Why River Valleys? 1. Offered rich soils for agriculture 2. Tended to be located in places that could offer protection from nomadic invaders Ask students if they know what nomads are?

Geography

The Fertile Crescent Area of land between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea in Southwest Asia Why called the Fertile Crescent?

One land…Two Rivers Mesopotamia means = “land between the rivers” Tigris River and Euphrates River Both rivers flooded once a year and left thick bed of silt. Silt: rich, new soil farmers could plant and harvest enormous quantities of wheat and barley

Political Power of the Priests Sumer’s earliest governments were controlled by temple priests Farmers believed they needed blessings for success of their crops Priests were the middle man for the gods Priests demanded portion of farmer crops as tax Later followed kings as rulers: when the power is passed down to his son. People were at the mercy of the gods. Gods needed to be made happy or the people of the area would be punished.

Hammurabi’s Code King of Babylonia (today southwestern Iraq)created a set of 282 laws that governed the people of Babylonia Brought order and justice to society Covered everyday life Influenced later codes of law, even that of Greece and Rome Some examples: Law 3: If someone falsely accuses someone else of certain crimes, then he shall be put to death. Law 195: If a son strikes his father, the son’s hands shall be cut off.

Some of his codes: Law 21: If any one break a hole into a house (break in to steal), he shall be put to death before that hole and be buried Law 127:   If any one "point the finger" (slander) at the wife of any one, and can not prove it, this man shall be taken before the judges and his brow shall be marked (by cutting the skin, or perhaps hair.) Law 132:   If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught cheating with the other man, she shall jump into the river for her husband. Law 196: If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. Law 282:  If a slave says to his master: "You are not my master," if they convict him his master shall cut off his ear.

Economy • Metal tools and weapons (bronze, iron) • Increasing agricultural surplus (better tools, plows, irrigation) • Specialization of Labor: people had different jobs to help society • Increasing trade along rivers – traded with Egypt • Development of the world’s first cities How they became rich, sustained themselves, able to take care of themselves, be provided for Ask students what “surplus” means People had extra time on their hands to do other things. This led to the … Specialization of labor: every person has a different job that they do that helps society--a job that a person is good at, ie. Making pottery, making weapons/tools, weaving… Important to know that as people specialized in labor, this led to the development of the world’s first cities

City-States Geography separated Sumerian cities from each other--the desert made travel and communication difficult City-states developed: A city-state was an independent state made up of a city and the surrounding land and villages Each had its own government and culture Built a mud-brick wall to protect it from invaders, since it had no natural barriers for protection

Religion Polytheistic: Belief in Many Gods (3,000!!!) Gods could be angered at any moment and to keep them happy Sumerians: Built impressive ziggurats--center of the city-state Believed that chief god lived there--priests made offerings No guarantee to make gods happy---lots of flooding -Priests served as rulers--went between humans and gods Polytheistic--belief in more than one god Ziggurat means “mountain of god” or “hill of heaven” Ziggurats were made out of mud. At the top was where the god lived. Priests would go and make sacrifices to make god happy--hoping to prevent disaster.

MORE ZIGGURATS!!!

Sumerian Society Slaves Ordinary Sumerian people Kings and Priests Wealthy merchants Ordinary Sumerian people Slaves

Literature:Epic of Gilgamesh An epic is a long poem that tells the story of a hero Legend about a Mesopotamian king who is 2/3 god and 1/3 human in search of eternal life One of the earliest works of literature in the world

Achievements Science and Technology Invented the wheel, the sail, the plow Used bronze. Developed first writing system called cuneiform Built irrigation systems– to water their crops