Download Mesopotamia

Sumerian Unit
Introduction
Origins of
Mesopotamian Civilization
4000 years ago
Major civilizations developed in valleys
between Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Southwest Asia
(modern day Iraq)
“Mesopotamia” is Greek for
“land between two rivers”
Map of Mesopotamia & ancient Near East
I. Sumerians
First civilization in this region
Southeastern part of Mesopotamia
Sumeria claimed many “firsts”
Sumerian “firsts”
Writing system: cuneiform (wedge-shaped)
Number system based on 60
our 60-second minute
our 60-minute hour
our 360-degree circle
Schools (edubbas) and cities (most famous)
Sumerian cuneiform tablet from Ur
Sumerian School Staff
“school father”
principal
“big brother”
asst. prof. who carved
tablets for students to
copy
“man in charge of
drawing”
art teacher
Sumerian school staff, cont.
“man in charge of
Sumerian”
language teacher
officers for attendance
attendance clerk
officers for discipline
Officer Vick (?)
Sumerian temples
Each city had temple with:
image of chief god
eg. Ishtar in Uruk
temple staff
priests, scribes, & artisans
ziggurat
largest building in city
6-7 story tower
used by gods as ladder
Reconstruction of a Ziggurat
Sumerian cities
Each city-state had:
priests became temple rulers
ruling priests became military leaders
military leaders became kings
eg. Gilgamesh in Uruk
The Sumerians
were conquered by
the Babylonians.
II. Babylonians
King Sargon (2340 BC)
great Mesopotamian king
capital city near site of Babylon
spoke Akkadian
Semitic language
related to Hebrew & Arabic
Babylonians
Called Semites b/c of language:
nomads
migrated from Arabia
founded village of Babylon
on Euphrates River (2000 BC)
Babylonians
King Hammurabi (1750 BC)
Babylon becomes capital of his great empire
Famous legal code:
engraved on stone slab
282 laws
based on “eye for an eye”
eg. person who blinds another
is punished by being blinded
Hammurabi receives laws from Shamash
Babylonians
Revered Sumerian culture
Babylonian scribes:
learned Sumerian language
preserved Sumerian literature
reshaped Sumerian tales
about legendary king
brilliant work known today as
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Babylonians
were conquered by
the Assyrians.
III. Assyrians
Semitic group also
Northern Mesopotamia
Known for iron weapons
& powerful cavalry
But recognized superiority of
Babylonian & Sumerian cultures
Assyrians
King Ashurbanipal (600’s BC)
assembled first great library
of ancient world
20,000 clay tablets
12 of tablets:
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Ashurbanipal kills wounded lion w/sword.
Assyrian king Ashurbanipal on horseback
Assyrians
612 BC:
Assyrian library razed
Epic of Gilgamesh lost
name of Gilgamesh lost
Nearly 2500 years pass.
1845 AD:
Englishman excavates King’s library
Scholars copy & translate
cuneiform from clay tablets
The Epic
of Gilgamesh
is saved.
What is the Gilgamesh Epic?
Long narrative poem
Tale of Sumerian king who
lived between 2700 & 2500 BC
Oldest work you will ever read
What is the Gilgamesh Epic?
Universal themes:
How do I become famous?
How do I gain respect?
How do I cope with a friend’s death?
How do I accept my own death?
What is the Gilgamesh Epic?
No single author:
Sumerians handed down story for
100’s of years after Gil’s death
Babylonians modified epic &
added prologue & theme
Assyrians included epic in library
What is the Gilgamesh Epic?
International bestseller
Translated into many languages
Survived only in folklore
after Babylon fell
Written epic lost
until library excavated
Most exciting find:
description of a great flood
Gilgamesh and Enkidu