Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers" & is often called the "Fertile Crescent". The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flooded once per year, leaving behind fertile soil ideal for farming. The flooding however, was unpredictable. 

The first civilization developed in the Fertile Crescent: Sumer But, surrounding deserts & the lack of natural barriers attracted outsiders to Mesopotamia made the Sumerians vulnerable to attack

Lasting Contributions Advanced cities: Sumerian city-states were protected by high walls At the city center was a temple called a ziggurat

Monumental Architecture Ziggurats- large, flat-topped pyramids built of clay bricks– were constructed as temples and shrines to various gods. They were not places of public worship: ziggurats were believed to be the dwelling-places of gods on Earth.

Religion Sumerians and Babylonians were polytheistic. Believed that gods controlled the natural forces  Made offerings and prayer for favor Did not believe in reward or punishment after death Only during life

Religion and Culture Sumerians worshipped any number of different gods and goddesses, depending on where they lived.  Individual cities might have different gods. Gods were understood to have enormous power, particularly over natural disasters (e.g. floods, droughts). Priests had extremely high social status in Sumerian culture; early Sumerian society was essentially a theocracy.

Social Structure Royalty, priests, officials, and warriors Merchants, some artisans, and shopkeepers Dependent farmers and artisans Slaves

City Centers As cities grew they began to compete with each other for land and water. As a result Armies were organized, Weapons improved Kings grew in power

Specialized Workers What allowed the specialization of workers? With the surplus of goods, cities can begin to engage in trade with others.

Lasting Contributions Writing: Sumerians developed the first known case of human writing called cuneiform  Phoenicians simplified cuneiform to a 22 letter alphabet Scribes were those who wrote and kept records Phoenician merchants spread the alphabet throughout the Mediterranean world The alphabet influenced Greek, Latin, & English  

Lasting Contributions Science was quite advanced in Sumer: astronomical studies and advanced mathematics led to a very accurate calendar system. Sumerians used a base 60 counting unit, and used multiplication, division, square roots, and geometry. Sumerian technology included: the wheel, irrigation systems, glue, bronze, the plow, water skins, animal harnesses, and metal weaponry.

The Babylonian Empire Established around 1900 BCE, the Persian people (today Iran) invaded and took over. Included many diverse cultural groups Mesopotamia would then be united under King Hammurabi.

Lasting Contributions Government: Babylonian King Hammurabi created the first legal code Hammurabi’s Code had 282 laws to protect people’s rights. Built on the idea of “an eye for an eye”. Property rights, contracts, marriages, wages, crimes… The code had different punishments for the various levels of society