Pick up a copy of each paper on the rolling cart and put them in you notebook according to the directions on the board. Get your materials ready for class –Pen or pencil –Notebook –Papers (syllabus) Turn off and put away ALL electronic devices. Do not get them back out during class.

AGENDAThursday, January 8, 2013 Warm Up:What geographic features did nomads look for when they were ready to settle down in to villages? Essential Question(s): What were the major features of Mesopotamian civilization? Lesson Activities: Review of Five Features of a Civilization WS Mesopotamia Notes and Activities Work on Unit 1 Vocabulary To be turned in: Page 2 of your syllabus Homework:Complete Vocabulary Worksheet and study for Quiz Upcoming:Vocabulary Quiz MONDAY, January Unit Test NEXT FRIDAY January 16

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Why River Valleys? 1. Offered rich soils for agriculture 2. Provided water for crops.

The Fertile Crescent Arc of land between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea in Southwest Asia

One land…Two Rivers Mesopotamia means = “land between the rivers” –Tigris River and Euphrates River Both rivers flooded once a year and left thick bed of silt. –Silt: rich, new soil farmers could plant and harvest enormous quantities of wheat and barley

Environmental Challenges Floods are unpredictable. Between the floods there was often little or no rain. There are no natural barriers to protect villages from invaders. Mesopotamia had limited natural resources.

Formation of City States Sumerians stand out in history as one of the first groups of people to form a civilization Later peoples built upon the innovations of the Sumerian culture. The process in which a new idea or a product spreads from one culture to another is called cultural diffusion. City-State: A city, usually surrounded by farmland, that developed their own governments and rulers. (Functioned much like a independent country does today.)

Political Power of the Priests Sumer’s earliest governments were controlled by temple priests –Farmers believed they needed blessings for success of their crops –Priests were the middle man for the gods –Priests demanded portion of farmer’s crops as tax

Later followed Hereditary rulers: when the power is passed down to family members A series of rulers from a single family is called a dynasty.

Economy Metal tools and weapons (bronze, iron) Increasing agricultural surplus (better tools, plows, irrigation) Increasing trade along rivers – traded with Egypt Development of the world’s first cities Specialization of labor

Religion Polytheistic: Belief in many gods (3,000!!!) Gods could be angered at any moment and to keep them happy Sumerians: –Built impressive ziggurats or temples to sacrifice food, wine and animals

MORE ZIGGURATS!!!

Sumerian Society Kings and Priests Wealthy merchants Ordinary Sumerian people Slaves

Women Could hold property Women could join the priesthood Some women were scribes

Intellectual Epic of Gilgamesh Myths and legends recorded in this long poem One of the earliest works of literature in the world

“Gilgamesh, whither are you wandering? Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let Death be his share, and withheld life In their own hands”

Achievements Science and Technology Invented the wheel, the sail, the plow First to use bronze. Developed system of writing Built irrigation systems, buildings, surveyed flooded fields.

First Empire Builders Early city-states were almost constantly at war with one another, weakening the city-states and making them vulnerable to attacks from outsiders.

About 2350 BCE Sargon of Akkad defeated the city states and formed an empire (An empire brings together several peoples, nations or independent states under the control of one ruler.)

Babylonian Empire Nomadic warriors invaded Mesopotamia. Gradually the nomadic warriors overwhelmed the Sumerians and established their capital at Babylon. The Babylonian Empire reached its peak during the reign of Hammurabi (about 1792 BCE – 1750 BCE)

Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi recognized that a single, uniform code of laws would help to unify the diverse groups within his empire. He collected existing rules, judgments, and laws into the Code of Hammurabi. Hammurabi had the code engraved in stone, and copies were placed all over his empire.

Vocabulary Terms Mummification - A process of embalming and drying corpses to prevent them from decaying Dynastic Cycle - In Chinese history, the divine approval thought to be the basis or royal authority

Mesopotamia – The broad, flat, fertile plain lying between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (the “land between the rivers) Hammurabi – King of the Babylonian Empire at it’s peak, Hammurabi’s most enduring legacy is his code of laws Namer – The king who united upper and lower Egypt