Download Rise of Civilizations and Mesopotamia 8/15/2014 Essential Question

8/15/2014
Essential Question
Rise of Civilizations and
Mesopotamia
• What is a Civilization?
August 15th, 2014
What geographic features do all of the colored areas share?
• Water for crops
• Yearly floods left fertile soil behind
• Animals are drawn to water
• Fish
• Mode of transportation
• Made trade easier
• A group of people living
and working together for
the purpose of creating
an organized society.
• Complex systems or
network of cities that
emerge from pre-urban
culture.
1. Advanced Cities
a. Public Works – bridges,
roads, etc.
2. Specialized Workers
a. Social Classes
3. Complex Institutions
a. Government/Laws
b. Religion
4. Writing
5. Technology
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8/15/2014
•Mesopotamia was the location of a
series of empires, each building on
the previous one.
•Sumerian (2900– 2340 BCE)
•Babylonian (1753 – 1593 BCE)
•Assyrian (1200 – 612 BCE)
•Persian (539 – 334 BCE)
• Mesopotamian cities were
organized in distinct
sections.
Excavated Remains of the Ziggurat of Ur.
• Sacred area
• Residential area
• Commercial area
• Most important structures
included ziggurat, palace,
and defensive wall.
• Houses made of mudbricks.
Artists rendition of what we believe the Ziggurat
looked like during use.
•Farmers
•Musician
•Potters
•Weavers
•Boatman
•Basket maker
•Brick maker
•King
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8/15/2014
• Mesopotamian religion was
polytheistic
• Ziggurats were large temples
built to honor the city’s god.
• While the names of the
deities changed though the
years they were basically the
same for thousands of years.
Sumerian
Babylonian
Function
Abzu
Apsu
Sweet waters under earth, the abyss
An
Anu
Dumuzi ("sacred son")
Tammuz
Sky, Firmament, Father of gods
Shepherd, god of grain, beer, dying god (Inanna /
Ishtar's husband)
Enki
Ea
Controller of sweet waters, god of wisdom (trickster)
Enlil
Enlil or Ellil
Lord of wind and air
Ereshkigal
Ereshkigal
Geshtinanna ("Lady of the
Vine")
Gugalanna (Bull of
Heaven)
Nergal
Imdugud bird ("heavy
rain")
Anzu or Zu bird
Queen of Underworld
Goddess of grapes, wine, "the leafy grapevine," sister
of Dumuzi
Ereshkigal's husband
Thunderbird, later assimilated to Ninurta
Inanna
Ishtar
Goddess of love, fertility, storehouse, war
Namtar
Namtar
Fate, death messenger
Nammu
Tiamat
Primeval ocean-mother
Nanna
Moon
Ninhursag (Nintu)
Sin
Mami, Belet-ili,
Aruru
Ninurta (Ningirsu)
Ninurta
War, thunder god
Utu
Shamash
Sun, judge, law-giver
Mother goddess (Ki?)
•First system of writing developed
around 3500 BCE
•Tablets are clay and a wedge shaped
stylus was used to create the
pictograms.
•Writing is called cuneiform.
•This writing was in use for about
3000 years.
• While the original type of government is
unknown, quickly a single, autocratic
ruler gained power.
• Best known example of laws is the Code
of Hammurabi from about 1792-1750
BCE.
• Stelae were placed throughout the
Babylonian Empire to show that justice
would be administered to everyone.
•Inventions included
• the plow
• the sailboat
• the arch
• the wheel
• Potter’s wheel
• Base 60 number
system
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