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Civilization in the Fertile Crescent ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA MESOPOTAMIA Civilized History begins here area between Tigris & Euphrates Rivers Does not signify a particular people! Very different from Egypt GEOGRAPHY OF AREA Strongly influenced development Dominated by two rivers No natural barriers Invaders not kept out SUMERIAN CITY-STATES City-State Basic political unit of 4th & 3rd Mil. Came from Asia in 3500 BC City & land just around it Ur, Eridu, Uruk main ones Distrustful & jealous b/c of RELIGION & GOVERNMENT Polytheistic - belief in many gods 3,000 gods & goddesses People never sure how gods will act Ziggurat Temple dedicated to chief god or goddess of a city-state Most prominent building RELIGION & GOVERNMENT Theocracy Govt. by divine authority Early on priest important in ruling Later, kings believed the agent of gods WRITING & LITERATURE Cuneiform - writing system On hand-sized clay tablets Wedge-shaped poke marks For record-keeping Scribes - record keepers Important in society CONFLICTS City-states fought among themselves to control land & water And were also invaded by outside groups Because of lack of barriers Conflict among Sumerians eventually led to Sumer’s INVADERS Akkadians In 2300 B.C. Led by Sargon 1st empire in world history Large state under 1 leader controlling many peoples and territories of different geography INVADERS Babylon 1792 B.C. Led by Hammurabi powerful leader creates new kingdom in area Creates law code HAMMURABI’S CODE Collection of laws Strict justice Severe penalties: Depending on your social class “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” important part of system CONTRIBUTIONS 1st 12 month calendar 1st study of stars identified 5 planets Divided day into two groups of 12 hrs. Number system based on 60 Wheel(for pottery & carts), Sail (boat), Arch, Math, etc. Civilization in the Fertile Crescent ANCIENT SUMER LEARNING TARGETS This lesson is working toward fulfilling the following learning targets: 1. I know the differences between monotheism and polytheism. 2. I can define cultural diffusion as it relates to the sharing of cultures. 3. I can explain how writing changed communication in Mesopotamia and Egypt. GEOGRAPHY Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia Tigris River Euphrates River Sumer Ur and Uruk VOCABULARY City-state Social stratification Hierarchy Polytheism Cuneiform ziggurats GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES Fertile Crescent: region of the Middle East named for its rich soils and wheat fields Curves from Persian Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean Sea Mesopotamia: “between the rivers;” name given to the Fertile Crescent by the Greeks Between Home the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers of one of the world’ first civilization, the Sumerians of Sumer CREATING SUMER Irrigation: Key to development in the Fertile Crescent = controlling the rivers! Floods ruined many villages and fields, so the Sumerians built dikes and irrigation ditches Building: Built using clay and water Helped them develop the first cities, Ur and Uruk Trade: Goods from Egypt and India have been found in Sumerian cities SUMERIAN GOVERNMENT 5 city-states (self-governing society) in which the ruler was responsible for: Maintaining the city, leading armies in war, enforcing laws, collecting taxes, and keeping records Ruler also leader of ceremonies for the gods Social stratification: society divided into distinct classes Hierarchy: system of ranking groups SUMERIAN RELIGION & WRITING Polytheistic: Believed the gods controlled every aspect of life Believed worshipping multiple gods in 3,000+ gods Ziggurat: large, stepped platform in each Sumerian city meant to honor the city’s chief god or goddess Cuneiform: earliest form of writing, invented by the Sumerians System of symbols to represent complicated thoughts Wrote on clay tablets with a stylus Students of cuneiform could be caned for talking in class or writing sloppily Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, & Phoenicians THE FERTILE CRESCENT: HISTORY BEGINS HERE HITTITES The Hittites came from Asia Minor into Mesopotamia in 1400 BC Brought 1 major advancement: Could extract iron from ore Tried to keep their knowledge a secret Were able to arm more people at less expense than with copper or bronze Responsible for the beginning of the IRON AGE ASSYRIANS Assyrians lived in the upper Tigris region Established an empire in 1350 BC and expanded across Mesopotamia Reputation: most feared warriors in history! Built beautiful palaces & created well-organized cities Created laws regulating life inside the royal household Kept a library of cuneiform records from all over the Fertile Crescent NEBUCHADNEZZAR & BABYLON Nebuchadnezzar: 2nd king of Babylon Expanded the Babylonian empire to cover all of Mesopotamia Ruthless & aggressive leader Rebuilt the city of Babylon into one of the largest and most respected cities of Ancient Mesopotamia Defensive moat, brick wall that was 85 ft. thick, 9 gateways, canals, temples, walls, and palaces Ishtar Gate “Hanging Gardens” – one of the “7 wonders of the Ancient World” FERTILE CRESCENT Name given to the crescent shaped fertile region of modern day Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Mesopotamia (land between the rivers) Low lying region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Provide irrigation, flooding, etc. THE SUMERIANS • • • • • Arrive in Mesopotamia around 3,500 BC/BCE from Asia Minor Establish city-states by 3,000 BC (Ur, Uruk, and Eridu) Each city-state had a ziggurat and an independent government Evolve into military rule for protection from invaders By 2,700 most city-states were run by theocratic monarchies (kings were the military advisor, priest, and law makers) SUMERIAN CULTURE • • • • Patriarchal Could sell family to pay off debts Invented calendar Polytheistic – Gods powerful, anthropomorphic, selfish, and unpredictable Anu – sky god, god of heaven, king of gods SUMERIAN WRITING • • • • • Cuneiform (“wedgeshaped”) Began as symbols, written on clay tablets Had over 2,000 characters Could learn cuneiform in schools called eddubas Allowed for the writing of the oldest story in history: _____________ EPIC OF GILGAMESH King of Uruk around 2600 BC Described as 2/3 god, 1/3 human INVASIONS OF SUMERIA: AKKADIANS • • • • • Sargon I (an Akkadian) A herder who moved through ranks to become ruler of Akkad (northern Mesopotamia) in 2,300 BC United all Mesopotamian citystates His empire was the first in history His son was unsuccessful = Akkadian rule declined INVASIONS OF SUMERIA: THE AMORITES People of western Syria Used military strength to control the region Called the region Babylon King Hammurabi used his strength and power to unite Mesopotamia under his control HAMMURABI: BABYLONIAN EMPIRE Reorganized tax system Rebuilt irrigation canals Made Babylon a major trade center Increased the economic prosperity of his people Organized a strong government HAMMURABI: THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE Code of Hammurabi 282 law codes Specific guidelines with corresponding punishments Penalized wrongdoers more severely than previous Sumerian laws “Eye for an eye” mentality After Hammurabi’s death, the Babylonian Empire declined and Mesopotamia was divided into small states
