Download Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia
Geography
• Fertile Crescent = “Land b/w rivers”
• Tigris, Euphrates
– Flood
– Plant in silt  wheat and barley  surplus
What were some of the
Environmental Challenges?
1.
2.
3.
•
1.
2.
3.
•
Unpredictable flooding
No natural barriers
Limited building resources
What are some possible Solutions?
Irrigation
City walls
Trade
What did they need to execute these
solutions?
City-States
• Surrounded by fields
• Own gov’t
• Much like own country
Who Ruled?
• Times of Peace?
• During Warfare?
• Who ruled more often? Why?
What does it mean to be a
dynasty?
Spread of Cities
• Surplus of goods led to what?
• What is Cultural Diffusion? –
Sumerian Culture
• Religion – Polytheism
– Gods immortal and all-powerful
– Epic of Gilgamesh
• Social Classes
– Kings, Landowners, Priests
– Wealthy Merchants
– Majority – Artisans
– Slaves
Women
•
•
•
•
•
Many Rights
Merchants, artisans, farmers
Hold property
Join priesthood
Learned to read and write
Akkadian Empire
• Sargon
• 1st Empire – Brings
together several
people, nations, or
independent states
together
• Lasted 200 Years
Old Babylonian Empire
(1900-1600 BC)
• Amorites invade 
Establish Babylon as
capital
• Hammurabi – Peak of
Babylonian Reign
– Code of Laws
– All over empire