1. Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt
Chp 10-1
Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt

2. Mesopotamia “Between the rivers” Located between the
Tigris and Euphrates in
what is known as the
Fertile Crescent
Began settling here
Around 4500 BC

3. Used irrigation systems to water crops
Developed a 12 month calendar based on the phases of the moon to help prepare for the yearly floods
The plow was first used here
Sumer is where the first city-states were located
They invented the wheel and the sailboat

4. Religion and Government
At the center of each city was a ziggurat with a temple at the top
Polytheistic
Originally was a theocracy, but eventually military leaders took over

5. Cuneiform The Sumerians developed the first system of writing
Made up of hundreds of shapes like wedges
Used sharp edged reeds to write on clay tablets that they would dry in the sun
Worlds first story is from this region The Epic of Gilgamesh

6. Around 2300 BC the kingdom of Akkad conquered Sumer and its king created an empire (Akkadian Empire)
It fell to Babylon around 1800 BC
Babylon’s greatest king was Hammurabi.
Built temples and irrigation canals
Number system based on 60 ( we borrowed the 60 minute hour, 60 second minute, and 360 degree circle)
Code of Hammurabi- first collection of written laws

7. New Babylon After Hammurabi’s death his empire was divided
Eventually it was ruled by the Chaldeans and their king Nebuchadnezzar
Rebuilt Babylon
Built the Hanging Gardens for his wife who missed the mountains and plants of her native land

8. Ancient Egypt Settled along the Nile River
It’s the world’s longest river (4160 miles). It is the only river in the world that flows north.
Every year in the middle of July the Nile floods
This gives the land around the Nile very fertile soil
Ancient Egypt

9. There were 2 kingdoms- Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt
In 3100 BC the Upper Egypt king Namer combined the 2 kingdoms in to 1
Adopted the title Pharaoh (means “great house”)
Theocracy
Pharaoh was a god, a king,
and a priest

10. Religion Re- sun god Hapi- river god Horus- sky god
Osiris- god of the harvest and eternal life
Egyptians believed the soul could not survive without the body
Built elaborate tombs called pyramids for the pharaohs

11. Egyptian Writing
Wrote using hieroglyphics (pictures used for words or sounds
Wrote on papyrus which grows along the Nile
Developed ink
Some writing still exist today because of the dry climate

12. Math and Medicine Used a number system based on tens
Used fractions and whole numbers
Developed geometry to measure land
Used the flooding to make a calendar
First to use splints, bandages, and compresses
Skilled at using stitches and setting broken bones
Had remedies for hair loss and indigestion