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Sumer
Babylonia and Assyria
Mesopotamia - The Land
Between Two Rivers
Mesopotamia was a place where many cities began to grow. As
its name suggests, Mesopotamia was located between two
rivers. The two rivers were the Tigris River and the Euphrates
River.
Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East, and surrounded
by desert. People came to Mesopotamia because the soil
between the two rivers was very fertile.
USA
Mesopotamia was
located in the
Middle East.
Mesopotamia
was located in
what is now the
country of Iraq.
Mesopotamia was part of a larger region called the Fertile Crescent.
This area, that stretched from the eastern edge of the Mediterranean
Sea down to the Persian Gulf, had fertile soil and was where many
civilizations started. The shape is somewhat similar to a crescent
(think of a crescent roll, or a crescent-shaped moon).
The Cradle of Civilization
Mesopotamia is located in the Middle East, which is located
in Southwest Asia. As we’ve discussed before, the first
civilizations and examples of writing were found in
Southwest Asia. These things began in Mesopotamia.
When a newborn baby begins life, he or she is placed in a
cradle. Mesopotamia is called the cradle of civilization
because the first civilizations began there, about 5,500 years
ago in 3500 B.C.
City-States Formed Along the Rivers
Many city-states formed
along the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers in
Mesopotamia. They each
had their own form of
government, and the people
worshipped different gods
and goddesses. Eventually,
they each had their own
kings. The region where
the two rivers meet was
called Sumer. The people
who lived in the Sumer
region were called
Sumerians.
Why Did These Cities Develop?
Due to the fertile soil in
Mesopotamia, farming was
very successful. In fact,
people were able to create
surpluses of food. This
meant that some people
could stop farming and
begin doing other things,
like building a city.
As cities began to develop, people
began to worry about others who
might come and invade their city.
They wanted to protect themselves
from enemies, so people in
Mesopotamia built walls around
their cities.
Sumerians
Remember, Sumer is the
region where the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers
meet.
Writing first began in Sumerian
cities. The first schools were set
up in Sumer over 4,000 years
ago. Sumerian schools taught
boys the new invention of
writing. Those who graduated
became professional writers
called scribes. Scribes were the
only people who could keep
records for the kings and priests.
Boys that wanted to be scribes
had to attend school from the
age of 8 to the age of 20.
Sumerian Writing
Scribes used a sharp point called a stylus to etch words
into clay tablets. These tablets have been discovered by
archaeologists and looked at by historians.
A Sumerian City
Sumerian city
streets were so
narrow that you
could hardly get a
cart through them.
Sumerian houses
faced away from
crowded streets.
Instead, they faced
onto courtyards
where families ate
and children played.
Narrow Streets
Courtyard Area
Sumerian Cities
On hot nights,
people slept
outdoors on the top
of their house’s flat
roof.
Sumerians had a form of light
at night. They burned oil
lamps.
Sumerians even had plumbing!
Clay pipes that were buried
underground carried their waste
away. Inventions like plumbing
wouldn’t come around for
another thousand years in other
parts of the world!
Sumerian Religion
Sumerians
worshipped
many gods, not
just one. This
belief in many
gods is called
polytheism.
“Poly” means
many and
“Theism”
means gods.
The picture above shows a ziggurat.
Ziggurats were the main temples used to
worship the gods of a city. Ziggurats were
built in the center of the city. They had steps
and ramps, and it was believed that the gods
descended to the Earth using the ziggurat as a
ladder.
Sumerian Mythology
Sumerian myths, or stories, explained people’s
beliefs. Sumerians believed that a person must keep
the gods happy by going to the ziggurat and praying
to them. They believed that the gods would reward
them for good service. They also believed that the
gods would punish the people who made them angry.
ziggurat
Gods
The Downfall of the Sumerians
Each of the Sumerian city-states
had a ruler, and these city-states
began fighting each other. They
fought over land and the use of
river water. Since the Sumerians
were constantly at war with each
other, they became weak. By
2000 BC, Sumer was a weakened
area, and by 1759 BC, Sumer was
conquered by another group of
people - the Babylonians, who
were from the north.
Babylon - “Gate of God”
As we recall from earlier, the Sumerians were conquered
by the Babylonians. The king of Babylon was
Hammurabi. Hammurabi united the cities of Sumer and
then expanded his empire all the way to Asia Minor
A Crossroads of Trade
Babylon’s location made it a good place for trade. Groups
of travelers, called caravans, traveled back and forth from
the Sumerian cities in the south to the city of Akkad in the
north. Along the way, they always stopped in Babylon to
trade.
Babylon had special
markets, called bazaars,
that people could go to
to buy cotton cloth from
India. They could also
buy spices from Egypt
there. Babylon became
rich due to trade.
The Assyrians Rise to Power
Assyria was a small
kingdom of walled
cities that was located
north of Babylon.
Their city was located
in open land that was
easily attacked, and
they had to constantly
defend themselves
against invaders.
Therefore, they
became skilled
warriors.
At around 1365 B.C., the Assyrians decided
that the best defense they had was to attack
other countries first, before they could
attack them. By 650 B.C., Assyria had
conquered a large empire. King Sargon II
was a successful and ruthless Assyrian
ruler.
The Assyrian War Machine
The Assyrians were
geniuses at waging
war. They invented
the battering ram,
which they used to
pound down city
walls. They used
catapults to throw
rocks at enemies, and
the protected their
archers (people who
use a bow and arrows)
with helmets and
armor.
Assyrian Learning
The capital of the Assyrian
Empire was a city called
Nineveh. Nineveh became
a great city of learning. It
had a famous library that
held thousands of clay
tablets with writings from
Sumer and Babylon.
These records tell us a lot
about life in Mesopotamia.
Assyria Overthrown
The people that the
Assyrians conquered were
constantly rebelling against
Assyrian rule. Most of the
time, the Assyrians crushed
the people who tried to
fight them. However, in
612 B.C., two groups
joined together to smash
the Assyrian empire. These
groups were the Medes and
the Chaldeans.
The New Babylonian Empire
The Chaldeans
created a new empire,
centered at Babylon
after they defeated the
Assyrians in 612 BC.
The greatest king of
Babylon was
Nebuchadnezzar II.
He rebuilt Babylon
and put massive walls
around the city to
protect it. He also
built a great palace
with hanging gardens.
A New Center for Learning
Under the Chaldeans, the
New Babylonian empire
became a center of
learning and science.
Chaldean astronomers
charted stars and
measured the correct
length of the year.
Chaldean farmers raised
bees for their honey.
Many people came to
Babylon to share ideas
and discoveries.
This clay tablet shows the world that was known
to the Babylonians
The Fall of the 2nd Babylonian Empire
The second
Babylonian empire
came under attack
and was defeated
by the Persians,
who were led by
Cyrus, in 539 BC.
Though the
Chaldeans were
defeated, the city
of Babylon was
spared from
destruction.