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Mesopotamia Geography • • • • • • Tigres and Euphrates, Fertile Crescent Land between two rivers, trade on water Asia Minor/Middle East Surrounded by desert one side, mountains Mediterranean Sea to Persian Gulf Floods and deposits of silt, sporadic=irrigation systems • Roads influence geography barriers • Migration of Indo-Europeans from steppes Politics • Develop city-states, independent: Sumer, Ur, Babylon, Uruk, Akkad • Compete for resources, fighting • Ziggurat center of city, walled • Military leaders-war heroes, become kings, dynasties • Big government projects, keep government documents • Sargon- first Empire, standing army • Hammurabi- Code 282 laws, first written set of laws, posted=consistency, tax collection, roads-trade • Strict governments formed to deter rebellion, Assyrians: use terrorism as policy tool, seige warfare • Some empires develop almost feudal system: Persians have satraps-local governors Politics • Chaldeans: Nebuchadnezzar II, captures Jerusalem • Persians: Cyrus, Darius (Ten Thousand Immortals), Xerxes Economics • • • • • Farming-irrigation, bronze plowing tools Textile trades Regional trading, use waterways Sewer Roads lead to permanent trading routes, shipping by water develops also: Royal Road, move trade, messages, 1500 miles • Barley, cattle • Phoenicians first coins Religion • • • • • Polytheistic-many gods Have patron gods for each city-states Priests/priestess powerful Human qualities Good v evil-dualism-Zoroastrianism, founder Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda v. Ahriman • Book: Avesta • Ziggurats temples, pyramid structure • Gods explain nature Society • Woman status as priestess, some scribes, some are educated • Hierarchy: king, priests, agents – Landowners, wealthy merchants – Artisans, farmers, laborers – Slaves: Chaldeans use Jewish pop as slaves – Assyrians fierce warfare society Intellect • Cuneiform- writing using sharp tools on clay tablets • Permanent records, post laws, written cultureliterature • Cylinder seals • Role scribe • Epic of Gilgamesh- story legendary king • Math based on 60, time 60 minutes, 360 degrees • Basic surgery • Assyrian library:Nineveh • Astronomy-calendar based on phases of the moon • Phoenician alphabet Arts • • • • • • • • • • • EPIC, songs, poems Textiles Sculpture Architecture Ivory, bronze Pottery Phoenicians glass blowing Babylon Hanging Gardens Persians: Persepolis, arches, lots of animals Purple dye Hittites ironworking developments Decline • • • • • • • • • Sargon, Akkadian Empire, last 140 years Babylon, Amorite, Hammurabi, about 200 years Hittites Kassites Assyrians Chaldeans Phoenicians Persians Alexander the Great of Greece
