Download What`s the Connection? Meeting People

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What's the Connection?
Meeting People
ln Section 1, you [earned about
early humans settting in towns.
Some settled in Mesopotamia, an
area ca[[ed the "cradle of civitization."
Sargon (SAHR.cTHN)
Hammurabi (un.muh. RAH.bee)
Focusing on the
. Civilization in Mesopotamia
began
in the val[eys of the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers. (page 17)
.
Sumerians invented writing and
made other important contributions
to [ater peoptes.
.
(page20)
Sumerian city-states [ost power
when they were conquered by
outsiders. (page23)
Locating Places
Buitding You r Voca bu lary
civilization
(srH.vuh. [uh. ZAY. shuhn)
irrigation (tuno uh.GAY.shuhn)
city-state
artisan (AHR.tuh.zuhn)
cuneiform (kyoo. NEE. uh. rnwnv)
scribe (SKRYB)
empire (fuv.evn)
Reading Strategy
Information
Sequencing
Use a
diagram to show how the first empire
in Mesopotamia came about.
Tigris niver (TY.gruhs)
Euphrates River (yu. FRAY.teez)
Mesopotamia
(rvrH.suh o puh rTAYo mee. uh)
Sumer (SOO.muhr)
Babyton (Al.buh.[uhn)
16
CHAPTER
1
3000 r.c.
c.2Y+0st.
c.l792st.
City-states
arise in Sumer
Sargon conquers
Hammurabi rutes
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
The First Civilizations
M
es
opotamia's (ivilization
*,mm'ldea
. (ivilization in Mesopotamia began in
'*e {aileys of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
,:,iir rlQ Focus Do you live in a region that receives
,:--' cf rain or in a region that is dry? Think about
r , --at affects you as you read how the Sumerians'
,L- ':-nent affected them.
"
-
er thousands of years, some of the
:arming villages developed into civi-
: . -,Its. Civilizations (srH . vuh . [uh . ZAY.
',;--sl are complex societies. They have
:
::. ,Jr$dflized governments, art, religion,
-. jlr-isions, and a writing system.
lt#'hr [Yere River Vatley*
Empcrtant? rne
:ir-ilizations arose in river valleys
: -. je good farming conditions made it
easy to feed large numbers of peopie. The
rivers also provided fish and freshwater,
and made it easy to travel and to trade.
Trade provided away for goods and ideas to
move from place to place. It was no accident,
then, that cities grew up in these valleys and
became the centers of civilizations.
As cities took shape, so did the need for
organization. Someone had to make plans
and decisions about matters of common
concern. People formed governments to do
just that. Their leaders took charge of food
supplies and building projects. They made
laws to keep order and assembled armies to
fend off enemies.
With fewer worries about meeting their
basic needs, people in the river valleys had
more time to think about other things. They
developed religions and the arts. To pass on
ia'ill
ti,.
'
.t ...,.,a,,,.,.
.l-r>
_,reqn
^
n
-*€Q,
,.
,r,,..::.:i::::
.,,,A
.
-uslng Geography Skills
:'rrrer of great civilizations
--lEi
r3
:rr,Eed in Mesopotamia.
*-:
:
-
at body of water do the
ff'. .rd the Euphrates Rivers ftow?
il'a :i you think the region of
",:::::tltdr"t'tiEl was SO we[[ SUited
" "-= growth of civilization?
,
ARABIAN
DESERT
5OO mi.
5oo km
Equal-Area projection
Sculpture of chariot
from Mesopotamia
CHAPTER
1
I
The First Civilizations
,'S
- t'
IA
information, they invented ways of writing.
They also created calendars to tell time.
Early civilizations shared another feature-they had a class structure. That is,
people held different places in society
depending on what work they did and how
much wealth or power they had.
The Rise of Sumer rhe earliest-known civ*
ilization arose in what is now southern Iraq,
on a flat plain bounded by the Tigris River
(tY.gruhs) and the Euphrates River (yu'
FRAY.teez). Later, the Greeks called this area
Mesopotamia (vrH'suh' puh'TAY' mee' uh),
meaning "the land between the rivers."
Mesopotamia lay in the eastern part of the
Fertile Crescent, a curving strip of land that
extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the
Persian Gulf.
Mesopotamia had a hot, dry climate.
In the spring, the rivers often flooded,
leaving behind rich soil for farming. The
problem was that the flooding was very
unpredictable. It might flood one year, but
not the next. Every year, farmers worried
about their crops. They came to believe
they needed their gods to bless their
efforts.
Over time, the farmers learned to build
dams and channels to control the seasonal
floods. They also built walls, waterways,
and ditches to bring water to their fields. This
way of watering crops is called irrigation
(rHn. uh. GAY. shuhn). Irrigation allowed the
farmers to grow plenty of food and support
a large population. By 3000 e.c., many cities
had formed in southern Mesopotamia in a
region known as Sumer (sOo'muhr).
The top of the ziggurat was considered to be a holy place, and the area around
the ziggurat contained palaces and royaI storehouses. The surrounding wa[[s
had onty one entra-nce because.the ziggurat also served as the city's treasury.
How
A
Statues of Sumerians
praying
18
didp:yptc:f*!
?
*---.,-,ilr==.-;::€iii:i-*;iF;:E=5
ftate.
ded"
The
very
; but
rried
lieve
their
ruild
lonal
ra]-s"
This
ilion
I the
,Port
cities
ina
ffiit Were (ity-States? sumerian cities
,nnr,.-r:
isolated from each other by geography.
,lhwi-.nd the areas of settlement
lay mudflats
of scorching desert. This terrain
llmrrfirrce travel and communication difficult.
ffi,mc: Sumerian city and the land around
.rr' i,r.came a separate city-state. It had its
Iffriwii: government and was not part of any
rlmreel unit.
Sumerian city-states often went to war
4r,Irff r]n€ another. They fought to gain g10ry
,slurc ic--'r control more territory. For protecluu,lr. each city-state surrounded itself with a
,mi,arf' Because stone and wood were in short
mlum,rh; the Sumerians used river mud as
thuer: rnain building material. They mixed
Sne:lud with crushed reeds, formed bricks,
snrr; -ett them in the sun to dry. The hard
urnc patches
waterproof bricks were used for walls, as
wellas homes, temples, and other buildings.
6ods and Ruler' The Sumerians betieved
in many gods. Each was thought to have
power over a natural force or a human activity-flooding, for example, or basket weaving. The Sumerians tried hard to please the
gods. Each city-state built a grand temple
called a ziggurat (Zt1.guh.nnr) to its chief
god. The word ziggurat means "mountain of
god" or "hill of heaven."
With tiers like a giant square wedding
cake, the ziggurat dominated the city. At
the top was a shrine, or special place of
worship that only priests and priestesses
could enter. The priests and priestesses
were powerful and controlled much of the
land. They may even have ruled at one time.
nC
b
IT
A
A portion of the Royal
Standard of Ur, a decorated box that shows
scenes of Sumerian life
{
These ruins are from the
Sumerian city-state of Uruk.
Whatwas a city-state?
CHAPTER
1
The First Civitizations
19
Later, kings ran the government' They
led armies and organized building projects'
The first kings were probably war heroes'
Their position became hereditary. That is,
after a king died, his son took over.
What Was life Like in Sumer! wnite
Sumerian kings lived in large-'ilalaces,
ordinary people lived in small mud-brick
houses. Most people in Sumer farmed' Some,
however, were artisans (AHR'tuh'zuhns), or
skilled workers who made metal products,
cloth, or pottery. Other people in Sumer
worked as merchants or traders. They traveled to o*ter cities and towns and traded
tools, wheat, and barleY for
coppeL tin, and timber-things
that Sumer did not have.
People in Sumer were
divided into three social
classes. The uPPer class
included kings, Priests, and
government officials. In the
middle class were artisans,
merchants, farmers, and fishers. These peoPle made uP
the largest grouP. The lower
class were enslaved PeoPle
who worked on farms or in
the
temples.
Enslaved PeoPle
forced to serve
were
A
Sumerian
cuneiform
others.
Slaveholders thought of them as proPerty'
Some slaves were prisoners of war' Others
were criminals. Still others were enslaved
because they had to pay off their debts'
In Sume{, women and men had seParate
roles. Men headed the households' Only
males could go to school. Womery however,
did have rights. They could buy and sell
property and run businesses.
Explain How did MesoPotamians control the flow of the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers?
CHAPTER
1
The First Civilizations
A Skilled PeoPle
Sumerians invented writinq and made
ottrer important confiihutions to later peoplesReading Focus Do you like to read? lf so, you owe a
debt to the Sumerians, because they were the
fir:t to
invent writing. Read about this achievement and others'
The Sumerians left a lasting mark on
world history. Their ideas and inventions
were copied and improved upon by other
peoples. As a result, Mesopotamia has been
called the "cradle of civilization."
Why Was Writing lmportant? rhe people
of Sumer created many things that still affect
our lives today. Probably their greatest
invention was writing. Writing is important because it helps people keep records
and pass on their ideas to others.
People in Sumer develoPed writing to keep track of business deals and
other events. Their writing was called
cuneiform (kyoo' NEE' uh'rrwnv). It
consisted of hundreds of wedgeshaped marks cut into damP claY
tablets with a sharP-ended reed'
Archaeologists have found thousands
of these cuneiform tablets, telling us
much about MesoPotamian life.
Only a few PeoP1e-mostlY boYs from
wealthy families-learned how to write'
After years of training, they became scribes
(SKRYiS), or record keepers. Scribes held
honored positions in society, often going on
to become judges and political leaders'
Sumerian Literature The sumerians also
produced works of literature. The world's
oldest known story comes from Sumer' It is
called the Epic of Gilgamesh (GIHL' guh o
r.,rrHsH). An epic is a long Poem that tells the
story of a hero. The hero Gilgamesh is a
king who travels around the world with a
friend and performs great deeds. When his
I made
5lowea
first to
others.
rk
on
rtions
other
treen
;
,eople
in
Science and Math rr'e
L-[esopotamians' creativity extended to
:=chnology too. You read earlier about
:-rrrerian irrigation systems. Sumerians
:-so invented the wagon wheel to help
Advances
::rr\r people and goods from place to place.
r-:other breakthrough was the plow, which
:ade farming easier. Still another invention
,,,'.-s the sailboat, which replace{ muscle
:,ri{er with wind power.
altect
ratest
nPor-
u'ritand
:alied
x). it
*dg"clarreed.
Sand-<
ftg
u-s
ldentify What kind of written language did the Sumerians use?
frr€Pas*Rr
-*t'
rords
ls
Sumerians developed many mathematical ideas. They used geometry to measure
fields and put up buildings. They also
created a number system based on 60. We
have them to thank for our 60-minute hour,
60-second minute, and 360-degree circle.
In addition, Sumerian people watched
the skies to learn the best times to plant
crops and to hold religious festivals. They
recorded the positions of the planets and
stars and developed a L2-month calendar
based on the cycles of the moon.
::iend dies, Gilgamesh searches for a way to
,";e forever. He learns that this is possible
-:fr. for the gods.
Education
PreG€mt
V
@[[
ln ancient Mesopotamia, onty boys from
,uealthy and high-ranking famities went to the
viubba, which means "tablet house." At the
*d u bb a-the world's first schoot-boys
;rrdied reading, writing, and mathematics
;nrd trained to be scribes. For hours
e, ery day, they copied the signs of the
- neiform script, trying to master
rur+dreds of words
a-d phrases.
Students today
trona
,t-rite"
ribes
hehl
ng on
;-
;
IT?i[,
Today, both boys and girls
schoo[. They study reading,
al-"o
go to
writing, and mathematics, but a[so
many other subjects. As students
advance in their education, they have
a great number of career choices and are
abte to choose the career that fits their talents.
'I n,wha::t wd)l:Is ad iE*tla: n differant taday,th a n
orld"s
r. trt is
I
guh
.
Is th.e
risa
rith
a
n hus
I
Mesopotarniahiuneifo,rm rta,blet
iftwstrrl.Mesoiai**ta?"
CHAPTER
1
''
:
"..'i,,,,,,
:
:
The First Civilizations
|
:.
21
HavtMuRABI
c. 1792-1750 n'c'
Reigned
ffiff$,:ffi#'ffiI"",ffi
il*t'ffi**,irn**:I* IH::::,
ffi
:[*ti:t:[:l;*lit*;'ulni:i,i:1-iru,'"0
%
;,,[:[TH'xJ],:fflJ#J:,::"ffiTJ:i|:f,::
went into his
prole"i;;; i""t''
for example' were
arrangedinstraigtriiin.,.naintersectedatiigtrt%
AHammurabi
ptanned today'
much Uft ift" *ty oul cities.are
angtes,
"""on"
to control the
of Hammurabi's goals was
uttt"e ii provided water for.
troi'*t*'*t*t
routes.for cargo ships'
Babyton's farms and trade
wanted
However, other kings arso
; oJ tr,'..
coiir;i:lfi'fl;,*ig,H ,-#il#f[till::1
rs
i's st 4
ilr;
i1,".-ffi ;1ll # ?ilii:lJil.,
D u ri n
a
mm
u ra b
ra
1
ve
a
and oth"t enemies' Hammurabi
fought
a'in'ini'-Sin
r"'
and
this by
as king, he
peopte..He sometimes did
'Jtait"
una
withhotding
actuatty used
. ,uailn ftooa, Lnd sometimes by
,.1..r'ng
warer
the
damming
croPs'
for drinking ana
water;;[.;i'r-iin
*.i"t
""i
iit
fll
"..aed
Afterdefeatinghisenemies,Hammurabirutedbrieflytveraunified
'tmurabisoonu...*_u.iri.nahisson,samsuiluna,tookover
Han
il''.;ecause of Hammurabi's great
ofjoY
@
Mesopotamia'
rnd was crowned king after
.tiortr, however, the center
;;;:*;
rrx#ili*fr*r"ilry
next
it
where
'1,000
remained for the
years.
* ;.r'il;;;;;;.bi'si
E
g
IEJEI
il; ;;r
il;;;;t
Use the lnternet..1and
.
l^
riur..y to identify ."::::::,yIT_t"
fair but
you ihintt are somewhat
Sugon and Hammurabi
rc
Sumerian city-states lost power when
conquered by outsiders.
Lywere
Focus
Have you heard of the Roman Empire,
Empire, or the British Empire? The rise and fall
is an important part
of history. Read on to
the first empires in the world.
time, conflicts weakened Sumer's
Theybecame vul:rerable to attacks
ide groups such as the Akkadians (uh.
. uhnz) of northern Mesopotamia.
The king of the Akkadians was named
(SAHR.cnHN). In about 2340 e.c.,
conquered all of Mesopotamia. He set
world's first empire. An empire (rgv.
isa group of many different lands under
mler. Sargon's empire lasted for more
200 years before falling to invaders.
In the 1800s B.c.t a new group of people
became powerful in Mesopotamia. They
built the city of Babylon (al.buh.tuhn) by
the Euphrates River. It quickly became a
center of trade. Beginning n 1792 n.c., the
Babylonianking, Hammurabi (Hr. muh. RAH.
bee), began conquering cities to the north and
south and created the Babylonian Empire.
Hammurabi is best known for his law
code, or collection of laws. (See pages 24 and
25.) He took what he believed were the best
laws from each city-state and put them in
one code. The code covered crimes, farming
and business activities, and marriage and
the family-almost every area of life. The
code forced everyone in Babylon to follow
the same laws. It also influenced later laws,
including those of Greece and Rbme.
Explain Why was Sargon's
empire important?
Review
ttlfhat Did You Learn?
Summary
th"
farming villages devetirto civitizations with
art, religion, writsocia[ ctass divisions.
citlr-states developed
lmportant ideas and invenhduding writing, the whee[,
m
and a number system
60, were developed in
1. What is a civilization?
Geography Skitts How was
the geography of Mesopotamia
suited for the growth of
population and creation of
2. What was the Code of
Hammurabi?
Criticat Thinking
3. Summarize lnformation
a civilization?
Draw a chart [ike the one below.
Use it to list the achievements
Science Link Why did the
Sumerians record the positions
of stars and p[anets and
of Mesopotamian civilization.
develop a calendar?
Persuasive Writing lmagine
you are [iving in a city-state
in ancient Sumer. Write a letter
Achievements of
Mesopotamian Civilization
to a friend describing which
of Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamian idea or invention
you believe witl be the most
important to humanity.
empires, including the
Empire, took control
CHAPTER
1
The First Civilizations
23