Download Cuneiform - Fort Thomas Independent Schools

Mr. Deaton
Highlands High School
The Ancient Fertile Crescent Area
• Lies btwn the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers.
• This created the ideal
situation for agriculture ->
sustainable food.
Significance?
• What also aids in its
development is its
location in relationship to
developing neighbors.
• Signif? Can be the center of trade and exchange.
• What do you notice about where this is located in
modern terms? Why might this explain current
resistance?
Sumerians
Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic
Enki
Innana
Anthropomorphic Gods
• So Polytheistic means many and
Monotheistic means one. This refers to
religion.
• What would be the advantages for
Mesopotamia to worship many Gods?
Ziggurat- temples built by Sumerians
Mesopotamian Trade
Main trade centers
Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped” Writing
Deciphering Cuneiform
Sumerian Scribes
• Now we begin to have
specialized skilled jobs,
which marks a trait of a
civilization.
“Tablet House”
• Now that we can write down information, it allowed
humans to transfer knowledge; how to farm.
• Now civilizations like
Mesopotamia use practices
like crop rotation and
almanacs that predicted the
best time plant.
• With a stable food sources and specialized jobs, what
do you think happened to the population?
• While this growth is good, it does lead to conflict.
Think of three conflicts that resulted from all these
advancements. IOW what did groups fight about?
Growth Leads to Conflict
• Competition over food- neighboring groups will try to
overtake other tribes for their food source, particularly
if their resources are low.
• Basics of Civilization- They will fight over religion,
trade, laws, norms, and leadership.
• High and Low Class- The creation of farming will lead
to an upper and lower class in which the lower suffers
and the upper succeeds.
Conflict Solutions
• Military- Use of force to ensure
protection of others.
• Government- Creates laws which helps
keep order, but also wages war on
behalf of the people.
• Borders- Set clear boundaries to mark
which group has control over certain
areas.
Cuneiform Challenge
• Prior to Cuneiform early humans used
pictographs to communicate ideas. Acting as
a bridge between the two I want you to write a
story using both forms. First, I want you to
draw your story out in pictograph form. Then
using your own made cuneiform (with a key)
write the words to your story.
– It could be what you did this weekend (trip, sporting
event, etc.)
– The process you went through this morning to get
ready.
– Or make a story up as if you were a trader traveling
thru Mesopotamia.
Ziggurat at Ur
 Temple
 “Mountain of
the Gods”
The Royal Standard of Ur
Mesopotamian Harp
Board Game From Ur
Sophisticated Metallurgy Skills
at Ur
Sargon of Akkad:
The World’s First Empire [Akkadians]
The Babylonian Empires
Hammurabi’s
[r. 1792-1750 B. C. E.]
Code
Hammurabi, the Judge
Babylonian Math
Babylonian Numbers