Download Evidence of a Civilization

Chapter 4 Notes: The Rise of Sumerian City-States
Geography: Mesopotamia / Fertile Crescent, Sumer
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Desert, unreliable rainfall, limited fertile plains
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Present-day Iraq
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Between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers: flooded but most of the year it is hot and
dry
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North: Foothills of Zagros Mountains
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Northern Mesopotamia, hilly and rainy
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Mild weather, good amount of rainfall, fertile soil for farming
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Plenty of stones (tools) and wood (shelter)
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Limited space; can’t accommodate growing population—food shortage in
5,000BCE
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People are hungry, move south
South: Sumer
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Large area of land, flood in spring bringing water
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flat, low plains, with little rain and land is hard and dry for most of the
year
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few natural resources (stone,wood)
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water is unreliable, unpredictable: either too much or too little
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Time Period: 3500 B.C.E.
Mesopotamian’s Challenges
Problem #1 Food shortages in hills, can’t keep pace with population
Solution: People move southward to open plains
Problem #2 Uncontrolled water supply on plains – need for innovation
Solutions:
* Levees: walls built alongside of river to prevent overflow, contained river
waters; holes poked in levees during dry seasons to deliver water to fields
* Canals: paths of water controlled; water diverted to places it was needed
* Dams: blocked water and forced it to collect in pools until needed
* Reservoirs: place to store water for future use
Problem #3 Hard to build/maintain irrigation systems; ran through multiple villages, need
for maintenance (clean and remove clogs from silt build up, balance water levels), disputes
over water caused wars to break out.
Solution:
* Cooperation between farmers was essential.
* Villages grew into towns and then cities with 1,000s of people
Problem #4 Attacks by neighbors: landscape was flat and open with no natural barriers
(no mountains nor rushing rivers)
Solution:
* Cities were built with large walls and moats with houses inside, farms outside
City-States: Like independent countries were born!
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Own ruler
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Residents can own land to grow food, not inhabited by anyone
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Walled cities with moats for protection against invaders
Chapter 5: Sumer, a Civilization?
Definition of a Civilization
1. Stable food supply
2. Social Structure – levels and jobs
3. System of government to provide structure and order
4. Religious system or set of beliefs
5. Highly developed culture including printing, music, architecture, literature
6. Technology or advancements which improve the quality of life
7. Written language
Sumer – Evidence of a Civilization
1. Stable food supply
Evidence: Sumerians invented two things to create a stable food supply:
1. Plow used as a faster way to turn soil for planting. Pushed or pulled with animals
2. Irrigation systems: canals, dams, reservoirs, & levees to provide crops with water
2. Social Structure – People at higher levels have greater status than others.
Evidence: Discovered by archeologists – Status levels determined
1. King thought to be chosen by the gods to rule in their place
2. Top/Upper Class: priests, land owners, and government officials
3. Middle/Common Class: merchants, craftspeople, farmers, and fishermen
4. Slaves-bottom of the social structure: lived in owners homes and had no property
3. Government – directed people’s behavior and made life orderly.
Evidence:
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Ruled by kings who enforced laws, collected taxes, built temples, maintained
irrigation systems, led the city-state’s army.
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Army: professional and citizen-soldiers to protect the city-state from invasion
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Officials helped king rule: Governor oversaw outlying towns, scribes-recorded
laws, officials patrolled canals looking for damage and making sure farmers
didn’t take water illegally.
4. Religion – a system of beliefs and practice of worship
Evidence:
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Worked to please the gods by growing crops and settling disputes
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Built temples and religious towers (ziggurats) to honor gods
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Created statues of the gods to show devotion, love, and obedience
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Ceremonies: including human sacrifice
5. Culture – The Arts that show creative forms of expression
Evidence:
1. Artists / Craftspeople made weapons, tools, decorative items
2. Architects designed temples and ziggurats
3. Musicians played instruments & sang during ceremonies, entertained guests (lyre)
6. Technology – Tools or inventions to improve the quality of life
Evidence:
1. The Wheel – first used to make pottery, then turned on its side to be rolled
forward. Led to the discovery of wheeled carts for farmers and army chariots
2. Arch built above doorways to add strength and beauty to Sumerian buildings.
7. Writing – used to record information about the goods traded
Evidence:
1. Cunneiform: a wedge-shaped tool was used to etch writing into clay tablets
2. Writing based on pictographs (symbols that stand for objects) used 700 symbols
Chapter 6: Exploring Four Empires of Mesopotamia
Empire: a large territory where several groups of people are ruled by a
single, powerful leader or government.
Four Empires: 2300 BCE – 539 BCE
1. Akkadian
2300 BCE – 2100 BCE
2. Babylonian
1750 BCE – 1550 BCE
3. Assyrian
900 BCE – 612 BCE
4. Neo-Babylonia
605 BCE – 539 BCE
Akkadian Empire – The world’s first empire
Setting:
When:
2300 BCE – 2100 BCE
Where:
Northern Mesopotamia and then took over Sumer,
Capital: Agade (north of Kish)
Character: King Sargon
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first ruler of Akkadian Empire,
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strong king who controlled all of Mesopotamia
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Skilled general, powerful military strategist
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Assembled large army, trained to fight in tight formation
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Soldiers in front carrying shields, soldiers behind with spears
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Destroyed walls of cities to prevent people from rebelling
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Required loyalty of governors of city-states or replaced them with own men
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Built up city w/tributes (money paid by another country as sign of respect and
recognized superiority)
Contributions:
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City as a cultural center with temples and palaces, show of wealth & power
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Borrowed irrigation and writing techniques from Sumerians
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Developed own Akkadian language
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Known for art: 3-d sculptures, steles, to document e vents and achievements
Demise / Fall of Civilization due to:
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Territory was too big to control
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Empire became weaker and fell back to Sumerian city-states
Babylonian Empire
Setting:
When: 1750 BCE to 1550 BCE
Where: Central Mesopotamia, Capital: Babylon, North of Kish
Character:
King Hammurabi
Known for: Hammurabi’s Code of Laws, written 1792 BCE – 1750 BCE
* Unified empire and preserved order
* Based on word of the gods told to him, laws could never be change
* Laws written on steles, placed in temple for all to see, applied to everyone
* Addressed matters of trade, payment for work, marriage, divorce
* Outlined punishments for stealing, causing injury and other crimes –
“An eye for an eye”
Contributions
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Marduk was the supreme god over all other gods
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Built roads and created a postal service
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Agriculture and trade flourished: attention to irrigation systems, land was
fertile so food was plentiful
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Trade Center on banks of Euphrates – spurred economy
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Trade along Persian Gulf
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Items traded: grain, woven cloth, wood, gold, silver, precious gems,
livestock (animals)
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Art flourished-exchange goods for crafts/materials
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Writers wrote poetry
“Unusually Fair”
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Class division but slaves could work elsewhere, own property, buy
freedom
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Women could own property and have money of their own
The Assyrian Empire
Setting:
When: 900 BCE – 1550 BCE
Where: Originally North of Babylonia, eventually included all of
Mesopotamia: North to Mediterranean, East to Egypt, South to Persian Gulf
Capital cities: Nineveh, Babylon, and Assur
Character:
Series of powerful kings, believed to be special beings
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War-like people with trained army
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Known for:
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Military might
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Cruelty and ruthlessness
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Commoners – farmed
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Craftspeople-sculptures
Contributions:
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New weapons and war strategies
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Used horses and iron weapons
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Practice technique: siege: military blockade and attack on city forcing it
to surrender
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Battering rams
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Irrigation systems, including aqueducts which brought water from 30 miles away
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Bas-reliefs – 2-d realistic sculptures that came out from palace walls, depicted
kings hunting, fighting in battle, enjoying family life.
Demise / Fall of Civilization due to:
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Territory was too big to control, army was stretched too thin
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612 BCE Neneveh was conquered by army of Babylonians, Scythians, Medes
Neo-Babylonian Empire
Setting:
When: 605 BCE – 539 BCE
Where:
Same territory as Assyrians, except Egypt
Included Canaan (present Day Israel)
Capital: Babylon
Character: Nebuchadrezzar II
Known for:
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Ruthless military leader
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Expanded empire whenever he could
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Took Hebrews captive, sent to Babylonia
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Built fortified Babylonia to keep capital safe
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Inner and outer walls around the city
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Towers on top for archers to stand guard
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Moat dug around outer wall and filled with water
Rebuilt the ziggurat: “House of the Platform Between Heaven and Earth”
Contributions
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Beautiful gardens “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” 1 of wonders of ancient world.
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Math and Astronomy
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Sundial for telling time using the sun
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Discoveries led us to 60-minute hour, 7-day week
Demise / Fall of Civilization due to:
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Lasted only 75 years, fell to the Persians (from present day Iran)
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Cyrus, leader of the Persian Empire swept into Babylon 539 BCE
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Persians later conquered by Alexander the Great