laws = Hammurabi’s greatest achievement –Government protected its citizens –282 rules and consequences dealing with Family relations Business conduct Crime Different punishments for rich and poor, men and women. “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”

Hammurabi’s Code in Cuneiform Writing