Download Ancient Mesopotamia The Cradle of Civilization

Ancient Mesopotamia
The Cradle of Civilization
Ancient River Civilizations
Mesopotamian Civilization
• First civilizations arose in river valleys
– Good farming conditions
– Easy to fish
- Good for travel and trade
- Fresh drinking water
What is a civilization?
•
A complex society which contains:
– Cities
• areas of large populations
– Organized Government
• leaders and system of laws
– Art
• examples: paintings, sculptor,
architecture. Distinctive to that
culture
– Religion
• could be more than one in the
civilization. Could be
polytheistic (belief in many
gods) or monotheistic (belief in
one God).
– Writing
• System of writing to keep track
of record and write down laws
– Class Division
• How one in view by society.
Could be based on wealth, job,
etc.
CLIMATE
• Mesopotamia climate is very hot and dry
• In the Spring, the rivers would flood, leaving behind rich soil
• The flooding was sometimes unpredictable, so farmers built
irrigation systems to control the amount of water in the
fields.
Irrigation Canal
City-states
• A city-state like a mini country. It included the city and the land
surrounding it.
• City-states were isolated by their geography and would fight over land
Religion
• The Mesopotamians believed in many gods
– Polytheism – the belief in many gods
– Monotheism – the belief in only one God
• They believed the gods controlled nature and human activity
Absu: Babylonian, god of the underwater
ocean. Usually seen as a concept rather than
a being.
Marduk: Babylonian, god of magic. Main
god of the pantheon, although he isn’t the
chief. Killed Tiamat and used her body to
create the earth and sky out of respect for
her battle prowess.
Ashur: Babylonian, god of war.
Enten: Sumerian, god of winter. His
name means “winter.”
Huwawa: Sumerian, god of the cedar
forest, killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
Ishum: Babylonian, god of fire.
• Built grand temples, called ziggurats, to
please their city-states patron god.
Social Classes
• In ancient Mesopotamia, everyone fit into a
certain class based on wealth and power
– Top = Kings, priests/priestesses
and government officials
– Middle = artisans, merchants,
farmers, fishermen
– Lower = slaves (prisoners of war,
criminals, debtors)
Standard of Ur
Sumerian Contributions
• Writing system (greatest contribution)
– Cuneiform – used “wedge-shaped” characters
• Literature
– Wrote epics (long poem about hero.
Ex. Gilgamesh
• Wagon Wheel
– The wheel was NOT invent by “cavemen”
• Plow
– Used in farming to dig up the soil
• Sailboat
– Used the wind to move the boat
• Mathematical ideas
– Geometry, number system based on 60
• 12 month calendar based on the moon
• Gameboard
The Royal Game of Ur
Fall of Sumer
• Too many conflict/fights among Sumer city-states caused weakness.
• Outside groups took advantage of weakness and attacked\
• Akkadians (from Northern Mesopotamia) conquered all of Mesopotamia
under the leadership of king Sargon
– Sargon becomes the worlds first emperor
– Lasted hundreds of years until conquered by Hammurabi, a
Babylonian king
• Hammurabi, famous for his code of laws that were written down
• Hammurabi’s Code
– Set of laws that governed most aspects of life.
– Were carved onto 8 foot tall stone stellas for all to see
Development of Writing