Mesopotamia

Sumerian Civilization Section 3

Sumerian achievements CuneiformCuneiform - writing ZigguratsZiggurats – step pyramid temples made of baked brick wheelMay have been the first to develop the wheel Number system based on 60 Lunar calendar city-statesOrganized into city-states

Babylon Hammurabi, the Priest King Hammurabi (ca BC) united all of Mesopotamia under 43 year reign of Babylon. Hammurabi's Code is the best preserved legal document reflecting the social structure of Babylon during Hammurabi's rule.

Hammurabi's Code The Louvre, Paris

Babylonian Empire Nebuchadnezzar Hanging Gardens Ishtar Gate

Babylon’s Hanging Gardens

Assyrians, A Warrior Race

The winged creature (right) was found at the palace of Sargon II right at the entrance to his throne-room standing 14 feet tall. Their were four statues on each side and they faced each other. It was believed that the lamassu could frighten off demons. [Oriental Institute, Chicago)

Gold of Nimrud The gold of Nimrud is a collection of more than 1,000 pieces of gold jewelry and precious stones from the eighth and ninth centuries B.C.

The Queen’s Gold Whoever … removes me from my tomb, or places anyone else with me, or lays hand on my jewelry with evil intent, or breaks open the seal of this tomb, let his spirit wander in thirst in the open countryside. Below, in the Netherworld, let him not receive any libation of pure water, beer, wine, or flour as an offering! May the great gods of the underworld impose on his corpse and spirit, restlessness for all eternity.

Persia Darius, king of Persia Ruled with justice and tolerance. Adopted a standardized coinage Established a road system Zoroaster, Persian prophet started a new monotheistic religion, good vs. evil and a final judgement, linked to the Magi

zoroaster

Phoenicians Ancient seafarers

Did you know? Look up the adjective "purple" in a dictionary, and one of the first meanings you'll see is a distinction of royalty. The association of royalty with the color purple stems from the ancient reddish-purple dye made from the glands of murex mollusks. The most famous example of this dye is so-called Tyrian purple from the Phoenician homeland along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. The expense of producing the dye was so great—many thousands of mollusks were needed to produce one ounce of dye—that only the very wealthiest could afford it. It was said to be worth the price, because the dye, once set, would not run or fade. 0HxnM

The First Alphabet

Lydians First to use gold & silver coins The Lydian lion, the world’s oldest coin

Israel Monotheistic Judaism, the forerunner of Christianity 10 Commandments, basis of law Torah – set of laws that the Israelites followed.

Describe how smaller civilizations such as Phoenicia and the Lydians could exert their influence on the ancient world. Smaller civilizations such as Phoenicia and Lydia could exert their influence on the ancient world by developing ideas and distributing the ideas to the rest of the world. With the Phoenicians, it was their alphabet and with the Lydians, it was their idea of a money economy. The Phoenicians were great traders and as they traded from port to port, they brought their culture to the people they traded with. This allowed them to influence the rest of the world.