Chapter 2 The Ancient Near East 2.1-Mesopotamia and Sumer 2.2-Fertile Crescent Empires

2.1- Geography Promotes Civilization Fertile Crescent- In southwest Asia a large band of fertile land for an oasis in the midst of deserts and mountain. It curves in between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. Mesopotamia- Fertile land lines in between Tigris and the Euphrates river These two areas brought about the world’s first civilizations 5500 people were farming Rivers flooded making it good for agriculture Sometimes flooded two often eventually ppl developed ways to control water

2.1- Sumer The Cities in Sumer People who developed the first civ were Sumerians and lived in Sumer Large cities began to appear around 3000 BCE Large temples Walls around each city for defense They formed city-states- a political unit with it’s own government As cities grew they became fighting over land

2.1-Sumer Religion and Government Polytheistic Gods controlled all natural forces Gods were human like Worked to please the gods Priest were high in the social ranking and governed city-states Eventually war chief took over and began dynasties

2.1- Sumerian Culture Writing Math and Science Cuneiform- Sumerian writing and the first writing system Used for record keeping at first Eventually they began writing literature like the Epic of Gilgamesh Math and Science Created a math system based off the number 60 They studied geometry which help them build elaborate structures Invented the wheel, and plow Used bronze to advance weapons Made use of medical knowledge

2.1- Sumerian Culture Trade and Society The obtained many materials for art and buildings through trade Traded across Southwest Asia Men held political office and made and women took care of homes and children Social ranking developed King Priest Principal agent Landowners Merchants Artisans Farmers laborers

2.1 Empires in Mesopotamia Sargon’s Empire Akkadians lived north of Sumer and in 2330 they invaded Sumer and north Mesopotamia under the leadership of Sargon the I Had the world’s first empire and first standing army The adopted a lot of Sumerian culture like cuneiform Sargon’s empire (Akkadian empire) lasted for 140 years Spread Sumerian culture

2.1 Empires in Mesopotamia The Babylonian Empire Tribes fought over Mesopotamia Amorites leader Hammurabi united Mesopotamia under his rule Started tax collection, building projects, increased trade He wrote Hammurabi’s code- first law to be written down 282 laws Dealt with everyday life Babylon was greatest under Hammurabi Lasted for 2 centuries

Assignment In groups of two create a time line for section two. Find all the events that have dates and place them on your time line in chronological order 14 mins and 13 seconds

2.2- The Hittites Indo-Europeans Hittite Military Might Tribe leaders began to emerge and control passed from one empire to another in the Fertile Crescent Indo-Europeans came from the steppes to find a more stable place to live Hittite Military Might Indo-European tribe in Asian Minor (modern Turkey) Strong military presences because of 3 person chariots This enabled them to spread their empire beyond Asia Minor 1595 BCE they conquered Babylon

2.2- The Hittites Hittite Culture Used cuneiform and a form a Hammurabi's code Mastered ironworking techniques Reached its peak in 1300 and lasted until 1200 BCE Fell to the Sea People

2.2-The Assyrians and Chaldeans Used their military might to become the supreme power in the region Originally for North Mes. And were often dominated by other people groups because they lived along a trade route 900 BCE they grew their empire and controlled all of Mesopotamia and as well as Asia Minor and Egypt The Assyrians War Machine Foot solider, chariots, and a Calvary all armed with iron weapons They relied on terror to scare their enemy Most people captured were killed some were enslaved

2.2-The Assyrians and Chaldeans Assyrian Rule Kinds ruled through local leaders because the empire was so large They collected taxes and enforced rules and created roads for messages to travel They ruthlessly punished anyone who opposed them They had a vast library in their capital Nineveh The empire grew too vast for them to control 612 BCE The Chaldeans torched Nineveh and took over rule

2.2-The Assyrians and Chaldeans The Chaldeans Made of the old city of Babylon the capital Nebuchadnezzar II most famous Chaldean King He was a fierce warrior and captured the Egyptians and the Jews and enslaved them Rebuilt Babylon into a place of splendor Created the Hanging Garden- one of the seven wonders of the ancient world Studied the stars and used them to tracked political, economic, and weather events 539 BCE less then hundred years of their rule the Persians conquered Babylon bringing an end to the Chaldeans

2.2- Phoenicians Growth of Trading Society Smaller city-states emerged in western Asia Built wealthy trading societies Phoenicia (modern Lebanon) natural resources were scarce so they relied on the sea for trade Expert sailors and tradesmen of the Mediterranean Sea They founded colonies along their trade routes Most famous colony was Carthage on the coast of northern Africa (later became the most powerful cities in the Med.) Phoenicia exported cedar tree, shellfish, fabrics, ivory craving, silverworks and slaves They invented glassblowing

2.2- Phoenicians The Phoenician Alphabet Most influential achievement was their alphabet Worlds first alphabet 22 letters Because of their trader their alphabet spread because it made writing easier Greeks adopted it and expanded it to include vowels Greeks alphabet is the ancestor of the modern alphabet we use to write English

Knowledge Checkpoint Where was Mesopotamia? How were people in Mesopotamia able to control both flooding and drought How did the development of methods to control water lead to the formation of governments? Why did Sumerian scribes move up the social classes How did Sargon I able to conquer all od Sumer and Northern Mesopotamia? Why is the Hittite culture considered a blended culture? Describe the Assyrian system of gov’t and how did it maintain peace? What were the cultural achievements of the Chaldeans and the Phoenicians?