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IES DON BOSCO
Bilingual Section
1º ESO Geography and History
UNIT 12:
Civilizations by the river: Mesopotamia.
Summary
1. The appearance of writing.
Writing appeared around 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia. It is from this event that
historians situate the end of ‘Prehistory’ and the birth of ‘History’.
Whilst people lived in villages it was easy to remember important dates. But the
villages became bigger and it was necessary to create a control system in order to
conserve dates, like taxes or commercial exchanges.
2. Cities to imperials
The first cities governed by a King
appeared during the Age of Metals. As
time passed, these Kings began to
expand their territory and empires in
order to increase their power. The
expansion of territory sometimes
caused wars. In these cases, some
Kings gained lots of power and built
huge empires.
The first great civilizations developed in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China
around 5000 years ago. They received the name ‘River civilizations’ because they were
built along big rivers with fertile surroundings.
They had three important characteristics:
1. Political power was strong. The King had all the power, he dictated the laws,
and he sent armies and usually fulfilled religious functions. In order to protect
and administer his possessions and people he formed large armies.
2. The society had a hierarchy. The population was divided into two very different
groups; a minority of privileged people that were property owners of the bigger
parts of the land and the riches/wealth. The other part was the subjugated
majority.
3. The Kings improved the constructions of canals that permitted the travelling
of water from dry lands so that harvests would increase. They also built palaces,
temples and tombs in order to demonstrate their power.
TO LEARN MORE: Writings of the ancient age
The first writing was found in Mesopotamia. The people wrote with a wedge.
The Egyptians used writing called ‘hieroglyphics’ around 3000BC.
Around 1300BC the Chinese used ideograms. The words formed
around 10.000 signs. Around 1200BC the Phoenicians created an
alphabet of 22 consonants. We use this alphabet
nowadays.
The code of Hammurabi: This Mesopotamian code is one of the oldest.
The laws are recorded in a stele, a block of stone, made around 1800
IES DON BOSCO
Bilingual Section
1º ESO Geography and History
BC. The laws treat events like matrimony, divorce, commerce, taxes and the
punishments for crimes committed.
At the base of the Hammurabi code is the famous law of the talon: ‘an eye for an eye,
a tooth for a tooth’.
4. The history of Mesopotamia
The word ‘Mesopotamia’ means ‘between rivers’ and was called this because
civilization developed between the river Tigris and Éufrates. In this territory the first
civilization appeared whose history we know thanks to writing. Important cities also
emerged that are counted as the oldest in the world.
The Mesopotamian region was a dry zone but the construction of canals allowed
development of agriculture. Also, its geographical situation converted it into a key
region for commerce.
Mesopotamia divided itself into two regions: the High Mesopotamia or Assyria;
situated in the north and inhabited by the Assyrians, and the Low Mesopotamia o
Chaldea, situated in the south and inhabited by the Sumerians. The history of
Mesopotamia was marked by the alternation in the power of the superior villages.
Mesopotamia has a large history. This civilization lasted from the 3rd millennium
BC until the 6th century BC.
5. Towns and work
The PRIVILEGED GROUPS had all the rights and possessed the majority of the
wealth and riches.
• The aristocracy consisted of the King, his family and the Nobility. They
owned a lot of land. They controlled the highest positions in the government.
• The priests took charge of the religious rituals. They lived in temples and
possessed land. They collaborated with the government.
• Amongst the functionaries were the “writers” or “scribes”. They knew how to
read, write, count and so they had a lot of power because in this age the majority
of people were illiterate.
The REST OF THE PEOPLE could be free, if they had rights, or slaves that were
treated badly.
• The peasants rented the land that circled the city and belonged to the king. In
exchange, they had to give them part of the harvest. They cultivated wheat,
beans, peppers, barley and chickpeas. They used plows. They fed all the society
with their work.
IES DON BOSCO
Bilingual Section
1º ESO Geography and History
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The craftsmen worked in workshops. There were different types of craftsmen;
carpenters, weavers and goldsmiths.
The women were the property of the men and worked to earn a salary. They
were paid half as much as the men.
6. The Mesopotamian Culture
RELIGION: The Mesopotamians believed in the existence of
various Gods, they were therefore ‘polytheisms’. For example,
‘Enlil’ was the God of wind, ‘Ishtar’ the Goddess of war, love and
fertility.
The Gods were represented like people and had human passions but
they were immortal. The Mesopotamians didn’t believe in life after
death.
ARCHITECTURE: The Mesopotamians were great constructors. But, due to the fact
that they built with brick and cement, there are not many remains left nowadays. They
used arcs and vaults.
• Temples: owned all the land and they workshops of the city, it was the
headquarters of the government, the courts of justice and the schools.
• Ziggurats were large towers near the temple. They had different functions:
astronomical observatory, place of worship and foretelling centre.
The city of Ur was one of the most important of
Mesopotamia: The Ziggurat of Ur. It covered around 60
hectors and around 25,000 people lived inside. In the city
of Ur a ziggurat of more 20 meters was erected. The god
of the moon (Nanna) was the protector of the city and was
on the top of construction. The Sumerian people called
their ziggurat ‘the house of the sky and the earth.’ They
believed it was like a ladder between the sky and the earth, or humans and the gods.
• The Palace was the residence of the King. The cities were surrounded by brick
walls with four fortified walls. The streets were narrow and the houses were
pilled up chaotically. In wider streets were the richer people’s houses. The
majority of the population lived in the more crowded zones, in small houses
with flat roofs.
SCULPTURE: The Mesopotamians made statues. They were usually masculine and
represented kings, gods or important functionaries. The figures were either standing or
seated, but in both cases maintained the same characteristics: frontal position, lack of
movement and very expressive faces with big eyes.
Sumerian reliefs were usually made of stone. They depicted scenes or narrated
important events in the political or religious life of Mesopotamia.