Mesopotamia 5300 BC-539 BC

Mesopotamia – Geography From approximately 5300 BC, Mesopotamia was a place where many cities began to grow. The word Mesopotamia means “the land between 2 rivers”. The 2 rivers that people settled between were the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. The Mesopotamia area was surrounded by desert. People came to Mesopotamia because the soil between the two rivers was very fertile.

USA Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East (Asia).

It is located in what is now the country of Iraq.

Mesopotamia was part of a larger region called the Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia was part of a larger region called the Fertile Crescent. This area, that stretched from the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea down to the Persian Gulf, had fertile soil and was where many civilizations started. The shape is somewhat similar to a crescent (think of a crescent roll, or a crescent-shaped moon).

The Cradle of Civilization The first civilizations and examples of writing were found in Mesopotamia. Therefore, Mesopotamia is referred to as the cradle of civilizations. What is a civilization? A civilization is an advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, economy, and government has been reached.

Mesopotamia Geography Definition: The land between 2 rivers (the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers); Cradle of Civilizations Category: Geography

Fertile Crescent Geography Mesopotamia Definition: Category: Area between the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf that has fertile land Geography Example: Mesopotamia

1-Minute Pause 1 minute to think about the following: 1 thing that you learned 1 thing that you were interested in

Sumer 3500 BC – 2800 BC

Sumer Mesopotamia became a succession of empires (civilizations). The first of these empires was Sumer.

Why Did Cities Develop? Due to the fertile soil in Mesopotamia, farming was very successful. As cities began to develop, people began to worry about others who might come and invade their city. They wanted to protect themselves from enemies, so people in Mesopotamia built walls around their cities.

City-States Formed Along the Rivers These cities began to form city-states in Mesopotamia. A city-state is an area that has its own form of government. Many of these city-states soon had their own kings. Sumer was made up of at least 12 different city-states.

The city-states were often built around existing religious structures The city-states were often built around existing religious structures. These religious structures were called ziggurats. The ziggurats became the focal points of the city-states.

A ziggurat is a stepped structure (similar to a pyramid) with a temple or shrine on top. Sumerians believed that the gods came to Earth by climbing down steps of the ziggurat.

Sumerian Religion The Sumerians had a polytheistic religion. The religion was headed by Anu, the sky god. The Sumerians believed that Anu lived in the highest heavenly regions. According to their religion, all land was owned by the gods. Kings were their representatives.

Sumerian Achievements The greatest achievement of the Sumerians was Cuneiform. Cuneiform is the oldest writing system and was originally used for economic purposes. Sumerian schools taught rich boys the invention of writing. Those who graduated became professional writers called scribes. Scribes were the only people who could keep records for the kings and priests.

Sumerian Achievements The Sumerians also: Created the wheel Pottery ex. Votive Figures

The Downfall of the Sumerians The Sumerian city-states began fighting each other. They fought over land and the use of river water. Since the Sumerians were constantly at war with each other, they became weak and were conquered by the Babylonians, who were from the north.

An area that has its own type of government city-state Definition: An area that has its own type of government Category: Political Example: Sumer

A temple located in the center of the Sumerian city-states ziggurat Definition: A temple located in the center of the Sumerian city-states Category: Religion

Oldest form of writing; created by the Sumerians cuneiform Definition: Oldest form of writing; created by the Sumerians Category: Cultural Example: Sumer

Power Thinking Review P1 – Mesopotamia P2 – Sumer P3 – Political - ___________ P4 - P3 – Cultural - ___________ P4 – P3 – Cultural – Other Achievements

Cunieform Writing Rubric Correctly Write Your Name in Cunieform Picture of Yourself Colored (No Marker) Size Neatness

Babylon and Assyria

The Two Empires of Mesopotamia After the Sumerians were defeated, Mesopotamia had two main empires: Babylon and Assyria. The Babylonian empire lasted from around 1800 BC to 1600 BC. The Assyrian empire lasted from around 665 BC to 612 BC.

Babylon As we recall from earlier, the Sumerians were conquered by the Babylonians. The king of Babylon was Hammurabi. Hammurabi united the city-states of Sumer and then continued to expand his empire.

Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi was the king who united most of Mesopotamia and conquered the Sumerians. He developed a “code” of laws. The laws were numbered from 1 to 282. All of Hammurabi’s Code was written on a stele. Today, this stele is located in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Hammurabi’s Code is the earliest known written law.

Hammurabi’s Code Although this is the first written law, Hammurabi’s Code was considered harsh. Some laws from Hammurabi’s Code are: If a son has struck his father, his hand shall be cut off. If a man steals a child, he shall be put to death. Law number 196 states: If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. Some people summarize Hammurabi’s code by saying “an eye for an eye.”

Other Babylonian Writing Other items were also preserved in written form by the Babylonians. The oldest piece of written literature is an epic poem called The Epic of Gilgamesh.

First form of written law; Made up of 282 laws Hammurabi’s Code Definition: Category: First form of written law; Made up of 282 laws Political

Power Thinking Review P1 – Mesopotamia P2 – Sumer P2 - Babylon P3 – Political - ________ P4 - P3 – Cultural - ________ P4 –

The Assyrians Rise to Power Assyria was a small kingdom of walled cities that was located north of Babylon. Their city was located in open land that was easily attacked, and they had to constantly defend themselves against invaders. Therefore, they became skilled warriors.

The Assyrians Rise to Power At around 1365 B.C., the Assyrians decided that the best defense they had was to attack other countries first, before they could attack them. By 650 B.C., Assyria had conquered a large empire. The Assyrian empire was the largest Mesopotamian empire in land mass. This empire was lead by King Sargon II. He was a successful and ruthless Assyrian ruler.

The Assyrian War Machine The Assyrians were geniuses at waging war. They invented the battering ram, which they used to pound down city walls. They used catapults to throw rocks at enemies, and they protected their archers (people who use a bow and arrows) with helmets and armor.

Assyrian Learning The capital of the Assyrian Empire was a city called Nineveh. Nineveh became a great city of learning. It had a famous library that held thousands of clay tablets with writings from Sumer and Babylon. These records tell us a lot about life in Mesopotamia.

Power Thinking Review P1 – Mesopotamia P2 – Sumer P2 - Babylon P2 - Assyria P3 – Political - ________ P4 - P3 – Political - Weapons P4 –

Other Important Groups Hittites – Known for first using iron tools Phoenicians – Known for the creation of an alphabet Israelites – Known for their religion, Judaism

What is Judaism? Beliefs: Only 1 God (monotheistic) Founder: Abraham Holy Book: Torah Place of Worship: synagogue Religious Holidays: Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah

monotheistic Religion Judaism Definition: Category: Religion The belief in one god Example: Judaism

Power Thinking Review P1 – Mesopotamia P2 – Sumer P2 - Babylon P2 - Assyria P2 - Hittities P3 – P2 – Phonecians P2 – Israelites P3 -