Download Ancient Sumer

Ancient
Mesopotamia and
Hammurabi
The Fertile Crescent!
“Between the Rivers”…
 First
known civilization in Fertile Crescent
was uncovered in Mesopotamia around
1800.
 Mesopotamia
 Tigris
 This
means “between the rivers”
and Euphrates.
is where the Sumer civilization was
located.
However…

The Tigris and Euphrates were key to
life in Mesopotamia.

Major floods - These weren’t good
floods…

These floods would wash away
topsoil.

It would destroy villages.

These floods would be very
unpredictable.
The First Empire
 Around
2300 BC, Sargon of Akkad
conquered the city states of Sumer.
 This
 It
created the first empire ever.
did not last long after his death though.
 Others
soon invaded, destroying his
empire.
Enter…Hammurabi…
 Around
1790 BC, a man named
Hammurabi brought most of
Mesopotamia under his control.
 Hammurabi
 He
was king of Babylon.
is best known for his publication of a
remarkable set of laws known as
Hammurabi’s Code.
Copyright?
 Hammurabi
did not author the code.
 Many
laws had actually been around for
a long time.
 He
wanted everyone to know the laws!
 Artists
laws.
 This
carved over 300 stones filled with
way everyone knew the rules.
“…To Destroy The Wicked And
Evil…”
 He
wanted to make things ‘fair’.
 “…the strong may not oppress the
weak…”
 Hammurabi's Code was first time a
ruler tried to have the laws down in
writing for all.
Eye For An Eye
 One
section of the Code deals with
criminal law.
 Ex:
robbery, assault, murder.
 This
limited people taking law into own
hand.
 Many
 “An
today may consider it cruel.
eye for an eye and a life for a life.”
Protect The Powerless!
 The
Code also dealt with civil law.
 Ex:
marriage, divorce, taxes, contracts,
etc.
 Designed
to protect slaves and women.
More Than The Code…
 Hammurabi
also did other things
other than the Code.
Improved
Well
irrigation.
organized army.
Repaired
temples.
Promoted
Babylonian god Marduk.