Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Mesopotamia Introduction O In Southwest Asia, two other rivers were important. They were the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Together they formed a valley called Mesopotamia, or “land between the rivers”. O Mesopotamia was part of the Fertile Crescent. Its soil was very good for farming. The Fertile Crescent extended from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. O Civilizations were developing in Mesopotamia around the same time they were forming in Egypt. Around 5000 B.C., settlers began building cities in a part of Mesopotamia called Sumer. The Sumerians O Unlike the Nile River, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers did not flood at the same time every year. When the rivers did flood, the Sumerians were surprised. The floods washed away their crops and their houses. The Sumerians built canals to control the flooding waters. They also built dikes, or mounds of dirt, to hold back flooding waters. Using the rich soil of the river valley, the Sumerians became excellent farmers. The Sumerians O Mesopotamia had few trees or stones for building. But there was plenty of clay. Sumerians made bricks from clay and let them dry in the sun. They used the bricks to build homes and temples. Their temples were called ziggurats. The ziggurats were built as special places for the gods. Sumerians believed they had to make the gods happy in order to have good crops. The Sumerians O Many Sumerian cities grew into city – states, independent cities surrounded by farming villages. A ziggurat was usually at the center of the city. A wall surrounded the city. There were farms and villages outside the wall. The wall protected the city from invaders. Each city – state had its own ruler. Sumerians believed that the ruler had the support of the local god. But unlike in Egypt, the ruler was not considered an actual child of a god. Sumerian Inventions O The Sumerians found a good way to use the wheel. They connected wheels to a cart. Then they used donkeys to pull the cart. This simple invention changed how people and things traveled from one place to another. The Sumerians also invented a sail for boats. The sail made water travel easier. Sumerian Inventions O Like the Egyptians, the Sumerians created a form of writing. They did not have paper. Instead they used soft clay tablets. Writers used a pointed stick called a stylus to make their marks. The tablets were then dried in the sun to make them hard. The Sumerians used a type of writing called cuneiform. Sumerian Inventions O By putting cuneiform symbols together, the Sumerians wrote stories, poems, and songs. They kept records of the goods they traded. They wrote down the names of cities and leaders. In this way, the Sumerians wrote their history. Akkadians and Babylonians O Around 2340 B.C., a man named Sargon attacked and defeated the lands of Sumer. He led his soldiers in battles until all of Mesopotamia was united under his rule. Sargon built a new capital city called Akkad. Sargon saw how much the Sumerians had done. He adopted many of their ways. For example, the Akkadians began to use cuneiform writing. Sargon and the kings who followed him stayed in power for about 200 years. Akkadians and Babylonian O Next, the Babylonians gained control of Mesopotamia. Hammurabi became king of Babylon around 1792 B.C. He is remembered most for having all the Babylonian laws written down around 1780 B.C. Hammurabi knew the laws of the Sumerians and Akkadians. He changed them a little and made them a part of Babylonian laws. Hammurabi’s collection of more than 250 laws is known as the Code of Hammurabi. O The code did not treat all people equally. Some had more rights than others. Still, the code told people what they could and could not do. Anyone who broke a law knew the punishment. Other Fertile Crescent People O There were other people who lived in the Fertile Crescent. The Hittites ruled lands in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. The Hittites knew how to make iron tools and weapons. O Another group, the Phoenicians, lived on the western edge of the Fertile Crescent. They set up colonies along the Mediterranean Sea around 1000 B.C. They built boats and sailed as traders. The Phoenicians spread their traditions to the people in the colonies. At first, the Phoenicians sailed only during the day. Later, they learned to study the stars to find their way at night. Other Fertile Crescent People O The Phoenicians developed a simple alphabet. The Sumerians had used hundreds of letters. That made cuneiform hard to use. The Phoenicians used just 22 letters. Today many languages are based on the Phoenician alphabet. O Many groups ruled parts of the Fertile Crescent. The Assyrians came to power around 800 B.C. They expanded their control over the next 150 years. By 650 B.C., they ruled all the land of the Fertile Crescent and the Nile River. Other Fertile Crescent People O The Assyrian Empire was a combination of all the groups of people who lived in the Fertile Crescent and Egypt. The people spoke many different languages. The Assyrian Empire controlled this large area by being cruel. The Assyrian Empire controlled this large area by being cruel. The Assyrians often took people away from their homes and moved them to a different part of the empire. When the empire ended around 600 B.C., many people celebrated.