In France it is known as “La Fertile Croissant” The Fertile Crescent In France it is known as “La Fertile Croissant”

Neolithic Revolution Neolithic means “new stone” The revolution marked the change from hunting/gathering to systematic agriculture. Growing crops created permanent settlements.

Mesopotamia The Fertile Crescent stretches from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf It was an area receptive to agriculture Within the Fertile Crescent was Mesopotamia Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers” In this case, the Tigris and Euphrates

Sumer: The First Empire The city-state Sumer (Sumerians) was conquered in 2300 B.C.E by Sargon, ruler of neighboring Akkad He gained control of the first known empire in history Just as quickly, his empire crumbled from attacks by foreign invaders Most of the invaders had no intention of staying after looting the riches Sumer is noted for its terraced pyramids known as ziggurats

Hammurabi The next great ruler of Mesopotamia was Hammurabi (1790 B.C.E.) He set about unifying Mesopotamia – a central piece was his code He did not create many new laws but codified existing Sumerian laws

Hammurabi’s Code His intent was to communicate to all the legal principles of the empire He had artisans carve 300 laws on a pillar and spread copies of the law The laws were tough: “an eye for eye”, a life for a life” The code covered both criminal law and civil law

The Hittites The Hittites are notable for extracting iron from ore This allowed the Hittites to mass-produce iron weapons They were superior to copper or bronze weapons and cheaper to produce Mesopotamia was under brief control – but lost as iron technology spread

The Babylonians Babylon rose in prominence under King Nebuchadnezzar (612 B.C.E.) Under Nebuchadnezzar the empire spread from the Gulf to Mediterranean King Nebuchadnezzar was known for the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon”

Persian Empire It was under Darius (522-486 B.C.E.) when the Persian Empire grew He was a conqueror, but policy was centered on tolerance of the defeated He united the empire through codified laws, extensive road-building He used these roads to visit all points of the empire Darius also improved trade through the creation of coins

Religion in Persia The first notable monotheistic religion was born in the Persian Empire Zoroaster was a Persian thinker who rejected the many Persian gods The religion – Zoroastrianism – believed in a single god (Ahuru Mazda) This god was in constant battle with the prince of lies and evil (Ahriman) He believed in a Judgment Day that would determine paradise or eternal suffering The concepts of heaven, hell, and judgment day were later adopted by two major religions in the Middle East – Christianity and Islam