Sumerian Civilization

The Land Fertile Crescent (p. 30) Land between the Tigris and Euphrates is called Mesopotamia Flooding occurred often, but could not be predicted Used irrigation to get water to crops

Fertile Crescent Surrounded by dry lands and mountains Deserts not as barren as those surrounding Egypt What might this mean for people living in the area? Constant Cycle Invasion after invasion

Sumer SE section of Fertile Crescent Very fertile near the Persian Gulf Over time, a Sumerian culture was created Writings Pictographs- one of the earliest forms of writing Cuneiform- Sumerian writing developed from pictographs

Achievements of the Sumerians Architecture Arches Ziggurats- often served religious purposes Science Wheel Divided a circle into 360 degrees Separated each degree into 60 min.  60 sec. Lunar calendar

Sumerian Society City-state Included the town or city and the surrounding land it controlled Sumer contained many city-states Ur, Erech, and Kish Rarely united under a single government

Sumerian Society King High Priests and Nobles Lower priests, merchants, and scholars Peasant farmers Slaves kidnapped or captured during war

Sumerian Society Farming Most Sumerians were farmers, but they grew enough food to allow others to work as artisans or traders Education Upper-class boys attended school Religion Polytheists An-Lord of Heaven Enlil-God of air and storms Enki- God of water and wisdom

Empires of the Fertile Crescent Sumerians 5000 B.C B.C. Akkadians Babylonians 1792 B.C B.C. Hittites 1600 B.C B.C. Assyrians 1300’s B.C.-612 B.C. Chaldeans 612 B.C.-539 B.C. Persians 539 B.C.-331 B.C.

Akkadians 2330 B.C B.C. Sargon Most powerful Akkadian king Ruled from 2334 B.C B.C. Established a great empire See p. 35

Babylonians 1792 B.C B.C. Hammurabi Strong ruler Code of Hammurabi 282 laws Eye for an eye See quote p. 36 Punishments were different for the rich Adopted much of the culture of the Sumerians Believed priests could see the future

Activity Split into 4 groups Decide whether you are in favor or against the strict Code of Hammurabi and explain why in AT LEAST 5 sentences Everyone should contribute their ideas Below are a few more laws taken from the Code 195. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out If he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.

Hittites 1600 B.C B.C. Hittite Law Only harsh crimes received the death penalty Most crimes required fines to be paid Conquered Babylon Too far from home to control it permanently One of the first groups to smelt iron Weakened after invasions by Sea Peoples

Assyrians 1300’s B.C.-612 B.C. See map on p. 37 Fierce Warriors Chariots Cavalry-first to use this method Used terror to control enemies Epic of Gilgamesh- 6 minGilgamesh Nineveh was the capital Built huge wall for protection 7.5 miles around and over 70 feet high

Assyrians cont. Governance One of the first groups to effectively govern a large empire King ruled all Local governors ruled conquered lands and reported to the king Civil War broke out in 635 B.C. Weakened Assyria could not resist invasion by the Chaldeans and the Medes

Chaldeans 612 B.C.-539 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar Governed the rebuilt city of Babylon from 605 B.C.-562 B.C. Read about the Hanging Gardens p. 38 Achievements Skilled astronomers and mathematicians Calculated the length of a year with great accuracy Predicted eclipses

Persians 539 B.C.-331 B.C. Cyrus the Great Rebelled and conquered the Medes Expanded the empire Darius the Great and his son, Xerxes I Expanded the empire even more Mightiest empire in history up to that time See map p. 39

Persians Effective, fair rulers Allowed conquered peoples to keep religions and laws Secret Agents were, “The King’s Eyes and Ears” No one knew who these people were, so it helped keep regional governors and leaders in check Roads- The Royal Road Connected the entire empire Increased transportation and trade

Persians Religion-Polytheistic until 600 B.C. Zoroaster- changed the religious outlook Life on Earth was training for future life Struggle of good vs. evil Those who choose good will be rewarded, while those choosing evil will be punished Influenced Judaism and Christianity Good vs. Evil and Final Judgement

Fall of the Persians Later kings lacked leadership abilities 331 B.C. Persian army defeated by Alexander the Great A.D. 226 Revived for a time by ruler named Ardashir Also brought back Zoroastrianism

Activity Complete the chart below 12 points Cons include elements that led to the empire’s downfall EmpireProsCons Akkadians Babylonians Hittites Assyrians Chaldeans Persians