The Standards – AKA: The GPS’s (Georgia Performance Standards is what the state of Georgia says we have to teach you. In WH, we do not cover every standard – but do cover every standard that will be on your SGMs (Student Growth Measure); they were called the SLOs SSWH1 analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of complex societies in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean from 3500 BCE to 500 BCE. Describe the development of Mesopotamian societies; include the religious, cultural, economic, and political facets of society, with attention to Hammurabi’s law code.

Understanding birth of Civilization in 12 minutes

Geography The word Meso(middle)potam(river)ia is from Ancient Greek which means between the rivers Located in what we call SOUTHWEST ASIA; the modern Day countries of: Iraq, Iran, Syria and a little of Turkey. Major part of the Fertile Crescent

What is the Fertile Crescent? It is the region in the Middle East which curves, like a quarter-moon shape, from the Persian Gulf, through modern-day southern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and northern Egypt.

Geography Modern Political Divisions

RELIGION POLYTHEISM: POLY(many) THEISM(god) Believed their world was controlled by in 100s of gods and goddesses, demons and monsters who could be good or evil.

Anu: god of heaven Ba’al: god of storms Inanna: goddess of love and war Nergal: god of death and pestilence Dagon: god of wind and air Ereshkigal: goddess of the dead Ningal: god of metal Marduk: god of judgement and magic

Ziggurats Each city had its own god for protection and had large & small temples, priests and rituals, like offerings. Usually effigies and/or food. This is an image of what a Ziggurat would look like. Notice the plants and trees on the steppes. The temple is on the top.

Effigies An effigy is like a doll sculpture that you would take to the temple as an offering to the gods.

Elements of Civilization Cities – like Ur & Urak Religion (polytheistic) Government – Monarchy (kings & queens) Specialized jobs – like scribes – gave way to Social Classes Architecture (ziggurats) AND

Writing Cuneiform Cuneiform is made of wedge shaped marks that represent sounds that can be combined to form words. The earliest Cuneiform texts were made around 3000 BC. It was used mainly on clay but they also used it on stone, metals, wax, and other materials.

Hammurabi King Hammurabi of Babylon comes to control the area around 1792 BC. His kingdom is called Babylon. He was known as the great lawgiver He creates the first law code which included many new legal ideas and were adopted my many other cultures. Every city in his kingdom had the laws posted and everyone who lived or visited his kingdom was subject to his laws.

Hammurabi’s Code of Laws This “stele” is the best source of his laws. The Laws clearly distinguish between three classes of persons: free men, serfs and slaves. Fees and punishments often differ between classes. The main importance of these Laws is that most crimes or errors could be compensated for with money. But in Hammurabi's Laws, it was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

Samples of Hammurabi’s Laws If he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off. If any one steal the minor son of another, he shall be put to death. If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death. If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his father, both shall be burned.

What does he look like?