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Mesopotamia Study Guide
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Mesopotamia means “The Land Between Two Rivers”
Mesopotamia surrounded the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Mesopotamia is also called the Fertile Crescent because the land was fertile
The floods were unpredictable, overflowed, and led to famine and drought
Mesopotamian farmers learned to irrigate, leading to a surplus, and then to
trade (barter)
Sumerians were the first to make important contributions to Mesopotamia
Sumer had no central government but was made up of independent
city-states
Sumerians were polytheistic – believed in many gods
Sumerians built ziggurats – temples to honor their gods and goddesses
Sumerians developed a system of writing called cuneiform – wedge shaped
writing – as a way to keep account of business deals
Scribes wrote on clay tablets with a stylus made from reed
Babylonians conquered Sumer
Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon –
one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World - for his wife
Babylonian ruler Hammurabi created The Code of Hammurabi which was the
world’s first effort to record laws. It was a harsh set of laws known as “an
eye for an eye” justice system. It had 3,600 lines of cuneiform and was
carved on a stone column. On the top sat Shamash (the god of the sun and
justice) handing the laws to Hammurabi. This made it seem that Hammurabi
was given the laws by the gods.