1. Ancient Mesopotamia: Ch.1.3 & 2.1
Origins of Civilization

2. A Case Study: Ur in Sumer
What makes a civilization?
Advanced cities (what creates a city?)
Specialized workers – artesians and trade
Complex institutions – government and laws; religion
Record keeping – scribes and cuneiform
Advanced technology – Bronze Age

3. Ur Around 3000 BC, Ur had a population of around 30,000
Agricultural economy with large-scale irrigation – why is irrigation important?
Trade was conducted with a bartering systemm
Temple (ziggurat) being the center of city life shows importance of religion

4. City States in Mesopotamia
The region is known as the Fertile Cresent due to the shape it takes lying between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Why is this location important?
What environmental challenges were there?
Flooding and then period of little to no participation
No natural barriers for protection
Building materials and other natural resources were scarce

5. City States in Mesopotamia
How were these problems solved?
Organization!
Irrigation provided water
Built walled cities for defense
Traded manufactured goods for natural resources
City states arose… the cultures in Mesopotamia shared a common culture but WERE NOT a unified country.

6. City States in Mesopotamia
Priests and rulers shared control, and this led to the rise of dynasties.
The success of the city states led to more of them, and through cultural diffusion more sprung up in areas that were removed from Mesopotamia.

7. Sumerian Culture
The Sumerians practiced polytheism, or a belief in more than one god. People were their servants, and their #1 goal was to keep them happy. Death is not a reward… “Dust is their fare and clay is their food.”
Social classes arose with civilizations – what causes class separation today? Back then?
Developed a number system based on 60 (where does a minute come from?), modern architecture (columns & arches)
Created a system of writing called

8. Empire Building in Mesopotamia
Sargon of Akkad was the first Mesopotamian empire builder, who united northern and southern Mesopotamia. The Akkadian Empire stretched from the Mediterranean coast to Iran. The dynasty only lasted 200 years thanks to infighting.
Amorites invaded in 2000 BC, establishing their capital at Babylon. This empire reached its peak during Hammurabi’s reign, from 1792 BC to 1750 BC

9. Hammurabi's Code
He recognized that a single, uniform code of laws would unify the diverse group of people living in his empire. He compiled his code from existing rules and judgments.
It lists 282 specific laws dealing with every possible thing that could impact the community – many of these are property based
It applied to everyone, but set different punishments for men and women, rich and poor – is it fair to take circumstances into consideration?
Hammurabi believed that it was the government’s responsibility to protect those who could not protect themselves