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Mesopotamia • Around 3500 B.C. , it was one of the first known civilizations to develop – Mesopotamia was known as the “Cradle of Civilization” because the earliest people and cultures were located there • A civilized society has: – – – – – – Permanent structures Government Agriculture Specialization of labor Religion Culture (clothing, food, family structure) Geography of Mesopotamia Mesopotamia – “the land between two rivers” Mesopotamia lies between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The Tigris River and the Euphrates River run parallel to each other. At the farthest point, they are about 150 miles from each other. The valley of these rivers offered food, water, good soil, natural protection, and trade/transportation. It was a beneficial place to live. When the rivers would flood, they left a layer of silt (small particles of soil) on the banks and plains. This made very good soil for farming. Why Live in a River Valley? 1. Food 2. Water 3. Transportation 4. Protection 5. Trade The Fertile Crescent Another reason early humans settled down in Mesopotamia was that it was a part of a geographic feature called the Fertile Crescent. This crescent (arch shaped area of land) had naturally fertile soil. Today is it located in a region we call the Middle East, specifically the country of Iraq. The Fertile Crescent includes the modern day countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and others. • Early civilizations learned how to use the rivers for their benefit. – They created a system of canals in the area between the two rivers to provide the people with fresh water and irrigation. • Dams and gates were used to control the water. – Canals were also used for transportation and trading. They were big enough for small boats. Mesopotamian City-States • Mesopotamia was divided into city-states. – City-state – a city that is an individual unit, complete with its own form of government and traditions • The main city-states of early Mesopotamia were Sumer (Sumerians) and Akkad (Akkadians). – Sumer in the south and Akkad in the north – The people of both city-states practices similar farming and business methods and had similar customs. – People of these city-states had a marketplace to buy and sell goods. – The main difference between the two was their language Religion • Sumerians and Akkadians practiced polytheism. They believed that the gods and goddesses were responsible for the well-being of the people and the fertility of the land. – Polytheism – the worship of MANY gods • Priests performed religious ceremonies and made offerings to the gods. It was believed that priests had direct contact with the gods. – If the people were prospering, they believed that the gods were pleased with them. Religion • Temples were built in Mesopotamia as earthly homes for the gods. – Ziggurat – a pyramid-shaped structure in ancient Sumerian culture with a temple at the top • Ziggurats were believed by Mesopotamians to link the heavens and Earth. The closer the temple was to the sky, the closer to their gods they believed they were. Religion • The size and magnificence of the temples in Mesopotamia shows the importance of religion to society. – Society – an organized community with established rules and traditions Government and Society • Sumer was a monarchy (a government ruled by a king or queen) • The first kings were most likely war heroes – Over time rule was inherited • For example: After the king died his son would take over. Social Groups • A social hierarchy was created as a result of occupations began to take on different ranks or values. • Generally people remained in the social class into which they were born. • Upper class: kings, priests, warriors and government officials • Middle class: merchants, farmers, fishers, and artisans • Lower class: slaves Sumerian Inventions – Plow- pulled by oxen – Bronze tools/weapons – Potter’s wheel – Cuneiform writing- oldest in history. Used clay tablets & a stylus (made from a plant). Had symbols/script instead of pictures. – Number system based on 60 – 12 month calendar Mesopotamian Empires • An empire is a group of many different lands under one ruler. • Through conquest and trade, these empires spread their cultures over a wide region. • Mesopotamian Empires: – Akkad – Babylonia – Assyria – Chaldean Akkadian Empire • Developed in northern Mesopotamia • Sargon and his armies went southward through Sumer defeating one city-state after another and overthrowing many kings • About 2430 B.C. Sargon became king of Sumer and Akkad – He formed the world’s first empire • The empire lasted about 200 years before it was overtaken by invaders About a thousand years after the ancient Sumerians settled in the land between two rivers, two new civilizations arose. One was the warrior civilization of the Assyrians in northern Mesopotamia. The other was the ancient civilization of Babylonia. Babylonia was located in southern Mesopotamia, near the Persian Gulf. Babylonian Empire • In 1792 B.C. Hammurabi became king of Babylon, which was located on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River • By 1754 B.C. he controlled all of Mesopotamia and a number of neighboring city-states creating the Babylonian Empire – The empire stretched north from the Persian Gulf through the Tigris-Euphrates valley and west to the Mediterranean Sea Babylonian Empire The capital of Babylonia was the city of Babylon, created to honor the old Sumerian god, Marduk. Babylon was a massive walled city, with a network of canals and vivid green crops. Even from a distance, visitors could see the top of the 300-foot high ziggurat long before they reached the huge city gates. Hammurabi developed a system of roads to encourage trade. Babylon then became a trading hub with caravans coming from the south towards the cities of the north. Bazaars in Babylon sold cotton from India and spices from Egypt. Eventually, Babylon conquered the city-state of Mari and took the best chariots, weapons, and tools in the world. Babylonian Empire Babylonia • Hammurabi is best known for a set of laws called the Hammurabi Code – There 282 laws that dealt with crimes, farming, business, marriage and family – There were also punishments listed for the crimes • Hammurabi believed that the punishment should fit the crime “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” Make a bubble map Assyrian Empire Assyrian Empire Assyrian Empire Despite the fact that the capital city of Nineveh was known for it's remarkable library, Assyrians were best known for being skilled warriors who had to fight to protect their land as well as to conquer others. They were experts at waging war and developed the battering ram, had expert archers and used armed charioteers. They were very successful at defeating city-states to the east and west but Babylon proved difficult for them to overtake. Around 1200 BCE, the Assyrians finally conquered Babylon. Babylon was the greatest city of the age but rather than take over the city for their own use, the Assyrians leveled it. The Assyrians hated the Babylonians. Before they destroyed the town, they forced all the people to move to various places in Assyria which is what the Assyrians always did when they conquered a new people. They moved them around, different people in different places, so the conquered people would find it difficult to revolt. Assyrian Empire • The Assyrian Empire arose about 1,000 years after the empire of Hammurabi. • They built a large (around 50,000 soldiers) and powerful military to defend their territory. – Used iron weapons • Assyrian Empire was ruled by powerful kings. – They divided the empire into provinces that were overseen by officials. The officials collected taxes and carried out laws. Assyrian Empire • They had a set of laws with very harsh punishments. • They were polytheistic. • Ashuranipal built one of the world’s first libraries in Nineveh. • Farming and trade were important. Babylon Rises Again King Nebuchadnezzar II was a Chaldean ruler who rebuilt Babylon after the Assyrians destroyed it. Nebuchadnezzar restored old religious monuments and improved canals, but Nebuchadnezzar is best known for his legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Hanging Gardens were on a terrace supported by brick arches. Nebuchadnezzar's building projects included surrounding his capital city with a double wall 10-miles long with an elaborate entry called the Ishtar Gate. He also built a port on the Persian Gulf. Under the rule of the Chaldeans, Babylon became a center of learning and science. Their astronomers charted the stars and measured the length of a year. They were so good that they were only a few minutes off of what modern scientists found. Legend says ... The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built by King Nebuchadnezzar so that the queen, his wife, would have a lovely, private, terraced garden to enjoy. The gardens were rumored to be about 400 feet wide, 400 feet long, and over 80 feet high. Some historians believe the gardens were built in a series of platforms that all together were 320 feet high. There were paths and steps and fountains and gorgeous flowers, all build to make a homesick queen feel welcomed and loved. It was supposedly built around 600 BCE, along the bank of the Euphrates River (south of the modern day city of Baghdad, Iraq.) No one knows if the gardens actually existed, or if they did, if they existed in Babylon, but the legend is a lovely one. Chaldean Empire • Fight broke out over who would be the next Assyrian ruler, so this gave the Chaldeans a chance to gain power • In 627 B.C. king Nabopolassar led a revolt against the AssyriansHe forced the Assyrians out of Uruk and took the title king of Babylonia • In 612 B.C. the Chaldeans and Medes combined forces to defeat the Assyrian armythey over took Nineveh and burned it to the ground Chaldean Empire • Chaldean Empire sometimes known as the New Babylonian Empire because many of the people were descendants of Hammurabi’s Empire • Babylon was the capital • Nebuchadnezzar made rebuilt Babylon the largest and richest city in the world – Beautiful palaces, huge ziggurat with a gold roof, Hanging Gardens, Ishtar Gate Chaldean Empire’s Advancements • One of the first to use the sundial to measure time • Followed a 7 day week • Mapped the stars, planets and phases of the moon Chaldean Empire Falls • After Nebuchadnezzar’s death the Chaldean Empire weakened due to poor leadership and slow trade • In 539 B.C. the Persians captured Babylon and made it part of their empire