Inquiry 2 Emergence of a Civilization

Writing: Its a means of communicating. Plays a big part of our lives! http://www.unbsj.ca/sase/images/exam.jpg

The Importance of Law in Our Society What is the importance of law today? In order to establish this we must first establish what the point of law is. Law and order is essential in all communities. In an orderly law-abiding community people can plan ahead, work in safety and do business in trust. In most modern societies order means stability. The guarantees of this order take place in the form of laws. Laws are rules and customs that the citizens of a community regard as binding upon them and can be enforced by the courts. Laws provide boundaries so that people realize where and when they are committing an offence. One of the principal objects of the law is to safeguard (make safe) the rights of citizens. Our basic rights are what give us our freedom in daily life. The freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial etc… Read more: http://www.coursework.info/GCSE/Law/The_Importance_of_Law_in_Our_Society_L81992.html#ixzz0Vfl4TjAN

First seeds of civilization: The Nile Valley Civilization (green) The Mesopotamian Civilization (purple) The Indus Valley Civilization (red) The Chinese Civilization (blue)

Irrigation use in agriculture: All four (4) civilizations developed on fertile land and near rivers. Each spring, the water levels rose and spilled over the banks and flooded the area for several months. Water levels eventually receded and left behind fertile mud (silt) on the ground. Farmers now had fertile soil to grow crops.

Major Irrigation projects: Farmers were forced to develop an irrigation system* because of dry seasons – no water! Floods occurred once a year – they were periodic. *An irrigation system involves capturing water and sending it across the crop fields on a regular basis throughout the year.

Irrigation projects involved: Building canals to get water to fields. Building dikes to retain water in canal. Building a reservoir to store floodwaters.

How did agriculture affect civilizations? It allowed more people to be fed and families to grow in numbers. Small villages grew into large cities. Large cities required a leader. A chief would rule and pass laws which everyone had to follow. Written laws were formal, permanent and undisputable. These cities became organized. This is what a civilization is!

Why did the Mesopotamians invent writing? Mesopotamians needed to record and communicate information to others. Keeping track of food surpluses would be impossible without recording quantities.

Food surpluses lead to the creation of more trade groups: Trade groups needed and relied on each other. They provided each other with goods and services. Labour was organized into four (4) trade groups: Peasants Artisans Merchants Soldiers

1. Peasants: 2. Artisans: They produced food. These crops included wheat, barley, sesame, and millet They raised livestock. Most of the population was peasants. 2. Artisans: Made tools, pots, weapons, bricks, etc. Built houses, public buildings, boats and wagons.

3. Merchants: Bartered with other Mesopotamian cities and with people living outside of Mesopotamia. 4. Soldiers: Protected the goods and territory from robbers. Protected roads travelled by merchants.

Trade: Merchants travelled long distances to trade. Mesopotamia traded food surpluses for products that they did not have. What products did other civilizations give to Mesopotamia? Hittites offered copper, lead, silver, iron

2. Canaanites offered copper, bronze, tin, gold 3. People from the Zagros mountains offered iron and steel

Evolution of Writing: People began writing around 3,500 BC. They started by drawing objects, and engraved their drawings (called pictograms) on moist clay tablets.

Pictograms: Pictograms represented animals and objects (i.e. number of cows, bags of grain). What about more complex explanations that involved emotions and detailed thoughts? Pictograms were simple and quite limited in what they could describe.

From Pictograms to Cuneiform Writing: A writing system invented by the Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia. It pre-dates letters by 1500 years. It is the earliest known writing system in the world. It was often inscribed on damp clay tablets using a special shaped tool called a stylus. Cuneiform had approximately 700 symbols. Only scribes knew how to read and write in cuneiform.

How was the Mesopotamian Society Organised? It was a hierarchical society. A person’s hierarchical position depended on his wealth, his job and/or who he knew. An artisan was considered more valuable than a peasant because he was skilled and harder to replace. The peasants, who simply worked the fields, were unskilled and less valued than highly trained warriors who were given the important role of defending the city from invaders.

Political Power in the Cities: Mesopotamia had 10 major cities. Each city was: Independent from the others Built near crop fields Surrounded by protective walls Composed of two (2) parts: Lower city Higher city

Lower city: This part of the city was inhabited by the peasants. In the event of an attack, the lower city would be overtaken by the enemy and the peasants would be killed. Higher city: This part of the city was inhabited by all the important people. It was harder to get to because it was built on a mound. Its where all of the important institutions/buildings were located (temples, the ziggurat, the royal palace and food/supply warehouses etc.). It was safer to be in the higher city because the enemy would have a harder time overtaking it because it was more elevated than the lower city.

Social groups in Mesopotamia The king (inherited this position): He was the supreme ruler of all major Mesopotamian cities. He managed the army, irrigation projects and food supplies. He represented the Gods on Earth. The Elite: They were the high priests, army commanders, rich merchants. They advised the king and carried out his orders.

The Free people: The slaves: Priests, artisans, peasants, merchants, soldiers, and civil servants. Peasants gave part of their harvest to the king in the form of a tax. The slaves: They were prisoners of war. They had no rights. They received no wages ($) for their work.

Law and Justice: The Code of Hammurabi: The king`s authority ensured stability and unity within society Written laws ensured/guaranteed that justice was served! Anyone caught violating/breaking laws were punished. These laws applied to everyone. The Code of Hammurabi: It is the oldest written law code that exists. Hammurabi had these laws engraved on a stele.

Were these laws just? Fair? These laws were not fair because the punishment for breaking the law was not the same for everyone. What you did for a living, who you knew and what you owned played (called social status) a big part on the severity of the punishment for breaking a law. The punishment was harsher for a peasant than a member of the elite. For crimes against persons: The code applied the law of retaliation (an eye for an eye!) which meant that the criminal would receive the same damage he had inflicted onto his victim. Family issues: The code sought to protect women and children.