Download Fertile Crescent Empires

Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent Empires
Geography Promotes Civilization
• Fertile Crescent = b/w Mediterranean Sea &
Persian Gulf
– 2 Rivers Tigris & Euphrates
• Rich soil between these 2 rivers
• Also called Mesopotamia = “between the rivers” Greek
– Farming as early as 5500 B.C.
• Little rainfall, depended on water level of rivers
• Sudden flooding could wipe out crops
• People learned to control water (how?)
Sumer
• Cities developed around 3000B.C.
– Cities built out of mud bricks w/ large temple in
town center
• Ziggurat = pyramid shaped structure in the center of the
temple (closest to the gods)
– City-states = over time each city & the land it
controlled became a political unit with its own
govt.
– Polytheism = belief in many gods
– Dynasty = a series of rulers from one family
Sumerian Culture
• Writing – development of first writing
process
– Cuneiform sharp tools called stylus to make
marks in clay
• Used to keep business records 1st
• Then literature (ex. The Epic of Gilgamesh)
– Math & Science developments
• Number system based on 60 (link to today)
• Invented the wheel vehicles/plowing
Empires of Mesopotamia
• Sargon’s Empire – north of Sumer live the
Akkadians
– Created 1st permanent army
Pg. 34
• Conquered Sumer & northern Mesopotamia
• Created 1st EMPIRE = a land that includes different
kingdoms and people under one rule
– Adopted much of Sumerian culture
– Fell to invading tribes
• Years of conflict over who would control
Mesopotamia
Empires of Mesopotamia (cont.)
• The Babylonian Empire
– Tribe called the Amorites invade & settle in
Babylon
– 1792 B.C. Hammurabi becomes king
• Skilled warrior united all Mesopotamia under one
rule
• Able administrator building projects, taxes,
increased trade
• Continued Sumerian culture religion, language,
writing
– Hammurabi’s Code – 1st written law code
Pg. 36