Download C2.1 Mesopotamia and Sumer - World History and Honors History 9

Mesopotamia
Section 1: Mesopotamia and Sumer
The Great Ziggurat of Ur
Built during the Early Bronze Age, 21st century BC
Section 1: Mesopotamia and Sumer
Main Idea
The first known civilization arose in Mesopotamia,
and its culture and innovations influenced later
civilizations in the region for thousands of years.
Objectives
• How did geography promote civilization in
Mesopotamia?
• What features defined the civilization of Sumer?
• What were Sumer’s main cultural achievements?
• What events led to later empires in Mesopotamia?
I. Geography Promotes Civilization
Fertile Crescent: stretches from Med. Sea to
Persian Gulf
I. Geography Promotes Civilization
Mesopotamia: area between Tigris and
Euphrates rivers; site of first civilizations
I. Geography Promotes Civilization
Land well suited for farming but region posed
challenges
Droughts and floods ruin crops
I. Geography Promotes Civilization
Methods developed to control water:
Basins, canals, and dikes
Organization: assigning jobs, allocating
resources
II. Sumer
Sumer (or Shumer, Sumeria, Shinar; native
ki-en-gir) formed the southern part of
Mesopotamia from the time of settlement
by the Sumerians until the time of
Babylonia. The Sumerians called their
country ken.gir (civilized land), their
language eme.gir and themselves 'the
black-headed ones'
II. Sumer
Large cities developed by 4000 BC
City and its land formed independent city-state
II. Sumer
Structures were made of mud bricks
Ziggurat: pyramid-shaped temple
Massive walls encircled each city
Ziggurat at Ur
c. 2100 B.C.
Walls of Babylon
II. Sumer
Sumerians practiced polytheism; priests held
high status, were the first rulers
1. Himurta--Thunder Showers 2. Innanna--Morning Star
3. Thunderbird 4. Ntu--Sun God. 5. Enki--God of Sweet
Waters. 6. Isimud--Enki's Vizier
II. Sumer
War chiefs began to rule as kings; many
formed dynasties
III. Sumerian Culture
III. Sumerian Culture
Sumerian writing called cuneiform; wedgeshaped marks on clay tablets with a stylus
Herders and cows in the
goddess Inana’s fields,
21st–20th century B.C.
III. Sumerian Culture
Cuneiform first used for record keeping
Scribes recorded information
Used later for law, literature, etc.
III. Sumerian Culture
Arithmetic based on units of 60
Invented the plow and the wheel
III. Sumerian Culture
Advanced medical knowledge, performed basic
surgery
III. Sumerian Culture
Lacked many raw materials; traded for wood,
metals across SW Asia
III. Sumerian Culture
Distinct social hierarchy; well-defined male and
female roles
The Standard of Ur:
The Peace Side
represents Sumerian
society
The War Side represents
the Sumerian Army
IV. Empires in Mesopotamia
Invaders adopted aspects of Sumerian culture
as their own
IV. Empires in Mesopotamia
c. 2330 BC – Akkadian ruler Sargon I
conquered Sumer and northern Mesopotamia
A. Sargon’s Empire
World’s first empire; spread Sumerian culture
outside Mesopotamia
B. The Babylonian Empire
1792 BC - Hammurabi became king of
Babylon, united all of Mesopotamia
Shamash, the supreme sun god and
judge, offers to Hammurabi the rod and
ring that symbolize authority
B. The Babylonian Empire
Code of Hammurabi - 282 written laws,
covered everything from trade to murder
In 1750 BC, at the height of his
power, Hammurabi codified 282
laws, written down for all to see,
on an eight-foot-high stele made
of black basalt. Although the
Code of Hammurabi is not the first
legal code, it is the best preserved
ancient law the world has today.
Summary