Chapter 3

Thursday, October 12, 2017 No homework  DO Now: have out map activity from yesterday. Make sure your name is on it!

Ancient Mesopotamia “The Land Between Two Rivers” Tigris River Euphrates River Mesopotamia farmers controlled the rivers Built levees (dirt walls to hold back water) Built dams to control the amount of water Dug irrigation canals to water crops

Sumer Located in southern Mesopotamia City-states that were isolated by geography and each had its own government City-states often fought in wars against each other Built walls around city-states for pretection

Sumer City-States The first Mesopotamian city was Uruk – population more than 40,000 Other city-states: Ur Lagash Nippur Each Sumerian City-State had its own government and law Each also had its own main god

Friday, October 13, 2017 Do Now: Why do social classes exist? Could we live without them?

Daily Life Role of men: head of household Role of women: had some rights (buying and selling property, running businesses) Children: had little or no education (only wealthy boys could attend school)

Social Classes 3 distinct classes based on the specialized jobs people had Religious beliefs helped support this social order Kings Priests Government officials Scribes Farmers / Fishers Artisans Merchants Slaves

Sumerian Religion Ziggurats were built top honor the main god Grand temples built in each city- state The shrine on top is a special place of worship Only priests and priestesses could enter

Sumerian Religion Polytheistic – believed in many gods Gods controlled everything in nature and all human activity Mesopotamians worshipped their gods by making statues, praying to their gods, and food sacrifices were left at temples

Sumerian Religion Priests / Priestesses: Kings powerful, controlled much of the land most important people in society They were the link between the gods and the people Kings Controlled, led, and organized armies Organized building projects When 1 god died, his son took over

Sumerian Achievements The Sumerians made many advances that helped their society develop. The Sumerians invented the world’s first writing system. Advances and inventions changed Sumerian lives. Many types of art developed in Sumer.

The Sumerians invented the world’s first writing system The cuneiform system involved the use of sharp tools called styluses. The Sumerians first used cuneiform to keep business records. The Sumerians also used their writing skills to write books about history, poems, and math.

Invention of Writing Cuneiform World’s first system of writing Cuneiform symbols could represent syllables. Earlier pictographs had represented only objects. The Sumerians wrote on clay tablets with a stylus. Scribes Writers Kept track of items people traded and wrote down government records Scribes could move up in social class. Other Uses Wrote works of literature, stories, proverbs, and songs Wrote poems about the gods and military victories. Created epics, long poems that tell the stories of heroes.

Advances and inventions changed Sumerian lives Development of the wheel Used for carts and wagons Potter’s wheel The plow increased farm production. Sewers under city streets Math and science Number system based on 60 Names of animals, plants, and minerals Used medicines for healing and catalogued medical knowledge

Conflict in Sumer Years of frequent fighting between city-states made them grow weaker Example: Umma and Lagash with their allies fought to control a fertile region on their borders Soldiers used bronze axes and long spears with sharp metal points

Sargon While the Sumerian city-states struggled for power, a new society arose in Mesopotamia Akkadian ruler who had the first permanent army Defeated all the city-states of Sumer When his army conquered northern Mesopotamia, he established the world’s first empire, the Akkadian Empire Empire: land with different territories and peoples under a single rule Sargon ruled for 50 years. After his death, his empire lasted only a century longer.

After the Sumerians… many cultures ruled parts of the Fertile Crescent The Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia and created a code of law. Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the region’s culture.

Hammurabi Hammurabi was Babylon’s king. During his rule, Babylon became the most important city in Mesopotamia. Hammurabi’s Code was a set of 282 laws he created that dealt with almost every part of daily life.

Hammurabi Babylon’s king and the city’s greatest monarch, or ruler of a kingdom or empire Brilliant war leader who brought all of Mesopotamia into his Babylonian Empire Oversaw building and irrigation projects and improved the tax system Developed a set of laws that was written down for all to see

Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi wrote down 282 laws which contained some ideas still found in laws today. Specific crimes brought specific penalties. Social class was taken into account. It was a greater crime to injure a rich man than a poor one. It was unique not only because of how thorough it was, but also because he wrote it down for all to see.

Example of Hammurabi Law “If a son has struck his father, they shall cut off his hand. If a nobleman has destroyed the eye of a member of the aristocracy, they shall destroy his eye…”

Hammurabi Hammurabi was a good ruler, because he worked to improve Babylon. He oversaw many building and irrigation projects and developed a written code of law.

Legacy of Sumer Sumerian culture stayed alive in Babylonia, just as it did under Sargon in the Akkadian empire Despite Hammurabi’s efforts to build a strong government, the Babylonian empire collapsed after his death The civilization of Sumer disappeared, but the influence stayed technology, farming, writing, learning, and the law lived on

Babylonian and Assyrian Empires

Tuesday, November 3, 2015 No Homework  Do Now: Take out work from yesterday. (page 131, and Hanging gardens)

The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern Mediterranean region. Resources Prized Cedar trees for timber Accessed the sea for trade Built great harbors Expansion of Trade Sailed ships around the Mediterranean Sea Founded several new colonies along the trade routes Became wealthy Alphabet Recorded their activities Made writing much easier for everyone Is the basis for the English language

Phoenicia, around 800 BC