Indo-European Migrations: 4m-2m BCE The Middle East: “The Crossroads of Three Continents”
The Ancient Fertile Crescent Area The Middle East: “The Cradle of Civilization”
Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia = Land between TWO rivers –Tigris –Euphrates
Sumerians This is now Kuwait
Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic Enki Innana Anthropomorphic Gods
Polytheism Poly More than one Many –Polygamy –Polygon Theism God Religious –Christian –Islam –Budhaism
Mesopotamian Trade “The Cuneiform World”
Cuneiform (Writing) Stylus (stick)Stylus (stick) WedgesWedges –Symbols –Sounds –Pictures Scribes=writersScribes=writers Clay tablet (wet)Clay tablet (wet)
Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped” Writing
Cuneiform Writing
Deciphering Cuneiform
Sumerian Scribes “Tablet House”
Sumerian Cylinder Seals
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh Epic Tablet: Flood Story (Noah)
Ziggurat at Ur Temple “Mountain of the Gods” Temple “Mountain of the Gods”
The Royal Standard of Ur
Mesopotamian Harp
Board Game From Ur
Sophisticated Metallurgy Skills at Ur
Sargon of Akkad: The World’s First Empire [Akkadians] Present day Iraq
The Babylonian Empires
Hammurabi’s [r B. C. E.] Code
Hammurabi, the Judge “An eye for an eye”
Babylonian Math Base 60— think clocks, triangles
Babylonian Numbers No 0’s