Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Western Asia Mesopotamia The Impact of Geography • The first civilizations begin in Mesopotamia • Mesopotamia is part of the Fertile Crescent • It is an arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf • Meso. Means “between the rivers” • Between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers • Spring melt of snow in higher elevations lead to flooding streams and rivers • The water erodes the land on its descent • Carries the minerals and vitamins in the water • The rivers recede and leaves silt behind • Silt is fertilized soil, rich with minerals for farming • Farming in Mesopotamia required the controlling of the water supply • Mesopotamians developed drainage ditches, canals and irrigation works • Mesopotamia's three major civilizations were Assyria, Akkad and Sumer • The first civilization was developed by the Sumerians The City – States of Ancient Mesopotamia By 3000 B.C. the Sumerians formed city – states such as Ur and Uruk A city – state is a sovereign state that consists of a city and its surrounding areas Sovereign - under ones own authority They built arches and large buildings with mud bricks • The temple was the most important building in each city • It was the center of religion and government • Temples were built on top of a large stepped tower called a ziggurat • The ziggurat was a meeting place for the citizens Ruler of all Gods and men Sun God • Sumerians believed gods and goddesses ruled the cities • Their government was a theocracy – government ruled through divine authority – the gods give the power • Divine authority – the right to rule is given by the Gods • The Sumerians were mostly farmers • Some worked in metal work or woolen textiles • Trade became very important with the invention of the wheel • The wheel allowed Sumerians to trade larger amounts further away Writing The invention of writing called cuneiform aided trade, record keeping, religion and government Sumerians used a stylus and clay tablets to make pictograms that represented words or phrases Eventually these pictograms become wedge shaped markings representing sounds Social Structure Sumerians had three classes of people: Nobles, commoners and slaves Nobles – royal family, royal officials, priests and land owners Commoners – worked as farmers, merchants, fishers and artisans 90% of population Slaves worked on large building projects, wove cloth and worked on farms for nobles Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia The Akkadians lived north of Sumer A Semitic people due to their Semitic language Around 2340 B.C. Akkad's emperor, Sargon conquered the Sumerian city – state The worlds’ first empire A large political unit that controls many people and lands with Hammurabi • In 1792 B.C. Hammurabi of Babylon conquered Akkad creating a new and larger empire • He is best known for creating the worlds’ most important systems of law • The Code of Hammurabi called for harsh punishment against criminals • “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” • Punishments were different based upon social status • Crimes committed against nobles brought harsher punishments than the same crime committed against a commoner • The code also punished public officials that failed to do their duty or were corrupt • Many of the laws were about marriage and family • Ex. – Parents arranged marriages, and the bride and groom had to sign a contract • The code was patriarchal, therefore laws were centered around male dominance • Women had few privileges and rights • Children must be obedient - Ex. – a child’s hand could be cut off if that child had struck his father Mesopotamia and Religion • Mesopotamians believed that supernatural forces controlled the world • Humans were to serve and obey the Gods that created them • Humans were created to do the work that the Gods did not want to do • Polytheistic society due to their belief in many gods