1. Mesopotamia

2. Geography Tigres and Euphrates, Fertile Crescent
Land between two rivers, trade on water
Asia Minor/Middle East
Surrounded by desert one side, mountains
Mediterranean Sea to Persian Gulf
Floods and deposits of silt, sporadic=irrigation systems
Roads influence geography barriers
Migration of Indo-Europeans from steppes

3. Politics
Develop city-states, independent: Sumer, Ur, Babylon, Uruk, Akkad
Compete for resources, fighting
Ziggurat center of city, walled
Military leaders-war heroes, become kings, dynasties
Big government projects, keep government documents
Sargon- first Empire, standing army
Hammurabi- Code 282 laws, first written set of laws, posted=consistency, tax collection, roads-trade
Strict governments formed to deter rebellion, Assyrians: use terrorism as policy tool, seige warfare
Some empires develop almost feudal system: Persians have satraps-local governors

4. Politics Chaldeans: Nebuchadnezzar II, captures Jerusalem
Persians: Cyrus, Darius (Ten Thousand Immortals), Xerxes

5. Economics Farming-irrigation, bronze plowing tools Textile trades
Regional trading, use waterways
Sewer
Roads lead to permanent trading routes, shipping by water develops also: Royal Road, move trade, messages, 1500 miles
Barley, cattle
Phoenicians first coins

6. Religion Polytheistic-many gods Have patron gods for each city-states
Priests/priestess powerful
Human qualities
Good v evil-dualism-Zoroastrianism, founder Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda v. Ahriman
Book: Avesta
Ziggurats temples, pyramid structure
Gods explain nature

7. Society Woman status as priestess, some scribes, some are educated
Hierarchy: king, priests, agents
Landowners, wealthy merchants
Artisans, farmers, laborers
Slaves: Chaldeans use Jewish pop as slaves
Assyrians fierce warfare society

8. Intellect Cuneiform- writing using sharp tools on clay tablets
Permanent records, post laws, written culture- literature
Cylinder seals
Role scribe
Epic of Gilgamesh- story legendary king
Math based on 60, time 60 minutes, 360 degrees
Basic surgery
Assyrian library:Nineveh
Astronomy-calendar based on phases of the moon
Phoenician alphabet

9. Arts EPIC, songs, poems Textiles Sculpture Architecture Ivory, bronze
Pottery
Phoenicians glass blowing
Babylon Hanging Gardens
Persians: Persepolis, arches, lots of animals
Purple dye
Hittites ironworking developments

10. Decline Sargon, Akkadian Empire, last 140 years
Babylon, Amorite, Hammurabi, about 200 years
Hittites
Kassites
Assyrians
Chaldeans
Phoenicians
Persians
Alexander the Great of Greece