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Ancient Mesopotamia 3100 B.C. to 1600 B.C. Building a Civilization • 4 Problems: – Food shortage 4 Solutions: Move to fertile land between Tigris & Euphrates Rivers – Uncontrolled water supply; Build levees & unpredictable flooding irrigation ditches – Lack of labor to build Cooperation & maintain irrigation systems – Attacks by neighboring Build wall of communities b/c no natural defense defenses Overview • Invented 1st writing system called cuneiform for business records – Based on syllables & words written with a stylus on clay tablets & baked • State & society are one • Gods & nature = violent, unpredictable, so not much enjoyment (few arts, etc.) – Anthropomorphic (Like a human), wrathful, natural disaster-causing, human-hating gods – Humans’ goal: try to please them • Temple (ziggurat) was center of learning, trade, prostitution Social Hierarchy King Priests & Nobles Free Commoners Slaves • Very rigid & fixed by law • Women could hold property & engage in business • Slaves (captured through war or debt) provided labor force to build brick temples & other monuments Political Development • Sumer: valley between the Tigris & Euphrates – Several city-states (city & surrounding territory) governed by kings – Place of commerce – Center of worship (ziggurats) • Ex. of city-states: Uruk, Langesh, Ur, Eredu • City-states sometimes formed alliances to create empires Akkadian Empire • “Cultural Approach”: 2300-2150 B.C.E. – Sargon conquered Sumer with large standing army – Looked after welfare of lower classes – Aided a rising class of private merchants – Collapsed b/c successors were unable to fend off semibarbaric highlanders, or overcome the desire for independence of priests who dominated Sumerian cities Babylonian Empire • “Legal Approach”: 2000-1600 B.C.E. – Hammurabi’s goal to “cause justice to prevail…to destroy the wicked and evil, to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak…and to further the welfare of the people.” (Eye for an eye) – Punishments graded in severity— the lower the culprit in the social scale, the more severe the penalty – Basis for modern law systems – Empire broken by internal disorder & weak leadership after Hammurabi Assyrian Empire • “Conquest Approach”: 900-600 B.C.E. – “Nazis of the Ancient World”; based power on fear, terror, & superior military skill – Problem: conquered people resent rulers, acquire new technology, & REBEL Chaldean Empire • “Restoration Approach,” A.K.A. “NeoBabylonians”: 600-550 B.C.E. – Conquered a bit, built, & spent a lot – Israelites taken as slaves – Built the Hanging Gardens (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) – very successful, until overthrown by the Persian Empire Persian Empire • “Tolerant/Benevolent Approach”: 550-325 B.C.E. (1st international empire!) – Local customs & officials allowed to remain – Jews released with money to rebuild – Introduced uniformity/standardization of measurement (trade purposes) – Zoroastrianism = monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster; Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds • 200 years later…Alexander the Great Great Discoveries • Lack of natural barriers + constant warfare = constant innovation (but art & literature limited; exception: Epic of Gilgamesh) – Plow & use of oxen to pull it – Wheel & cart – Bronze tools – Calendar (to help farmers) – Cuneiform (to help traders) – Math based on scales of 12