Civilization in Mesopotamia Chapter 2 Section1

Geography  Mesopotamia-“Land between the rivers”- Eastern end of Fertile Crescent  Tigris and Euphrates-Modern day Iraq  Ur, Uruk-1 st cities-3200 BC

Fertile Crescent

Sumer-1 st Mesopotamian Civilization  Based on farming  Warriors became city village leaders-protection and irrigation  City-States-basic unit of Sumerian civilization  Cities are independent states (nations)  Strict hierarchy-most peasants  Polytheistic-Belief in many Gods  Ziggurat-temple dedicated to chief god  Believed gods ruled the city-”Theocracy” (gov’t by divine authority)

Sumer

Advancements  Cuneiform- around 3200BC-oldest form of writing  Scribes-trained to read and write  Wheel

Cuneiform

Akkad-World’s 1 st Empire  2340 BC-Sargon, ruler of Akkadians, overran Sumerian city-states  Creates world’s 1 st empire- Large political unit or state, single leader, controls many peoples or territories

Babylonian Empire  Akkadian Empire ends by 2100 BC  1792 BC- Hammurabi, leader of Babylon, conquers Akkad and Sumer.  Empire falls shortly after his death in 1750 BC.

The Code of Hammurabi  Based on a system of strict justice  Retribution  “eye for an eye”  Penalties varied based on social class of the victim  Covered criminal and civil law as well as marriage and family  Family was Patriarchal-run by men.

Egyptian Civilization Chapter 2 Section 2

Geography  Yearly floods of the Nile River made farming possible  2 distinct regions: Upper (South) and Lower (Delta)  3100 BC-King Menes (Upper) unites the 2 regions. Memphis capital

Old Kingdom  2700 BC-2200 BC  Strong central government led by the Pharaoh  Viziers, or chief ministers, supervise  Great Pyramids of Giza built during the Old Kingdom

Middle Kingdom  2050 BC BC  Mentuhotep II reunites Upper and Lower  Expanded into Lybia, Nubia, and Western Asia  Eventually invaded by the Hyksos from Syria-Palestine  Horses, chariots, compound bows

New Kingdom  BC  Amosis drives out the Hyksos  Hatshepsut-1 st female Pharaoh  Tuthmosis extends border to Euphrates River  Akhenaten-Monotheism-Aten  King Tutankhamen  Ramses II-Battles Hittites

Religion  Amon-Re: Sun god, chief god of the Egyptians.  Most identified with Osiris and Isis:  Osiris-Ruler of the underworld  Isis-Believed she taught women their duties  Afterlife:  Souls pass a test, judged by Osiris  Mummification for the wealthy

Egyptian Society  Class System: Pharaoh, priests, nobles, merchants, scribe, peasants  Most were farmers  Women had higher status than other ancient civilizations

Learning  Scribes kept written records  Hieroglyphics-pictograms-written on papyrus  Rosetta Stone  Advancements in medicine  Mapped constellations and planets  Created a calendar

New Centers of Civilization Chapter 2 Section 3

Nomadic People  Pastoral Nomads- Considered barbaric by people in settled communities  Domesticated animals for food and clothing.  Followed regular migratory routes for animals  Indo Europeans- Originated north of the Black Sea.  Language derived from the same parent language (Greek, Latin, Persian, Sanskrit, and Germanic)  Around 2000 BC migrated into Europe, India, and Western Asia, and Anatolia (Asia Minor)

Hittites  Indo-Europeans that migrated to Asia Minor.  Mixed with natives to create a Kingdom.  1 st Indo-Europeans to use iron  Challenged Egyptians for control of Mesopotamia.

Phoenicians  Weakening of Hittites and Egyptians allowed small kingdoms to emerge.  Phoenicia located just north of Palestine.  Great sailors, created a trading empire.  Semitic speaking. Created an alphabet (symbols represent sounds).  Passed to the Greeks, then Romans, basis of our alphabet.

Children of Israel  Israelites originated from south of Phoenicia.  Developed religion of Judaism  Story told in Hebrew Bible-Torah (Old Testament)  Influenced Christianity and Islam.  Founded by Abraham-Covenant with God  Enslaved in Egypt, Moses leads them out  King David unites the tribes of Israel

Children of Israel  King Solomon: BC. Established control of all Palestine. Capital-Jerusalem  Known for his wisdom  After Solomon’s death, kingdom splits: Israel (north-10 tribes) and Judah (south- 2 tribes)

Children of Israel  722 BC- Assyrians conquer Israel and scattered the 10 tribes- “10 lost tribes”  Sent to other parts of empire, lose identity  586 BC- Chaldeans conquer Judah. Sent to Babylon as slaves. Persian Emperor Cyrus set them free  Religion changes-Stateless religion  Become known as “Jews”.

Judaism  Monotheistic-Belief in 1 God  Fixed God, creator and Lord of whole world  Believed they were God’s promised people.  Prophets interpreted God’s will  Moses and the 10 Commandments  1-4 deal with religious duties, 5-10 deal with conduct towards others.  All people equal before God.