1. Western Asia Mesopotamia

2. The Impact of Geography The first civilizations begin in Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is part of the Fertile Crescent It is an arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf Meso. Means “between the rivers”between the rivers Between the Tigris and Euphrates riversEuphrates

3. Spring melt of snow in higher elevations lead to flooding streams and rivers The water erodes the land on its descent Carries the minerals and vitamins in the water The rivers recede and leaves silt behind Silt is fertilized soil, rich with minerals for farming

4. Farming in Mesopotamia required the controlling of the water supply Mesopotamians developed drainage ditches, canals and irrigation worksirrigation

5. Mesopotamia's three major civilizations were Assyria, Akkad and Sumer The first civilization was developed by the Sumerians

6. The City – States of Ancient Mesopotamia  By 3000 B.C. the Sumerians formed city – states such as Ur and Uruk  A city – state is a sovereign state that consists of a city and its surrounding areas  Sovereign - under ones own authority  They built arches and large buildings with mud bricks

7. The temple was the most important building in each city It was the center of religion and government Temples were built on top of a large stepped tower called a ziggurat The ziggurat was a meeting place for the citizens

8. Sumerians believed gods and goddesses ruled the cities Their government was a theocracy – government ruled through divine authority – the gods give the power Divine authority – the right to rule is given by the Gods Ruler of all Gods and men Sun God

9. The Sumerians were mostly farmers Some worked in metal work or woolen textiles Trade became very important with the invention of the wheel invention of the wheel The wheel allowed Sumerians to trade larger amounts further away

10. Writing The invention of writing called cuneiform aided trade, record keeping, religion and government The invention of writing called cuneiform aided trade, record keeping, religion and government Sumerians used a stylus and clay tablets to make pictograms that represented words or phrases Sumerians used a stylus and clay tablets to make pictograms that represented words or phrases Eventually these pictograms become wedge shaped markings representing sounds Eventually these pictograms become wedge shaped markings representing sounds

11. Social Structure Sumerians had three classes of people: Nobles, commoners and slaves Nobles – royal family, royal officials, priests and land owners Commoners – worked as farmers, merchants, fishers and artisans 90% of population Slaves worked on large building projects, wove cloth and worked on farms for nobles

12. Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia  The Akkadians lived north of Sumer  A Semitic people due to their Semitic language  Around 2340 B.C. Akkad's emperor, Sargon conquered the Sumerian city – state  The worlds’ first empire  A large political unit that controls many people and lands with different cultures

13. Hammurabi In 1792 B.C. Hammurabi of Babylon conquered Akkad creating a new and larger empire He is best known for creating the worlds’ most important systems of law The Code of Hammurabi called for harsh punishment against criminals “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” Punishments were different based upon social status

14. Crimes committed against nobles brought harsher punishments than the same crime committed against a commoner The code also punished public officials that failed to do their duty or were corrupt Many of the laws were about marriage and family Ex. – Parents arranged marriages, and the bride and groom had to sign a contract The code was patriarchal, therefore laws were centered around male dominance Women had few privileges and rights Children must be obedient - Ex. – a child’s hand could be cut off if that child had struck his father

15. Mesopotamia and Religion Mesopotamians believed that supernatural forces controlled the world Humans were to serve and obey the Gods that created them Humans were created to do the work that the Gods did not want to do Polytheistic society due to their belief in many gods