Mesopotamia

The land between the rivers

Mesopotamia

Civilizations

 Complex societies – Cities – Organized governments – Art – Religion – Class divisions – Writing systems  “Cradle of Civilization

How did civilizations begin?

Mesopotamia

    Literally means “land between the rivers” – Begin in Turkey – Flow SE – Empty in Persian Gulf – Tigris – Euphrates Located in present day Iraq The land between the rivers supported a growing population with its fertile land This area is known as the “Fertile Crescent” Iraq Fertile Crescent

Why Were River Valleys Important?

  Provided good farm land Trade becomes important in the moving of goods and ideas – Because of a stable food supply, people can:     Form governments Develop religions Advancements on the arts Developed writing systems  Created class structures

Advantages of Tigris and Euphrates Rivers  Irrigation (stable food supply) – Control flooding  Dams, channels, walls, waterways, ditches  Trade and communication routes

Disadvantages

 Flooding of river was not dependable – Could be violent and destructive  Harsh climate – Hot,dry spring  Unpredictable flooding – Cold winters

Rise of Sumer 3500 B.C.-1792 B.C.

   Civilization began @3,500 BC At Sumer’s height contained 200,000 people Lived in independent city-states – Each had own god – Each had own ziggurat – Towns run by kings

 The first civilization developed here @3,500 BC and was called Sumer  The land was open and invaded and conquered often Ziggurat: temples that were found in each of the cities and were believed to be homes for the gods

Sumerian city-states

 City-state – Made up of the city and the land surrounding it.

– Had its own government and had no allegiance to any other entity.

 Isolated by geography – Beyond the city-states lay mudflats and desert  Made trade and communication difficult  Each surrounded by wall – Sun dried mud brick medium used

Ur: capital city of the Sumerian civilization.

Life in ancient Sumer

 Sumerians were poytheistic – Belief in many gods – Believed that the gods/goddesses controlled all aspects of life – Must be appeased    Ruled by kings – Probably war heroes at first – Then position becomes hereditary Men headed the household and went to school Women did have rights, they could own property and run businesses

Social Classes in Sumer

Skilled workers who made metal products, cloth, or pottery

Free Citizens Nobility and Priests

Traded tools, wheat, barley for cooper, tin and wood Worked on farms or in temples. Treated as property. They were POWs, debtors or criminals

Artisans, Craftsmen Traders, Fishers, Farmers Scribes Slaves

A person whose profession was writing down or copying letters,contracts and other documents.

Cuneiform

 Earliest form of writing

Wedge shaped impressions were made with a stylus onto wet clay.

Developed to keep track of business deals, births, deaths and other transactions Only boys from wealthy families could learn to write (become scribes)- these were leaders of the community. They became judges and political leaders

Advancement in literature

 Epic of Gilgamesh – Epic is a long poem that tells the story of a hero – Gilgamesh is a king who travels around the world and performs great deeds.

– Gilgamesh tries to find a way to live forever...figures out that is only for the gods.

– Confirms the Bible as a historical document  In both the Bible and Gilgamesh, an epic flood is documented

Writing in Mesopotamia

Advancements in Science and Math

      Wagon wheel – Help carry goods from place to place Plow – Made farming easier Sailboat – Replaced muscle power with wind power Geometry – Cut fields and build Number system based on 60 – 60 minute hour, 60 second minute, 360 degree circle 12 month calendar – Developed based on cycles of the moon – Used to plant, harvest, hold religious festivals

Sargon I

     King from Akkad 2500 BC conquered city of Sumer Adapted Sumerian way of life and formed the kingdom of Sumer Conquered all of Mesopotamia and set up the world's first empire: a group of many different lands under one ruler Lasted 200 years before falling to invaders.

Babylonia

Babylonian Empire 1792 B.C. – 1650 B.C.

  Invaders from Arabian Desert region  Hammurabi – Leading king who established empire  Scribes were leading citizens – Educated, kept written records Women enjoyed much freedom – Very uncommon in ancient civilizations

   Farming and manufacturing an important part of the economy Mathematics was based on a unit of 60 Made advancements in astronomy – Able to predict lunar eclipses – Created 12 month calendar  Language – Deciphered by Henry Rawlinson w/ the discovery of the Behistun Rock

Hammurabi’ s Code

   Law code written down by Hammurabi 282 laws Helped shaped daily life in Mesopotamia – If a son strikes his father, his hand shall be cut off.

– If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out –

“an eye for an eye”

– If anyone is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death – If anyone steals a water wheel from the field, he shall pay five shekels in money to the owner

Hammurabi receiving the laws from the sun god

Stele of Hammurabi

Placed in all cities for all to see. People were expected to follow the laws because they had been made aware of them.

They also were foretold of the punishment for breaking any laws.

Hittite Empire 1650 B.C.-1200 B.C

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 Warlike tribesmen from Asia Minor  Conquered Babylonian empire, but retreated to the western Fertile Crescent

Hittite Contributions

    1 st to make widespread use of iron weapons and tools Used horse drawn chariots in battle Had a more humane system of laws First to ride horseback in battle

Assyrian Empire

Assyrians 750 B.C.- 605 B.C

.

    Ruthless conquerors Largest empire to this point Terrorized and torture subjects Aggressive fighters – Iron tipped arrows and spears – Battering rams – Metal helmets and breast plates Often known as the “land bathed in blood” Assyrians use siege machine to attack walls of city.

Contributions of Assyrians

 First to set up an effective system for running an empire  Set up a great library in the capital city of Ninevah which held thousand of clay tablets Near modern day Mosul

Chaldean Empire(Neo-Babylonian) 605-550 B.C.

    Conquered the Assyrian Empire Established the 2 nd Babylonian Empire Led by King Nebuchadnezzar Rebuilt Babylon-the most impressive city in the ancient world Nebuchadnezzar

The capital city of Babylon

Ishtar Gate: entrance into the city of Babylon

Babylon at the time of Nebuchadnezzar

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

 One of the 7 wonders of the ancient world

Phoenicians 1000 B.C.-700 B.C.

 Skilled shipbuilders and sailors  Greatest seafaring traders of ancient world  Established many colonies, one of the greatest was Carthage in northern Africa

Contributions of the Phoenicians

 Credited with spreading culture throughout the Med.Sea world – Purple dye and cedar – 22 letter alphabet  Eventually adopted by the Greeks Phoenician 22 letter alphabet

Lydians

   Located in the northern Fertile Crescent Created an economy based on money No longer would people use barter: the trading of one item for another  Croesus: Lydian king thought to be the richest king of the ancient world  Conquered by the Persians: they were traders not fighters

Persians 525 B.C.-331 B.C.

   Boundaries from the Indus River to Med Sea (3000 miles) Highly organized government Empire divided into provinces ruled by local kings  Reached its height under the leadership of Darius I

Persian Empire

Contributions of the Persians

 The Royal Road – Allowed all of the empire to be connected – Allowed for quicker travel (ideas and goods)  Conquered people were treated well – Allowed to keep own religion, laws & customs  Cultural Diffusion – The exchange of ways of living  Teachings of Zoroaster

Zoroastrianism

   Ahura Mazda: god of justice, kindness, and thoughtfulness Held the belief that the world is a battlefield for good and evil Belief in good reflection, good work, good deeds.

– The deeds that you do will come back to you whether good or bad Symbol of Zoroastrian faith

Economy of Mesopotamia

   Economy was based on farming, craftsmanship and trade  Their laws indicated a high importance on regulation of money, interest and the paying back of debt. ie: Hammurabi’s Code Economy was overseen by priests and kings Land was divided among the people

Hebrews