1. MESOPOTAMIA
The first civilization can serve as a model for other early civilizations like Egypt, the Indus Valley Civilization, Shang Dynasty, Olmec, Chavin, and Aegean Civilizations.

2. Defining Civilization
Cities as administrative centers
Political system based on control of territory (rather than kinship)
Specialized, non-food-producing activities
Status distinctions based largely on wealth
Monumental building
System of record keeping
Long-distance trade
Major advances in science & arts

3. Commonalities Among Civilizations
Developed in floodplains of great rivers
Developed technology to protect themselves against forces of nature
Created religious structures to manipulate the environment

4. Agriculture in an Unstable Landscape
Alluvial plain between Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
Cons
Little rainfall
Rivers flood at wrong time for grain agricultures
Rivers change course unpredictably
No significant wood, stone, or metal resources
Pros
Warm climate
Good soil
Cattle-pulled plows + planter to cultivate barley by 4000BCE
Irrigation canals began 3000BCE
Natural resources
Date palms
Vegetables
Reeds
Fish
Fallow land for herds to graze

5. Early Settlers Sumerians
Present as early as 5000BCE
Supplanted by Semitic-speaking peoples by 2000BCE
Preserved many aspects of Sumerian culture

6. City-State Structure
Villages & cities linked together in system of mutual interdependence
Cities depended on villages to produce food
Cities provided villages with military protection, markets, and craftsmen’s goods
City + agricultural hinterland = city-state
Sometimes fought with each other for resources (Water & land)
Traded with one another
Mobilize human resources to build & maintain irrigation systems

7. Power Centers Little is known of Mesopotamian political institutions
Do know about temples & palaces!
Temples
Landowners
Priests controlled considerable wealth
Religious power predates secular power of palaces
Palaces
Secular leadership began in third millennium BCE when “big men” emerged as secular leaders
Lugal ruled from their palaces
Tended to take over religious control of institutions
Example – Epic of Gilgamesh demonstrates secular rule

8. Growth of City-States Powerful  absorb other city-states
Create larger terriotiral states
Akkadian State
Sargon of Akkad
2350BCE
Third Dynasty of Ur
BCE
Needed resources to grow
Obtained through expansion & trade
Merchants employed at temples or palaces; later private merchants emerged
Barter or trade for fixed weights of precious metals or grain

9. Societal Structure Stratified society
Kings & priests controlled much of wealth
3 classes
Free landowning class
Dependent farmers & artisans
Slaves
Not essential to the economy
Most were prisoners of war

10. Role of Women Agriculture declined the status of women Had rights
Men did value-producing work of plowing & irrigation
Before agriculture, all shared in obtaining food
Had rights
Own property
Control dowry
Engage in trade
Rise of urban merchant class put greater emphasis on male privilege & also declined women’s status

11. Religion
Mixture of Sumerian religion & later Semitic beliefs and deities
Deities
Anthropomorphic
Each city had tutelary gods
Representations of the environment
Turbulent rivers  vengeful, fear-evoking gods
Humans were servants of gods
Priesthood served gods
Temples contained religious & other buildings
Ziggurat most visible
Little known of beliefs & practices of common people
Evidence of popular belief in magic & use of magic to influence gods

12. Technology & Science
Definition – any specialized knowledge that is used to transform the natural environment & society
Examples
Irrigation systems
Nonmaterial knowledge – religious lore, ceremony, writing systems
Boats, barges, donkey use for transportation
Bronze metallurgy
Brick-making
Engineering
Cuneiform evolved from pictures to represent sounds of words or parts of words
Hundreds of signs
Monopoly of the scribes
Military technology
Paid, full-time soldiers
Horses
Horse-drawn chariot
Bow & arrow
Siege machinery
Base-60 number system
Advances in astronomy