Download Chapter 2: Western Asia and Egypt, 3500 * BC

Mrs. LaPlant
Global 9
Our Lady Of Lourdes
Chapter 2: Western Asia and Egypt,
3500 – 500 B.C.
Section 1: Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia
Essential Question: Why were the first farming
societies located along rivers?
Why were the first farming societies
located along rivers?
•The rivers flooded, leaving fertile soil.
•Irrigation systems could be built using the
river’s water, allowing seasonal growth of
crops.
•River provided transportation
What caused the Mesopotamians to believe
that supernatural forces (gods and
goddesses) controlled their world?
•The climate was harsh and there were frequent
famines (times of starvation).
•The belief that many gods and goddesses
influenced all aspects of the universe, is a
polytheistic religion.
Sumerian contributions to civilization:
POLITICAL LIFE
CULTURAL LIFE
INVENTIONS
Sumerian contributions to civilization:
POLITICAL LIFE
CULTURAL LIFE
INVENTIONS
organized government religion
writing
law code
architecture
wagon wheel
literature
arch
bronze
sundial
number system
How were city-states important in the
development of government in
Mesopotamia?
City-states were the basic units of Sumerian
civilization. They expanded and gained control
over the surrounding countryside.
Why did Sumerians build walls around their
cities?
Walls gave them protection from attacks by
other city-states or nomadic groups.
Why were the temples the most important
buildings in the Sumerian city-states?
The temples were dedicated to the chief god or
goddess of the city. The temple was often built
on top of a ziggurat.
What was the primary occupation of 90% of
Sumerians? Farmers
Why were the scribes different from the rest of the
population, and why did they receive important
government positions? The scribes were from the
wealthy class and the only ones who knew how to
read and write cuneiform, so they were important
to the government.
The Standard of Ur – War – p. 31
• What events are depicted in these panels?
• What does the “War” panel reveal about Sumerian society?
The Standard of Ur - War
'War' shows one of the earliest representations
of a Sumerian army.
Chariots, each pulled by four donkeys, trample
enemies; infantry with cloaks carry spears;
enemy soldiers are killed with axes, others are
paraded naked and presented to the king who
holds a spear.
The Standard of Ur – Peace
The 'Peace' panel depicts animals, fish and
other goods brought in procession to a banquet.
Seated figures, wearing woolen fleeces or
fringed skirts, drink to the accompaniment of a
musician playing a lyre.
Hammurabi’s code
• Hammurabi’s code is the oldest set of
laws known to exist.
• Hammurabi was the king and chief
priest of Babylonia from 1792-1750 B.C.
• He greatly expanded his empire, then he
focused his energies toward wealth and
justice for his people.
• He created a code protecting all classes
of Babylonian society, including women
and slaves.
• He sought protection of the weak from the powerful and the
poor from the rich.
• The carving on the stone on which the code is written depicts
Hammurabi receiving the divine laws from the sun god, the
god most often associated with justice.
• Hammurabi’s Code contains 282 laws (possibly more have
been rubbed off) that probably amend common Babylonian
law rather than define it. It describes regulations for legal
procedure, fixes rates on services performed in most
branches of commerce and describes property rights,
personal injury, and penalties for false testimony and
accusations. It has no laws regarding religion.
Hammurabi’s code
• The Code of Hammurabi allowed men, women, slaves, and all others
to read and understand the laws that governed their lives in
Babylon.
• The Code is particularly just for its time. Although it follows the
practice of "an eye for an eye", it does not allow for vigilante justice,
but rather demands a trial by judges.
• It glorifies acts of peace and justice done during Hammurabi’s rule. It
symbolizes not only the emergence of justice in the minds of men,
but also man’s rise above ignorance and barbarism toward the
peaceful and just societies still pursued today.