Download mesopotamia

MESOPOTAMIA This region is now the nation of Iraq. The first settlements date back to 4000 BCE. Eventually the Sumerians developed a civilization. They learned that by planting seeds and plowing their land, they were able to grow crops. They learned to domesticate, or tame animals to help them plow their lands. The Sumerians learned to use irrigation, or a system of watering crops, to grow more food. The Sumerians also made a very important invention – the wheel – which made it possible to pull heavy loads. Several independent Sumerian city‐states arose including Uruk and Ur. They are referred to as Sumerians because of their common cultural traits. Empires did not arise until the 24th century under Sargon the Great. Listed below are the main empires of ancient Mesopotamia. 2340 BCE Sargon the Great established the Akkadian Empire
2113 BCE Sargon’s empire begins to collapse. Ur-nammu restores it for a brief period.
1500 BCE Hittites conquer the Babylonian Dynasty
1800 BCE The Amorites conquer Mesopotamia and establish their capital at Babylon.
During this period, Hammurabi compiles the first unified code of law, the
Code of Hammurabi
1000 BCE The Assyrians conquer Babylon and establish their capitol at Nineveh, where
the tablets recording the Epic of Gilgamesh are later found.
612 BCE The Chaldeans conquer the Assyrian capitol of Ninevah, and establish an
empire known as the Neo-Babylonian empire. Its most famous ruler is
Nebuchadrezzar.
539 BCE The Persians under Cyrus the Great conquer the Chaldeans or NeoBabylonians. The Persians would rule until the expansion of Islam engulfed
the region in the seventh century.
MESOPOTAMIA IS KNOWN AS, “THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION,” BECAUSE IT WAS FIRST IN MANY THINGS: • First to invent the wheel
• First to use sails on boats
• One of the first to make up a story (Gilgamesh)
• First to use cuneiform (writing)
• First to use the calendar
• First to use the seeder plow
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First to give a number place value and recognize the concept of zero.