Standard: 14.Introduce the Fertile Crescent cultures, Sumerians, Babylonians (Hammurabi), Assyrians and Phoenicians and their contributions to civilization 16.Describe the decline of Egypt and rise of other African cultures: –Kush, Ghana, Mali, Songhai, including trade, products, slavery, learning, beginnings and spread of Judaism and Islam

The Fertile Crescent

The Geography Located between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers

The area once had large forests –But they were cut down for buildings and firewood Today it is mostly desert

“The Land Between the Rivers” Ancient Mesopotamia

The rivers deposited silt as they flowed south –It created loose soil, good for farming The people grew wheat and barley Southern Mesopotamia

But they were threatened by annual floods and drought –They built levees to protect from fall flooding –The built canals for irrigation during summer drought

Northern Mesopotamia It had good rainfall –But the soil was rocky not always good for farming Some people cut timber and used metals and stone from nearby mountains

Review –Page 57 #1 – 5 Use complete sentences

Sumer

The first Mesopotamian civilization –About 5000 BC They were an agricultural community – They grew crops and stored food

The people of Sumer were great inventors

Sumerian Inventions

Irrigation systems

Wagon Wheel

Sailboat

Potter’s Wheel

New ideas in Science and Math The Sumerians developed a number system based on 60 and a 12-month calendar.

Cuneiform

Cuneiform Writing Made by scratching a wet clay tablet with a sharp reed pen –It was a form of picture writing with about 500 symbols to represent sounds, ideas and objects

Sumer’s Schools Only a few boys of the wealthy went to school –They practiced cuneiform letters and studied mathematics to make accurate records

Some students became scribes –They recorded laws, legends, and songs Girls did not go to school

City-States Life in Sumer was centered on its city-states –Which were often at war with each other City-states had thick mud-brick walls for protection –They fought for control the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

The King Ruled from the palace –Operated the courts –Ran the army –Planned canals and other projects

Religion Was the center of Sumerian life They practiced polytheism –The belief in many gods and goddesses Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, was the most famous

The Ziggurat A pyramid of mud and brick –It was located at the center of the city and had a temple at the top People gave gifts to the temple to please the gods and goddesses

Daily Life in Sumer Wealthy families –Lived in large brick houses with servants and slaves

Slaves were prisoners of war, sold by slave merchants –They had special haircuts so they could be identified

Poorer families lived in reed houses This kind of house is still built in Iraq today. –Everyone worked –Parents taught children their crafts

Leisure The people of Sumer enjoyed playing board games and listening to music

City-States Unite Sargon, king of Kish created the first great empire He united all the independent city-states of Sumer He extended the empire north and west

Cuneiform writing allowed Sargon to send his laws across the kingdom After Sargon’s death the empire broke up and the city-states became independent again.

Storytellers Greatest legend is the story of Gilgamesh –He set out on a journey to discover how humans could live forever –In the stories he has many adventures, but never finds the secret of living forever. Here is one of those stories set.htmlhttp:// set.html

Review –Page 63 #1 – 5 Use complete sentences

Babylon and Assyria

Hammurabi King of Babylon –Built dams across the Euphrates River Which allowed him to control the river’s water flow

Babylon Hammurabi’s capital city –Center of trade in the Fertile Crescent –Became wealthy and powerful

Code of Hammurabi 228 laws dealing with everything (wages, divorce, military service, etc.) All citizens were expected to obey –Not everyone was equal under the code of laws

Hammurabi 011/mesopotamiahttp:// 011/mesopotamia

Time of War After Hammurabi’s death Assyria fought many wars against Babylon. It’s armies were feared –Battering rams and horse- drawn chariots made them faster and more dangerous in battle.

Assyria –By 600 B.C. the Assyrian empire stretched from Egypt to the Persian Gulf and into modern Turkey

Assyrian Life Prisoners were brought in as slaves –To work on farmlands and building projects –Some eventually became Assyrian citizens

Assyrian men were hunters, soldiers and government leaders. Assyrian women stayed home and cared for families

The Aqueduct Nineveh was located on the Tigris River One ruler built an aqueduct (a raised waterway) to carry the water to 30 miles away.

War Between Babylon and Assyria The Assyrian king, threatened by revolt in Babylon, ordered the city to be destroyed. –Palaces and homes were burned –The city was flooded with river water

Babylon fought back and destroyed Nineveh Assyria never recovered Babylon was a rich and important city and had one last period of glory

Review –Page 71 # 1 – 5 Use complete sentences

Next up … The Birth of Judaism

Evaluation –Chapter Test