Cradle of Civilization Mesopotamia Cradle of Civilization

Mesopotamia Geographic area- In modern day country of Iraq The name means “land between 2 rivers” 2 Rivers- Tigris River and Euphrates River ONLY area that did not have natural barriers = allowed multiple people to take over the area

Mesopotamia The constant water supply from the 2 rivers provided rich farm land ideal for growing crops. The rivers flooded each spring, the early people in the area built levees to keep the flood waters back and built irrigation systems.

Mesopotamia Area was first settled about 4500-4000 B.C. These people were originally farmers, herders, and fishermen. They made tools, bricks, clay figures, and pottery.

Sumer The people who lived there were called Sumerians The first known civilization around 3500 B.C. The Sumerian people made wagon wheels, used copper and bronze, made sail boats, used plows, wrote laws, and studied astronomy.

Sumer Important city states developed Built strong walled cities for protection from outside invaders Important Sumerian city- Ur (capital of Sumer) had a population of around 200,000 Most cities were unattractive- no public services available to remove garbage and sewage. This was left to pile up on the streets.

Sumerian Cities Streets were narrow, unpaved, winding Houses were one story mud brick structures with flat roofs. Members of the upper class had 2 story houses with many rooms that included sleeping quarters and servants quarters and burial plots below the house Household utensils made out of stone, copper and bronze Merchants supplied the townspeople with material items

Religion Sumerians constructed shrines or temples called Ziggurats. Ziggurats were to serve as a pedestal for the gods to descend to Earth. On top was a shrine room where people would pray or hope to entertain a divine visitor.

Religion Public was not invited to engage in temple rituals, but they needed to constantly pray or the gods would not bless their lands. Around the ziggurat were courts where artisans worked, children went to school, and people traded and stored goods there. Sumerians believed that all of nature was controlled by gods

Education The Sumerian schools were called “tablet houses” and were used to educate scribes for various religious, governmental, and commercial jobs. Schools at first were mostly religious and were for rich children Male only Classes went from morning until sunset Curriculum included- grammar, penmanship, science, and math

Writing Writing helped man maintain a complex economic and political society Sumerian writing dates back as early as 3100 B.C. Dried Mud tablets with a sharp pointed reed called a stylus was how they wrote the cuneiform. This writing was adopted by their conquerors and used for about 2000 years.

Family Life Woman had rights in Sumerian society They could buy and sell property and could run businesses The husband was the head of the household He could divorce his wife or rent out his wife and children for up to three years Children were expected to support their parents when they became old

Priests and Kings Priests were also the kings of the city-states Gilgamesh was the most famous Received advice from an assembly of free men During wars, the assembly chose a military leader to serve until the war was over Eventually, these leaders stayed in charge and became kings. Kingship became hereditary

Ticket out the Door

Later Mesopotamian Empires Section 2 Later Mesopotamian Empires

Sargon 1 Ruled an area called Akkad Began to conquer city-states one by one and became king of all of them Created world’s first empire Ruled for 50 years

Hammurabi of Babylon Hammurabi was king of Babylon who conquered Akkad and Sumer The Babylonians took on the language and religion of the people they conquered Hammurabi improved irrigation systems and changed the religion Developed his own set of laws called the Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi Appointed judges to carry out the code Judges were punished if not honest He believed people were innocent until proven guilty During Hammurabi’s rule, Babylon became a trade center Hammurabi’s reign is known as the Golden Age of Babylon

Inventions and Contributions Inventions and customs of the Sumerians and Babylonians were copied and improved upon by other cultures.

Inventions and Contributions Oldest written records in the world First written laws Cuneiform was a model for other people’s system of writing

Inventions and Contributions Invented the wheel which aided transportation Invented the plow which allowed farmers to grow more food Invented the sailboat which replaced muscle power with wind power

wheel

Inventions and contributions Developed a 12 month calendar based on the cycles of the moon It marked the times for religious festivals and planting

Inventions and Contributions Contributions to math Developed a number system based on 60 60 minute hour 60 second minute 360 degree circle Clock that was controlled by water

Other People of the Fertile Crescent The Big Idea After the Sumerians, many cultures ruled parts of the Fertile Crescent. Main Ideas The Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia and created a code of law. Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the region’s culture. The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern Mediterranean region.

The Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia 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

Babylonia & Assyrian Empires

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.

Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the region’s culture. Armies battled for control of fertile land. Different peoples ruled Mesopotamia. Hittites Kassites Assyrians Chaldeans Each group affected the culture of the region.

The Hittites & Kassites The Hittites were the first to master ironworking, so they made the strongest weapons of the time. They used the chariot, a wheeled, horse-drawn cart, which allowed them to move quickly around the battlefield. They were taken over by the Kassites after their king was assassinated. The Kassites ruled for almost 400 years

The Assyrians The Assyrians had a strong army that used chariots and iron weapons. They spread terror before battles by looting villages and burning crops. Assyrian kings ruled their empire through local leaders who each governed a small area. The local leaders demanded heavy taxes.

The Chaldeans The Chaldeans attacked the Assyrians when they were weak and destroyed their empire. Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city that had the famous Hanging Gardens. They admired the Sumerian culture, studied their language, and built temples to Sumerian gods. Babylon became a center for astronomy.

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

The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern Mediterranean region. Expansion of Trade Sailed ships around the Mediterranean Sea Founded several new colonies along the trade routes Became wealthy

The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern Mediterranean region. Alphabet Recorded their activities Made writing much easier for everyone Is the basis for the English language

The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern Mediterranean region.