Download Mesopotamia Guided Notes

Civilization & Empires
In Southwest Asia
WORLD HISTORY NOTES
DATE: _________________
 Why is it important for people (especially farmers) to settle near rivers & streams?
o _______________________________________________________________________.
 Mesopotamia
o
The region between the _____________ and the _______________ is known as
_______________________.
o
One of the first villages to emerge was _____________. The villagers were called
_______________.
 Sumer
o ___________ was neither a
city nor a country. Rather,
it was a collection of
separate cities with a
common way of life. They
shared a common culture.
o Historians believe that
Sumerians built the world’s
first __________________.
 What defines the term “Civilization?”
o
_________ Traits that are Essential for a Civilization

1. ________________________
o
Not Just Population growth, but also a __________________________
emerges for a larger area. Farmers, Merchants, Traders bring goods to
market in the cities.

2. ________________________ workers became skilled in one particular job.
o
Ex. _______________: Workers who made goods by hand.
o
Farmers were able to produce more than what was needed for
themselves. They had a surplus of crops and were able to trade their
extra goods for a different good or service. (An end to______________
_____________________)

3. ____________________________
o
Enables people to make records of data. Merchants needed accounts of
debts and payments.
o
The Sumerians created _______________, which is a system of writing
with wedge-shaped symbols. (Around 3,000 B.C.)
o
Cuneiform Tablets (see image on left)
o
Imprints of signs, called ____________, were made by pressing a wedgeshaped stylus into wet clay.


4. __________________________
o
The Sumerians were skilled in science & technology.
o
Ex. Invention of the wheel, plow, sailboat.
o
Use of bronze (mixture of ____________ & __________) —”Bronze Age”
5. __________________________
o
Having an organizational system to run a city. (This is a ____________
that is essential for a civilization.)
o
Fertile Crescent
Disadvantages
__________________ is an example of a complex institution.
Sumerian
Solutions
 Polytheism- _________________________________________.
o
The Sumerians were _____________________. They believed that their gods were a lot like
them except they were_____________________& ____________________________.

Anu- “God of Heaven”

Enlil- “God of Clouds & Air”

Ea- “God of Water & Floods.
o Afterlife: Sumerians believed that their souls went to “________________________,”a gloomy
place between the earth’s crust & the ancient sea.
 Who ruled Sumer?
o
_______________________ & ______________________
o
Priests had power because they “_______________________________” and keep the city safe.
o
Sumerians began by choosing a strong warrior to lead them into battle. These leaders
eventually became kings. Kings became a _________________ position.
 Sargon – The World’s First Emperor
o Leader of the _______________________
o Conquered _________________
o
 Sumer’s Downfall
o
For 1,000 years (3,000-2,000 B.C.) the city-states of Sumer were at war with one another.
o
All the fighting weakened the city-states so much that they could no longer ward off attacks
from outsiders (___________________).
o
2,000 B.C. Nomadic raiders swept through ________, leaving it in ruins, thus ending the last of
the great city-states.
 Turning Point In History: “__________________ ______________”
o
Around 2,000 B.C. a group of nomadic warriors known as the Amorites invaded Mesopotamia.
o
The Amorites established ________________ as their capital city.
 Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.) was a powerful and influential king.
o
Babylon’s civilization was becoming so complex that there was a need for written laws to help
resolve disputes.
o
Hammurabi established a collection of laws that became known as “______________________”

Purpose of Hammurabi’s Code

There are 282 specific laws.

88 Laws deal with marriage, family, property.

3 Fundamental Principles:

1. ___________________________ to punish crimes. (Eye for an Eye)

2. ___________________________ (Double Standards existed between social
classes).

3. ___________________________ had a responsibility for what occurred in
society.
 Phoenicians
o
Around 1100 B.C. the Phoenicians were the most powerful
traders around the Mediterranean Sea.
o
300 Phoenician cities sprouted up around Africa’s
Mediterranean Sea
o
The highly prized _______________ ________ for which
the Phoenicians were renowned was extracted from a gland
of the murex snail. Each snail yielded only a drop of yellow
liquid, which darkened on exposure to light. Processing
required slow simmering for about two weeks. Up to
_____________ snails were needed for each pound of dye.
o Phoenician Contribution: Around 900 B.C. the Phoenicians
developed a _____________ _______________ with 22
symbols (versus the 600 symbols in Cuneiform).

The _____________________ is born!!
 Jews & Monotheism
o Monotheist: _________________________________________________________________.
o The Jews were one of the smallest groups in the ancient Fertile Crescent, but their influence on
history was far-reaching.
o Moses & the Ten Commandments

By the laws set forth to Moses, God demanded a high standard of moral conduct from
human beings. This emphasis on ___________, _____________, and an
_________________________________ with God set Judaism apart.

These ideas marked the birth of a set of religious traditions, the impact of which has
lasted for thousands of year.
o Capable Kings:
__________, __________________, ____________ -- Their kingdom…___________.

 Iron Age Begins
Shift from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age
o

The ________________ (People living in Asia Minor
minor) gradually learned the complicated process of
_______________ iron (this takes place over from
1500 to 1200 B.C.).
Why make the change from Bronze to Iron?
o

____________________________________________
____. An iron sword could pierce through a bronze
shield.

Iron is a more __________________
________________. Easier for people to
obtain=cheaper too!

The development of iron paved the way for an
“______ ___ ________________.”
 Assyrian Empire Rises and Falls (850-612 B.C.)
o
The Iron Age made it possible for the Assyrians to conquer and rule a large empire.
o
Iron ____________ and Iron __________ __________ made for well equipped warriors.
o
The Assyrians were known for their ___________ _______________ because they were the
most ________________ army to date.
o
The Assyrians had shown that it was possible to build an empire based on fear and harsh
government.
 Persian Empire (550 – 350 B.C.)
o
The Persian Empire was a giant empire that arose in Southwest Asia that was built upon
___________ and __________ __________________. (Unlike the ________________)

In 550 B.C., Persian King Cyrus defeated several neighboring kingdoms to mark the
beginning of the _____________ Empire.

In 11 years (550-539 B.C.) Cyrus conquered all of the Fertile Crescent and most of
Asia minor.

Cyrus believed that when his army marched into a defeated city, that there would
be no ___________ or destroying of any buildings/temples.
Above: Cyrus

Cyrus believed that it was wise leave local customs and religions alone.
o King Cyrus was killed in 530 B.C. and then his son, _______________, took over for 8
years. Cambyses died of a wound suffered by a sword.
o
Cambyses successor was _____________ who governed the fragile empire by using
____________ power.

Darius used two important tools to hold the empire together.

Excellent Road System called the “___________ ____________ _____________”

_____________
_______________.—The whole empire had a universal money
system to trade with.