1. Section II: Mesopotamia and Sumer (Pages 32-36) Section III: Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia (Pages 37-41)
These sections are about:
How the geography of Mesopotamia affected the development of farming settlements and the Sumerians.
How a surplus of food supplies led to the growth of cities.
The accomplishments of the Babylonians, Persians, and Phoenicians.

2. This area is in the Middle East today (Iraq): between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Why do you think people settled in Mesopotamia?
Maybe first – why do you think people have settled in the Barrington High School area? C

3. These two rivers flooded most years and brought rich, fertile soils to the area…
…although there were not many other useful resources for them (metal, precious stones, trees, etc…).
Since it was a good place to farm, some of the first civilizations started here. C

4. One of these civilizations: Mesopotamia
Good land for crops and animals.
It didn’t rain much, but they dug irrigation ditches.
About 4000 BC, they developed a plow – and people could then work a lot faster and easier.
This is another example of a culture specializing in their skills and lifestyles.
The Fertile Crescent was actually a home to many different cultures: including Assyria, Akkad, and Sumer 1 C

5. The Sumerians
Had a lot of city-states (the biggest was Ur: 20,000 people).
Each city state was a theocracy (a government ruled by a priest) who could command an army, collect taxes, assign people labor, etc…
The center of each city had a ziggurat (tall tower for the priests)
Many of these priests ended up becoming kings.
Some of these kings ended up becoming warrior kinds of kings.
Why would they have changed from “priests” to warrior leaders? 2 3 C

6. The Standard of Ur C

7. Sumerian writing…
Started out as pictographs – usually done on clay (they had a lot of clay)
This eventually turned into cuneiform (on clay tablets).
They used this wedge shaped writing for about 3000 years.
Used for recording business, myths, poems, laws, …
One famous cuneiform story is “The Epic of Gilgamesh” C

8. Mesopotamians were bright:4
Invented
the plow
pottery
cuneiform
THE WHEEL (in Sumer about 3100 BC)
used sails for boats
masters at record keeping (used scribes to copy information and keep records)
invented a math system (based on 60 – still for clocks and… anything else?)
contributed ideas that helped make domes, vaults, and brick molds 5 C

9. Sumerians also practiced polytheism (they worshiped many gods and goddesses)
About 3000 total
Each city may have even had some of their own special ones.
They usually had a pretty set social structure C

10. Sumer was not the only place in Mesopotamia…
… and eventually they lost some of their power and were conquered (some of their culture became part of other Empire’s cultures though).
Another group: The Akkadian Empire: led by Sargon – a superb military leader.
Sargon’s dynasty ruled for about 200 years - during this time Sumer and Akkad blended into more of one culture.
And, because their culture was doing well – people were able to do more leisure time things: sculpture, carving, writing and poetry… C

11. Babylonia and Assyria 6 C
Babylonia became a village about 2000 BC and an empire by BC
Their outstanding leader (Hammurabi) helped them become known for their wealth, entertainment, and gardens.
But he’s best known for writing down all the laws into one “document” C

12. This document is called: The Code of Hammurabi:
Did 2 things:
Helped make sure everyone knew what the laws were.
Helped unify all the people who made up the Babylonian culture.
Has 282 specific laws about marriage, land rights, business dealings, family relations, and crime and punishment.
Some were complicated and even unfair (different punishments for different people)…
…but usually the punishment fit the deed. 7 C

13. Examples from “The Code of Hammurabi”
15: If any one take a male or female slave of the court, or a male or female slave of a freed man, outside the city gates [to escape], he shall be put to death.
16: If any one receive into his house a runaway male or female slave of the court, or of a freedman, and does not bring it out at the public proclamation of the [police], the master of the house shall be put to death.
53: If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition, and does not so keep it; if then the dam break and all the fields be flooded, then shall he in whose dam the break occurred be sold for money, and the money shall replace the [grain] which he has caused to be ruined.
54: If he be not able to replace the [grain], then he and his possessions shall be divided among the farmers whose corn he has flooded.
108: If a [woman wine-seller] does not accept [grain] according to gross weight in payment of drink, but takes money, and the price of the drink is less than that of the corn, she shall be convicted and thrown into the water. (1)
1010: If conspirators meet in the house of a [woman wine-seller], and these conspirators are not captured and delivered to the court, the [wine-seller] shall be put to death.
110: If a "sister of a god“ [nun] open a tavern, or enter a tavern to drink, then shall this woman be burned to death.
1210: If a man's wife be surprised [having intercourse] with another man, both shall be tied and thrown into the water, but the husband may pardon his wife and the king his slaves.
130: If a man violate the wife (betrothed or child-wife) of another man, who has never known a man, and still lives in her father's house, and sleep with her and be surprised [caught], this man shall be put to death, but the wife is blameless.
131: If a man bring a charge against [his] wife, but she is not surprised with another man, she must take an oath and then may return to her house.
132: If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she shall jump into the river for [the sake of her] husband. (2)
138: If a man wishes to separate from his wife who has borne him no children, he shall give her the amount of her purchase money and the dowry which she brought from her father's house, and let her go.
141: If a man's wife, who lives in his house, wishes to leave it, plunges into debt [to go into business], tries to ruin her house, neglects her husband, and is judicially convicted: if her husband offer her release, she may go on her way, and he gives her nothing as a gift of release. If her husband does not wish to release her, and if he take another wife, she shall remain as servant in her husband's house.
142: If a woman quarrel with her husband, and say: "You are not congenial to me," the reasons for her prejudice must be presented. If she is guiltless, and there is no fault on her part, but he leaves and neglects her, then no guilt attaches to this woman, she shall take her dowry and go back to her father's house. (3)
143: If she is not innocent, but leaves her husband, and ruins her house, neglecting her husband, this woman shall be cast into the water.
1105: If a son strike his father, his hands shall be [cut] off. (4)
1106: If a [noble-]man put out the eye of another [noble-]man, his eye shall be put out. (5)
1107: If he break another [noble-]man's bone, his bone shall be broken.
1108: If he put out the eye of a [commoner], or break the bone of a [commoner], he shall pay one [silver] mina.
11010: If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
200: If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.
201: If he knock out the teeth of a [commoner], he shall pay one-third of a [silver] mina. C

14. The Persian Empire 10 8 9 C …contributed a lot to Mesopotamia.
Cyrus the Great built many roads (improving travel and communication).
Cyrus also governed through kindness and cooperation (his army wouldn’t steal or destroy places they conquered).
Also: common weights and measures and the use of coins in trade 8 9 C

15. The Phoenicians were around at the same time (but in a different place)
They were the greatest sailors of the time (so – also traders – minerals, wood, a purple dye).
They also set up many colonies around the Mediterranean.
Their greatest achievement was a new alphabet – which spread throughout the region.
They also simplified cuneiform from 1000 symbols to 22.
Each symbol stood for a different sound. The Greeks later added more symbols and eventually it turns into what our English alphabet is based on. 11 C

16. C

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