Mesopotamia Mesopotamia = In Greek means “Land between rivers” Tigris and Euphrates Many different civilizations developed in this region Sumerians- began about 4000 BC Assyrians Babylonians Mesopotamia = no natural boundaries = difficult to defend They lack stone and wood, so they built walls of mud bricks. City-State was the dominant political unit

Fertile Crescent

Five Characteristics of Civilization Advanced cities Specialized workers Complex institutions Record keeping and writing Advanced Technology 2 important rulers- Sargon of Akkad unified Mesopotamia in 2360 BC Hammurabi of Babylon- Code of Laws, 282 of them, “eye for an eye”

Five Characteristics of Civilization Advanced Cities – More than large population centers, cities were centers of religion, politics, and trade for large areas.

Advanced cities A City-State is a city and the farm land that surrounded it. Mesopotamia is swampy and the separation made the area hard to unify. The rulers of city-states like Sumer, Ur, Uruk, and Kish had absolute power and were considered gods on Earth A strong central government was required to keep the irrigation canals in working order. Every city had thick brick walls and a ziggurat, or temple, at the center. Homes were built around a courtyard in the center.

Religion and the Ziggurat 1. The characteristic Mesopotamian temple was a ziggurat, a stepped platform made out of mud-bricks, with a temple at the summit. 2. The ziggurat was not only a religious center but also an economic redistribution center--the temple base was a huge warehouse where grain and other valuable substances were stored. 4. Mesopotamian religion was essentially fatalistic--the gods were removed from people, who were basically the slaves of the gods: the most humans could hope for was that the gods would ignore them! To what degree was this fatalism a result of the harsh environment of Mesopotamia?

Complex Institutions Are ways of organizing people Religion- people faced unpredictable floods and constant war- rituals were designed to persuade the gods to leave them alone. Only gods were immortal, when people died they entered a place under the Earth- no pleasure or pain- a realm of shadows Society- Kings/priests, nobles, commoners, criminals and slaves, patriarchal society- male dominated Hammurabi’s Code of Laws

Five Characteristics of Civilization Specialized Workers - Scribes Wrote letters for people Copied down laws Kept business records for merchants School Masters Merchants Priests Potters Metal workers Weavers This was all possible because they were able to produce a surplus of food.

Five Characteristics of Civilization Record Keeping Writing – Another essential trait of civilization made its appearance in Mesopotamia – Writing. Cuneiform- means wedge-shaped. Written with a reed called a stylus. What are the advantages/disadvantages of the writing systems of Mesopotamia and Egypt??

Advanced Technology Advanced Technology – (3000 BC) The plow - Could raise more crops The Sailboat – Move goods The wheel – Moved goods The arch The 360 degree circle and math system based on 60 Bronze working Calendar- 12 months, 7 day week, 24 hour day, 60 min. hour

Plank wheel