1. “Land Between the Rivers”
Mesopotamia
“Land Between the Rivers”

2. Assyrian Empire Flourished along trade routes Powerful army
1300 BCE-612 BCE
Tigris River Valley-> spread across Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Egypt
Flourished along trade routes
Powerful army
professional offices
merit vs. nobility
cavalry and chariots
Iron weapons

3. Assyrian Empire King Assurbanipal (668-627 BCE)- King of the Universe
Followed Hammurabi’s Code of Law
Libraries
Literature
Scholarly texts
Diplomatic correspondence
Administrative records
Assur and Nineveh-> wealthy, sophisticated cities

4. Assyrian Empire Size of empire difficult to rule
Intermittent rebellions
Internal unrest and external assaults= Fall of Assyrian Empire 612 BCE

5. Nebuchadnezzar and the New Babylonian Empire
AKA Chaldean Empire BCE
King Nebuchadnezzar rules BCE
Empire spanned 2,100 acres
Enormous wealth and resources
Thick defensive walls
Palaces
1179 temples
Statues
Know for gardens- symbol of empire’s luxuriousness
Mesopotamian empires eventually absorbed into foreign empires

6. Mesopotamian Economic Specialization and Trade
Specialized labor-> refined techniques, experimented
Pottery, textiles, woodworking, leather production, brick making, stone cutting, masonry
Agriculture
Bronze metallurgy (4000 BCE)
Alloyed copper with tin (makes bronze)-> harder, stronger tools
Swords, spears, axes, shields, armor-> military impact/advantage
Knives, bronze-tipped plows-> agricultural impact

7. Mesopotamian Economic Specialization and Trade
Iron metallurgy (1000 BCE)
Stronger than copper, tin, and bronze-> iron tools and weapons
Helped spread and conquest of Empires (Assyria)
More available than bronze
The Wheel (3500 BCE)
Facilitated long-distance trade-> wheeled vehicles and sailing ships
Wheeled carts and wagons-> carry heavy loads and bulk

8. Mesopotamian Economic Specialization and Trade
Shipbuilding (3500 BCE)
Trade with Indus River Valley- wool, leather, sesame oil, jewelry
Exchange for copper, ivory, pearls semiprecious stones
Trade with Anatolia, Lebanon, Arabia, Egypt, Persia, Afghanistan
Trade Networks
Assur (Northern Mesopotamia)-> Kanesh (Anatolia)

9. Stratified, Patriarchal Society
Social Classes
Agriculture, specialization, and trade
Some groups accumulate wealth
Others do not/couldn’t
Sharper social distinctions
Ruling classes
King and nobles as offspring of gods (valor and success as warriors)
Large construction projects reflect high status of rulers

10. Stratified, Patriarchal Society
Temple Communities
Priests and Priestesses closely allied with ruling class
Intervene with gods to ensure good fortune for communities
Depend on food, clothing, and drink offerings from community
Generated income from land tracts and workshops
Employed workers
Cultivated food
Herded animals
Manufactured goods
Functioned as banks- stored wealth and funded trade ventures
Helped needy
Orphans
Supply food during famine
Ransoms for captured soldiers

11. Stratified, Patriarchal Society
Free commoners, dependents, and slaves
Commoners
Cultivators of family land
Builders
Craftsmen
Physicians
Engineers
Dependent clients
Don’t own land
Farmers on others’ land (Kings, nobles, commoners)
Paid taxes-> surplus agricultural goods to support ruling class, military, and temples

12. Stratified, Patriarchal Society
Free commoners, dependents, and slaves
Laborers for construction projects-> roads, walls, irrigation, temples, etc.
Slaves-> Prisoners of war, convicted criminals, debtors
Laborers
Domestic servants freed after several years of good service or purchased freedom

13. Stratified, Patriarchal Society
Authority in public and private affair rests in adult men
Decided family work
Marriage arrangements
Ruled
Public policy decisions
Hammurabi’s Code of Law supports male domination
Men as heads of households
Men can sell wives and children to satisfy debts
Death by drowning for adulterous wives and partners
Men allowed to have sex with concubines, slaves, and prostitutes

14. Stratified, Patriarchal Society
Women’s Roles
Advise kings and governments
Managed estates (as priestesses for temples)
Formally educated
Worked as scribes- literate individuals who prepare administrative and legal documents for governments and private parties
Midwives, shop keepers, brewers, bakers, tavern keepers, textiles
Socializing between married women and men forbidden (outside of family)
Brides must be virgins at marriage
1500 BCE- women wear veils outside of household

15. Written Cultural Traditions
Earliest known writing from Mesopotamia
Cuneiform writing (2900 BCE)
Writing system that uses graphic symbols to represent sounds, syllables, ideas, and physical objects
Combines pictographs and other symbols
Cuneiform= “wedge-shaped”
Originated in Sumer-> spread to Babylon, Assyria, et. Al
Used for 3000 years

16. Written Cultural Traditions
Education
Vocational to train for specific trades and crafts
Formal schools to teach cuneiform
Educated become scribes, government officials
More education-> priests, physicians, engineers, architects, etc.
Literacy as important but uncommon
Writing intended to keep records-> expanded to communication

17. Written Cultural Traditions
Astronomy and Mathematics
Crucial to agriculture
Made accurate calendars, map seasons
Survey lands
Architecture
Epic of Gilgamesh
Reflective literature
Compilation of stories
Friendship
Relationship between gods and humans
Meaning of life and death
Moral issues