Transcript Document

Mesopotamia
A Presentation
By
Sharon Johnston
Land and Geography:
Incredibly fertile valley lying between the
Tigris and Euphrates River
(MesopotamiaLand between the rivers)
Due to the lengthy growing season and fertile
soils generated by the rivers this is amongst the
worlds most fertile areas.
Geographical modernity: Iraq, Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia Boundaries include Deserts, and
Mediterranean Sea
The People:
Time frame:2900 BC 539 BC
 Mesopotamia is not a unified
culture it is a series of cultures
occupying a specific area.
The Sumerians
First Group: SumeriansSumer (land) 3500-1800 BC
People shrouded in mystery, spoke a foreign language
unrelated to any other human language.
 Arose as they formed vast city states in Southern
MesopotamiaNames Ur Lagash Eridu
These people were very warlike and were constantly at
warover resources mainly water. Water was a scarce
and valuable resource.
Strong influences in:
Government
Monarchy: forerunners to modern government.
First rulers, were Priests. These “autocrats” ruled with
absolute authority over a carefully constructed group of
“bureaucrats”.
Power was justified by “Divine Right”
Writing: Was developed to make the life of
Government much simpler.
Distribution of land, assessment of sales in crops.
Taxation, crops needed to be recorded.
Series of symbols drawn on “wet clay” with a reed,
known as Cuneiform.
Religion:
•Largely animist, polytheistic based on nature and
their surroundings.
•Deities were “anthromophorbic”, these gods created
everything and watched over it. Flood idea.
•First mythology, stories to explain surroundings
•NO afterlife
Literature
The worlds first great epic; The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Laws Code of “Hammurabi” Eye for an eye, tooth for a
tooth. Written codified laws
Urbanization: continued the development of living in urban
areas
Science and Mathematics: Invented calendars to monitor
the growing season of the their region Got as specific as a 360
calendar with a leap year!
Concept of numbers and early forms of abstract
mathematics Wheel
Sumerian Conclusions
Strangely enough these “Sumerians” were
later absorbed and conquered by another
“mysterious group known as the “Akkadians”.
Strangely enough as is common practice these
Akkadians did not enforce their culture upon
the absorbed, rather they absorbed Sumerian
culture. A vivid demonstration of Sumerian
cultural superiority.
Akkadians 2340-2125 BCA
Semitic people living on the Arabic Peninsula during the rise of
Sumer…
As this group moved north into Mesopotamia they came into conflict
with the city states of Sumer…
These states were absorbed and conquered by the advancing
Akkadians led by the legendary King Sargon.
Largest city: Akkad…largest until Babylon.
However this domination was very, very short-lived as the Sumerian
city of Ur arose in 2125 BC and reclaimed control of the Region.
The Akkadians strangely enough absorbed all of the culture of the
Sumerians…making the transition very easy.
The Amorites: 1800-1530 BC
The last Sumerian dynasty fell in 2000 BC, Mesopotamia was
disorganized and chaotic for a century.
Similar to the Akkadians the Amorites based their capital in a
large city…Babylon. Babylon became the center of the empire.
This period is referred to as the Old Babylonian period The
Amorites (Old Babylonians) believed that their monarchs were of
divine origin
Amoritic government was based on a new concept and that is
centralization.
Unlike their Sumerian and Akkadians counterparts the
Amorites based their political system on the concept of a strong
central government by an autocratic divine ruler as opposed to a
confederacy of loose states that had existed before.
The important aspect was rule by law…Code of
Hammurabi
Hammurabi, the Old Babylonian’s most
important ruler…1792-1750 BC
Sumerian in spirit…but Amoritic in its
harshness.
Nothing is known of their religion. They
probably adopted the animistic polytheism of the
Sumerians.
 Like the Sumerians they possessed no afterlife
and as such the Amorites were ruthless in their
pursuit of obedience and morality in this life.
The Hittites: 1600-717 BC
Expanded the empire to its largest size to date.
Very mysterious group. Their origin is
mysterious
Ended the Old Babylonian period
Adopted the culture of the Old Babylonians and
the Sumerians before them.
Our best source of Mesopotamian History, the
Hebrew scriptures and the Bible say nothing of the
Hittites.
In the 13th century Hittites waged a war on their neighbors to the
south…the Egyptians. This war may have led to their downfall.
Hittites are significant because of the size of their empire dramatically
impacted the world from a cultural diffusion perspective.
Heavy emphasis on Commerce.
 The transmitters of knowledge.
Range from Egypt to Greece
The only literature that has survived from the Hittites is Laws and it is
obvious that they changed the Laws of the Old Babylonians a great deal.
They were softened, they were not as harsh as the Amorites.
Abolished private ownership of land and instigated the concept of fines
as a punishment.
Recognized that all gods were legitimate gods.
Kassites: 1530-1170 BC
Brief reign due to constant military aggression and
migration:
Chariots Reign so brief…little or nothing is know
but their name?
History is written by the winners, and
unfortunately they were…not winners.
Assyrians: 1170-612 BC
 Semitic Subjugated Brutal Legendary King:
Assurbanipal
 Conquered Babylonia out of vengeance
 Forced relocation of it’s victims: WHY?
 Greatest Achievement: Library of Nineveh
Chaldeans: 612-539
Arose against the hated Assyrians
Led by legendary Nebuchadnezzar II
Wide range of conquests
Conquered Israel, held the Hebrews in Babylon.
Fell to the Persians
Akkadians
2340-2125 BC
Amorites
1800-1530 BC
Sumeria
3500-1800 BC
Mesopotamian
Civilization
Hittites
1600-717 BC
Chaldeans
612-539 BC
Assyrians
1170-612 BC
Kassites
1530-1170 BC