1. Out of the Mesopotamian Mud

2. The Land Between Two Rivers
Western Civilization (What is it?) came from the cultures of the Ancient Near East

3. The Land Between Two Rivers
Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria and Jordan (Google Map)

4. The Land Between Two Rivers

5. The Land Between Two Rivers
Mesopotamia means – “the land between two rivers”
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
3500 BC would begin to give rise to the 1st cities and nation states
Endless plain of mud with little vegetation
Reeds and small date palm trees
Few rocks

6. The Land Between Two Rivers
Winds and storms would bring sudden death and destroy crops and homes
Worst floods usually came before harvest time
Land was harsh and poor in every natural resource
Destruction came quickly and without warning
Zagros mountains were at the end of the mudflats to the north

7. The Birth of the Gods People believed the gods lived in the mountains
1st gods were linked to sky, rain, storms and agriculture
Mesopotamians saw the world as controlled by the gods and not random
They could not predict disasters so they felt gods acted arbitrarily
Felt that gods were punishing them for their sins with disasters
Felt world was hostile to humans with distant and uncaring gods

8. The Birth of the Gods People were very pessimistic
“Pleasure is beer” was found on stone tablets

9. The World’s First Civilization
No natural borders to divide areas into states
Large empires could form because of no natural barriers
Many paths into Mesopotamia for invasions
Sumerians began to pool labor, set up irrigation systems and develop a surplus of food
Surplus of food allows cities to form
Surplus requires administration which leads to government

10. Mud and Reeds

11. Mud and Reeds

12. Mud and Reeds
Sumerians had no wood or stone which are basic building materials
Mud and reeds were used for a number of things
Reeds: baskets, mats & firewood
Mud: houses, palaces, tools, pots, & storage containers
Mud was made into bricks with reeds or vegetables and dried in the sun

13. Mud and Reeds
Pictures of mud and reed items

14. Mud and Reeds Floods would dissolve the mud
Sumerians erected temples to the gods that were made on top of artificial mountains
Ziggurats were the names of the temples
3000 years temples were built the same way
Represent the 1st monumental structures and the beginning of architecture
Saddam Hussein parked planes by ziggurats to avoid being bombed
Technology in the 2nd Iraq War let the U.S. destroy them

15. Mud and Reeds

16. The Cuneiform Writing System
Sumerians developed the 1st form of writing on mud tablets
Tablets were baked if you wanted something permanent
Cuneiform = wedge writing = based on shapes on tablets

17. The Cuneiform Writing System

18. The Cuneiform Writing System
Profoundly important to develop a storehouse of information that could be passed down over time
Thoughts, dreams and fears could be carried forward
Oldest documents were 1st used for tax records
Oldest recipe is for beer
Earliest form was simple pictures and then symbols
Eventually symbols represent sounds that develop an alphabet
Our language goes back to this time in some forms to 3500BC

19. The Cuneiform Writing System
Cylinder seal is most common artifact found today
Round stone inscribed with an image that represents your signature to approve agreements
Cylinder seal was a status symbol worn around your neck

20. The Cuneiform Writing System
Sumerians also developed a number system
One in base 10 and one in base 6
Base 10 is most common because of fingers and toes
Base 6 was used for timekeeping that is still used today

21. The Cradle of Empires
Earliest cities had kings who ruled city and surrounding territory
King Sargon becomes the 1st king of Sumeria and founds Akkadian Empire

22. The Cradle of Empires King at the top and slaves below
This structure lasted 1000s of years and influenced later civilizations for or against the system
Akkadians developed a 7 day week, Romans 8, and Chinese 10
Future civilizations were based on Akkadian week
Constant struggle with nature as cities dissolved into nothing
Babylonians, Hittites, Chaldeans & Assyrians followed Akkadian Empire

23. The Cradle of Empires