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Mesopotamian
Civilization
Why were River Valleys so important in the
ancient world?
Mesopotamia’s Civilization
Why were River Valleys so important to the
development of civilization?
O Rich soil made farming easier, surplus food
supplies created more time for people to
specialize in different jobs and crafts.
O Rivers provided fresh water, fish to eat and
made travel and trade easier.
O Governments were formed to maintain order and
take charge of food supplies and keep records
O BIG IDEA- Fertile soil provides farmers with a
FOOD SURPLUS, that leads to specialized jobs,
record keeping and finally literature.
The Rise of Sumer
O People learned to control the flow of water from the
rivers to the fields and to control the seasonal floods.
O Mesopotamia means the land between two rivers in
Greek. It is a fertile plain between the rivers.
O Irrigation is the man made way to water crops on the
farm like building canals and other waterways.
O BIG IDEA- New irrigation technology allowed people
to grow more crops. More crops= more money, more
time to specialize in other crafts, more food!
City-States- separate governments,
mini-countries, similar culture
O Each Sumerian city and the land around it
became a city-state, each was
separated/isolated by geography
O Each had its own government, was usually
surrounded by a wall and often went to war
with other city-states.
O Used river mud to make bricks for buildings
The Royal Standard of Ur
War
The Royal Standard of Ur
Peace
Gods and Rulers-polytheistic, kings
were rulers, built hills of heavenZiggurat
O The Sumerians were polytheistic, they believed
in many gods and each god was in charge of a
natural force or human activity (basket weaving,
rain, flooding etc.)
O They tried hard to please their gods; they built
temples called Ziggurats to worship them.
Ziggurat means hill of heaven or mountain of
god.
O Kings often inherited the title from their father.
The king of the Akkadians was Sargon and
Hammurabi was the king of Babylon.
Life in Sumer
Specialization leads to a middle class of workers who live in more
comfortable homes.
Upper class- kings, priests, government officials; middle classartisans, merchants, traders, farmers, fisherman; lower classslaves
O People lived in mud brick houses
O Artisans are skilled workers who made metal products, pottery and
cloth
O
Why was Sumerian writing important?
-First written language; created the need for scribes, allowed for record
keeping and passing down ideas to others
O First writing system invented by Sumerians
called Cuneiform. Cuneiform is written on soft
clay tablets with sharp ended reeds.
O Those who were taught writing were called
scribes; most wealthy boys learned to writescribes were the record keeper for business and
governments and scribes could become judges,
political leaders.
O Eventually scribes went from just record keeping
to passing on ideas as well as information. It
was an honored position in society.
Sumerian LiteratureThe oldest story in world.
O The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem about a
hero king who travels the world. It is the
oldest known written story in the world. It
teaches moral lessons.
Excerpt from the Epic of
Gilgamesh
"Where is the strength? It is Gilgamesh
who will venture first into the Cedar Forest,
and you can follow after, crying out:
'Go on, go forward, go on, embrace the danger!'
You who have fought with lions and with wolves,
you know what danger is. Where is your courage?
If I should fall, my name will be secure.
'It was Gilgamesh who fought against Huwawa!
It is Gilgamesh who will venture into the Forest
and cut down the Cedar down and win the glory.
My fame will be secure to all my sons.'"
Ferry, p. 17
O
Here, Gilgamesh admonishes Enkidu's fear prior to their battle with
Humbaba/Huwawa. Gilgamesh boasts of how, regardless of how the battle goes,
his fame is cemented. This passage demonstrates Gilgamesh's view of himself
and life in general. To him, fame and a legacy are the most important aspects of
life. While one can argue that Gilgamesh is only saying these things to encourage
Enkidu, he is also clearly on a power trip. Contrast this with how Gilgamesh feels
following Enkidu's death.
Advances in Math and ScienceInfluence modern math and science and how
we live today
O They used geometry to measure their fields to
farm and build buildings.
O They watched the skies to learn the best time to
plant the crops and hold religious festivals and
make a twelve month calendar based on the
cycles of the moon.
O They created a number system based on the
number 60, such as 60 second minute, 60
minute hour and 360 circle.
O They invented the wagon wheel to help carry
goods and people.
Sargon and Hammurabi
O Mesopotamia was taken over by Sargon the Akkadian king
in 2340 BCE. This became the world’s first empire.
O An empire is a group of many lands ruled by one ruler.
O In 1792 BCE, Hammurabi the king of Babylon conquered
the Mesopotamian region, he is best known for is code of
law.
What was Hammurabi’s
code?
O It is a set of laws for the Babylonian
empire.
O These laws were written down in
cuneiform and were the same for all
people
O Hammurabi wrote the 282 laws in
1750 BCE- they included laws on
farming, crimes, business activities,
marriage and the family.
Words to Know
O civilization: complex societies (page 17)
O irrigation: man-made way of watering crops
O
O
O
O
O
(page 18)
city-state: city and its surrounding lands (page
19)
artisan: skilled worker (page 20)
cuneiform: ancient Sumerian form of writing
(page 20)
scribe: record keeper (page 20)
empire: group of lands under one ruler (page
23)
Questions and Answers
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Why was the region of Mesopotamia so well suited for the growth of
civilization?
Rich soil made farming easier, surplus food supplies created more time
for people to specialize in different jobs and crafts.
Rivers provided fresh water, fish to eat and made travel and trade
easier.
Governments were formed to maintain order and take charge of food
supplies and keep records
BIG IDEA- Fertile soil-FOOD SURPLUS leads to specialized jobs, record
keeping and finally literature
What is a city-state?
A city and the surrounding land; has its own government.
What is a civilization?
A civilization is a complex society with government, religion, art, class
division and a writing system.
More Questions and Answers
O Why was Sargon’s Empire important?
Sargon conquered the entire Mesopotamian region in
2340 BCE, making it the first empire in the world. It lasted
for a little more than 200 years before it was taken over.
O How did people reach the upper levels of the
Ziggurat?
The main stair took you to the top and the side stairs to the
upper levels of the Ziggurat
Even More Q & A
In what ways is education different today than it was in Mesopotamia?
Today
O Both boys and girls attend
O Many subjects are taught
O We get to decide our careers
In Mesopotamia:
O Only boys attend school
O Boys are taught to write, read and do math
O They are chosen to be scribes
Into what body of water do the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow?
O The Persian Gulf
How did the Mesopotamians control the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?
O With dams, walls, ditches and canals.