“City-States in Mesopotamia” Chapter 2, Section 1 “City-States in Mesopotamia”

The Fertile Crescent An area of fertile land in Southwest Asia Mesopotamia – the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The rivers of Mesopotamia flooded the land yearly and left behind fertile silt

New Developments in Sumer Irrigation ditches Walled cities made with mud brick Trade for grain, cloth, and crafted tools

Characteristics that Separated Sumer 1) Advanced cities 2) Specialized workers 3) Complex institutions 4) Record keeping 5) Improved technology

The Sumerian City-State A city surrounded by fields of barley and wheat Each city had its own government and rulers and functioned as its own government In the center of every city-state was a walled temple with a ziggurat in the middle

Ziggurat

Sumerian Religious Beliefs Polytheism (belief in many gods) Belief in gods who controlled the weather and demons who caused disease, misfortune, and misery Believed the gods did many human activities (fall in love, have children, argue, etc.) Belief that humans were the gods’ servants

Sumerian Belief in the After-Life The souls of the dead went to the “land of no return,” a joyless place between the Earth’s crust and the sea. Anu – Sumerian god of heavens and judgment

Sumerian Social Classes 1) Kings, landowners, and priests 2) Merchants 3) Farmers and artisans 4) Slaves

Sumerian Inventions The wheel, sail, and plow First to use bronze Developed a number system based on 60 Architectural innovations: arches, columns, ramps, and pyramid shapes Cuneiform – the system of writing

Sumerian Empires Sarga of the Akkadians – about 2350 BC Babylonian Empire – about 2000 BC Hammurabi ruled at the peak of the Babylonian Empire and established Hammurabi’s Code, a written set of 282 laws that defined legal retaliation for wrongs (“an eye for an eye”)