Download Civiization Notes and Sumerian Creation Story

What is Civilization?
As villages grew in size, some developed into
civilizations. A Civilization is a complex culture
with six characteristics:
1. Cities
2. Organized Governments
3. Art
4. Religion
5. Class Divisions
6. Writing System/Record keeping
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The first cities grew around rivers
River water was vital for good
farming
Rivers also provided a way to travel
and trade easily
In some cities large markets formed
where people could trade or barter
for goods.
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Mesopotamia is located between these
rivers. Mesopotamia is a Greek word that
means “land between the rivers”
The rivers flow from the mountains of Asia
Minor southeast to the Persian Gulf
Almost every spring the rivers flooded their
banks and deposited a thick layer of silt.
The silt stuck to the ground and created a
rich fertile area to plant crops. That is why
the region was also called the Fertile
Crescent because of the rich soil and curved
shape.
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Mesopotamia is often called the
“Cradle of Civilization” because it is
where the first civilizations began.
The earliest of these civilizations
was located in the southern region of
Mesopotamia called Sumer.
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In power from 4000B.C. to 2300 B.C.
Made up of many small independent
city-states with a similar culture,
language, and religion but different
rulers
Invented the wheel, plow, and sailboat
Created a written language called
Cuneiform
Constantly at war with each other
You come up with
the solution
Challenge 1:
The Rivers rarely flooded at the same time
each year. Sometimes they flooded as early as
March and other times they did not flood until
May. After the flood receded the sun quickly
dried the silt into hard clay. How could the
Sumerians continue to water their fields with
little or no rainfall during the growing season?
Sometimes the flood never came. What would
be some ways that the Sumerians tried to
ensure the flood would come?
The Sumerians constructed
irrigation systems to carry
river water to fields. This
allowed them to produce
large amounts of food.
Sumerians prayed to
and gave sacrifices to
Enki-the river god. They
asked for a strong
enough flood to provide
plenty of water but not
too strong a flood that
might be devastating.
Sumerian Government
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The need to control the water supply and irrigation
system made it necessary for someone to be in charge
The Sumerians established governments and systems
of rules so they could maintain law and order.
In times of peace, priests were in charge but during war
a strong warrior took over.
Because the city-states were constantly at war,
warriors ruled mostly
The warriors became Kings. When one King died his
son then ruled This is called a dynasty.
Challenge 2:
Sumerian city-states stood on
open plains. Natural defenses
could not provide barriers to
invading groups of warriors.
How could the city-states
defend or protect themselves?
The Sumerians built city walls
out of mud bricks that
surrounded the city.
Challenge 3:
Natural resources were very limited.
In the desert region, how did the
Sumerians get resources such as
stone, wood, and metal for tools
and building?
The Sumerians traded grain, cloth, and tools for
products they lacked. They usually traded with
northern Mesopotamian city-states which were
located in places that had timber and metals.
Mountains provided timber and
metals.
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As city life became more complex and
structured people began to need to keep
records.
Records were kept for taxes, food storage,
debts, religious events, etc.
People called scribes were professional record
keepers.
Sumerian scribes invented a system of writing
called cuneiform-which means “wedge-shaped.
Now, written records became a part of history.
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People had fewer worries about meeting their
basic needs so they had time to think about
other things.
Many Sumerians became artisans who made
metal products, cloth, or pottery.
Mathematicians worked with a number system
based on 60.
They developed a calendar based on the
cycles of the moon.
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Sumerians believed in over 3000 gods in
their system of worship. This is called
polytheism.
They thought gods controlled every
aspect of life.
They built temples called Ziggurats to be
dedicated to the city’s most important god
or goddess.
Temple priests were very powerful and
often wealthy. Sometimes they even
controlled the government.
The Ziggurat in Ur
What it originally looked like
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Lamassu
A lamassu was a
human-headed
winged bull or lion.
Huge sculptures
of lamassus
guarded Assyrian
palace doorways
and city gates.
They were there
to frighten away
the forces of
chaos.
Ellil
(Enlil)
Ellil is one of the most important
gods of Mesopotamia. Ellil is so
powerful that the other gods can't
even look at him. He is therefore
only shown as a horned cap.
.
Ellil guards the 'tablets of destiny'.
These are cuneiform tablets on
which he writes the fate of
everything on earth.
Tiamat
In the Babylonian Epic of
Creation, Tiamat is an
angry goddess, who
decides to destroy the other
gods. She creates a vast
army of demons. The other
gods decide that Tiamat
should be killed, but they
are all afraid.
Marduk agrees to kill
Tiamat if he is made
supreme god. Marduk kills
Tiamat and, to make
heaven and earth, cuts her
body in half. From her eyes
flow the rivers Tigris and
Euphrates.
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People held different places in society
depending on what work they did and
how much wealth they had.
In the upper class were kings, priests,
and government officials.
In the middle class were artisans,
merchants, farmers, and fishers.
In the lower class were enslaved people.
Sumerian
Priests
Sumeria
n man
and
woman.
Clothing
made
from
animal
hides
and cut
into this
pattern.
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Wealthy Sumerians
ate meat with every
meal
Poor Sumerians ate
lots of bread and
porridge
Beer was the staple
beverage
Locusts were roasted
and eaten.
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Some boys went to
school but teachers
were strict and could
beat bad students
Most girls married
between the age of 12
and 14!
Sumerians often slept
on their roofs so they
could feel cool
breezes.
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Sumerians enjoyed
music and had many
instruments including
pipes, drums, harps,
and lyres.
During the Sumerian
wedding ceremony
the husband poured
perfume over the
head of the bride!
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Sumerians loved
storytelling. They
created folktales and
legends.
Homes of the rich
were larger and more
grand than the poor.
Sumerian story of
creation
At the beginning of time there
were only gods and goddesses
on earth. They had to work the
land to grow crops to eat. This
was difficult and they worked
very hard.
Each god and goddess had a job
to do. Some dug the fields and
planted the crops. Others brought
water to the fields in ditches which
had to be kept clear of weeds.
They went to get advice from
Enki, who was wise and clever.
Enki was fast asleep in his
underwater house.
Enki suggested that he create
creatures to serve them by working
the land. Then the gods' and
goddesses' lives would be easier.
The gods and goddesses thought
that Enki's plan was a good
solution. Enki collected clay from
around his watery home and used
it to make humans.
He breathed life into the clay
figures, but he limited how long
they would live. Only the gods and
goddesses would live forever.
The humans were put to work in the
fields. As servants of the gods and
goddesses they had to provide
them with food and drink for their
tables.
The humans took water from the rivers
and fed the dry and lifeless lands.
They dug the soil and planted crops.
With hard work the humans brought
life to the land, and the gods and
goddesses, who had brought life to
the humans, were happy......... for the
moment...........
Mesopotamian myths and legends
were very important forms of literature
and influenced other cultures like the
Hebrews and the Greeks.
The Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh
told of the many brave feats of the
hero, Gilgamesh.
Once upon a time a powerful king
called Gilgamesh ruled the city of
Uruk.
Uruk was a busy city on the flat
Mesopotamian plain near the banks
of the Euphrates river.
King Gilgamesh and his
friend Enkidu soon
became bored with
everyday life in Uruk.
They wanted to see the
world and find adventure.
Gilgamesh suggested
they journey across the
flat plains to the distant
mountains. They could
bring back some wood
from the cedar forests.
Cedar wood was special for many
reasons.
Cedar trees grew very tall and straight.
Long timbers could be used for roof
beams and doors in temples and
palaces.
The wood was also good for building
because it lasted many, many years
without decaying.
The rich smell of the cedar wood in the
palaces and temples was very pleasant.
Now, everyone in Uruk had heard stories
of the demon Humbaba who guarded the
cedar forests in faraway hills. Humbaba's
roar was like the sound of a flood, his
mouth was like fire, and his breath was
like death
However, Gilgamesh and Enkidu were
excited by the thought of meeting
Humbaba. They were both very strong,
and believed that they could defeat him in
battle. The journey would certainly provide
the adventure they were looking for.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu set out for the
cedar forest with enough supplies to last
them for several weeks and weapons to
use against Humbaba.
They left the city of Uruk and began the
journey across the flat plain which
stretched out from the banks of the river.
The two friends
traveled very
fast. Normally the
journey would
take six months
but Gilgamesh
and Enkidu took
just fifteen days.
They arrived at the mountain and
gazed at the wonderful sight. The
forest covered the mountain and the
cedar trees grew straight and tall.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu stopped for
the night and made an offering to the
sun god Shamash.
They did not meet Humbaba straight away.
They climbed the mountain until they
reached the peaks where the air was crisp.
Finally, they came to the place where the
best cedars in the forest grew. They put
down their supplies, chose the tallest trees
and prepared to cut them down.
They had only just touched their axes to
the trees when they heard a terrible
noise. They both froze where they
stood. Gilgamesh and Enkidu guessed
that the sound was the demon
Humbaba.
Suddenly, the demon stood before
them. He had teeth like a dragon, a
face like a lion and glaring eyes. In a
booming voice Humbaba demanded to
know why they had entered his forest
Humbaba threatened to destroy the two
friends if they did not leave immediately. He
twisted his ugly face into a terrifying
grimace. Gilgamesh was frightened, but he
and Enkidu decided to stay and fight.
They summoned the thirteen great winds
with the help of the sun god Shamash. The
winds were very powerful. They were the
north wind, the south wind, the east wind,
the west wind, the icy wind, the whirlwind,
the scorching wind, hurricane, gale, devilwind, blasting wind, storm wind, and
typhoon.
The great winds trapped Humbaba and
he pleaded with Gilgamesh to set him
free, promising to give him as much
timber as he could carry. But Gilgamesh
and Enkidu did not believe him and with
one sword stroke Gilgamesh cut off the
demon's head.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu cut down many trees
and chopped them into logs. They lashed
the wood together and carried it from the
forest. At the river they made a raft, loaded
the logs onto it and set off downstream to
Uruk.
After many days they reached the city.
The people held celebrations to
welcome home king Gilgamesh and
Enkidu and listened to tales of their
great adventures.
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In 2340B.C., Sargon became the king of
Akkad.
He defeated one of the kings of Sumer and
established the world’s first empire.
An empire is a area or region governed by one
supreme leader
The Akkadian empire grew to include all of
Sumer and stretched as far as the
Mediterranean Sea.
The empire only lasted until 2100B.C., when
the Sumerians were able to defeat the
Akkad
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In 1800 B.C., Hammurabi, the king of
Babylon, won control of all of
Mesopotamia after a war.
He made Babylon the center of trade and
wealth in Mesopotamia.
He was also known for carrying out an
advanced series of political reforms.
One of the most famous of these reforms
was the Code of Hammurabi—a set of
282 laws.
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The laws were carved into a stone
pillar and placed in a special temple.
The laws were based on an eye for
an eye or retaliation principle.
The laws were less severe for the
wealthy and men and more harsh on
the poor and women.
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Babylon is known for some very famous sites.
-one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world—
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
-the Biblical Tower of Babel
-the Famous Ishtar Gates-gates leading into a
part of the city