Download Sumerian City

Ancient Middle East
• Civilizations developed in river valleys
because they provided:
– Resources (water, fertile soil)
– Transportation to support trade
– Sustainable food supply
Fertile Crescent
Mediterranean to Persian Gulf
• Mesopotamia
•
- Means: “Land
between the rivers”
Tigris and Euphrates
flow through region
 sometimes these
rivers flood and
leave behind silt
after water goes
down
 Silt: rich soil
Sumerians Civilization – 3000 B.C.
• What is a city-state?
A city and surrounding
lands with it’s own ruler
Much like a modern day
country
Examples: Eridu,
Uruk, Umma, Ur
Priests
• Controlled
•
•
government
Acted as gobetween with gods
Managed irrigation
system – demanded
crops as taxes
Ziggurat
•
•
•
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Religious center
City Hall
“Mountain of God”
Center of all cities
Conduct rituals at the
top of the ziggurat
Ziggurat at Ur
Monarchs
• Time of war  a
•
strong man took
over
Gave back power
after war
Monarchs to Dynasty
• Military leaders
•
became full rulers
Rulers passed on
power to sons
– This establishes a
dynasty
Cultural Diffusion
• Sumerian food
•
surplus leads to long
distance trade
This leads to the
spread of ideas and
products from one
culture to another
Polytheism and Sumerian Gods
• Belief in many Gods
•
•
•
- almost 3000 god &
goddesses
- controlled forces
of nature
Had human qualities
Immortal and all
powerful
Most powerful god
was Enlil  clouds
and air
Sumerian and their Gods
• Lowest of all Gods
were Udugs
– Cause disease and
misfortune
• Humans were god’s
servants
– Offered sacrifices
to keep Gods happy
Innovations
• Wheel, Plow, Sail
• Cuneiform: earliest
•
•
form of writing
- 2300 B.C.
- Gilgamesh: world’s
oldest epic poem
astronomy, chemistry,
medicine
Architectural
innovations
- arches, columns,
ziggurat
Cuneiform Tablet
First Mesopotamian Empires
• Sargon conquered most
•
•
of the Fertile Crescent
- He was an Akkadian
Adopted Sumerian
culture
Established first empire
– Brings together
people under 1 ruler
Babylonian Empire
• Amorites conquer
•
Sumerians in 2000 B.C.
Hammurabi’s Code
- 1792-1750 B.C.
- collection of 282 laws
- Applied to everyone
- Eye for an eye
- Patriarchal:
dominated by men,
women had few rights
Hittites
(2000-1200 B. C.)
• Empire in Western
Asia (modern day Turkey)
Iron weapons and chariots
•
• First people to make use
of iron
• Conquered Babylon 1595 B. C.
• Borrowed Mesopotamian
culture
Fell to unknown group described as
“Sea Peoples”
Phoenicians
3000 B. C.
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•
•
•
•
Lebanon
Purple dye, glass, lumber
Alphabet; maritime trade
Established colonies for trade
Established Carthage and cities of Byblos, Tyre,
Sidon
Israelites
1500-722 B. C.
• Lived to the south of the
•
Phoenicians
MONOTHEISTIC –
worshiped ONE god
– Practiced Judaism
• Hebrew writings
– Torah
Abraham
• Abandoned polytheism ->Covenant with God
•
•
(Promised Land)
Traveled to Canaan
12 sons of Jacob-12 tribes of Israel
Captivity in Egypt and the
Exodus
• Left Canaan and traveled
•
•
to Egypt
Enslaved by Egyptians
Moses
– Mt. Sinai
– Ten Commandments
• Exodus-journey out
of Egypt
– Passover
Kingdom of Israel
• Original government divided by tribes and ruled by
•
•
•
judges
Saul-first king; not well supported
by the people
David-well-liked; strong military;
Jerusalem
Solomon-ruled during height;
expanded trade; temple in Jerusalem
Decline
• Israel divided
•
•
•
(Israel and Judah)
Fell to the Assyrians
(722 B. C.)
Eventually enslaved by
Chaldeans (586); known as
Babylonian Captivity
Diaspora – Jews migrated to other
areas of the Mediterranean region
Assyrians
900 B. C.
• Nineveh
• Conquered Egypt,
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•
•
•
Mesopotamia, E. Asia Minor
Powerful military-chariots,
foot soldiers, cavalry, iron weapons,
terrorism, cruel
System of roads; messengers
Library
Conquered by Chaldeans (612 B. C.)