Download Written Language

The Shaping of Early
Civilizations
Standard 6-1.3
Let’s Remember…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJdT6QcSbQ0
Ancient River Valley Civilizations
• Geography- where are they located, natural
boundaries
• Architecture- what did they build that they are
‘famous for’
• Written Language- communication
• Social Order- how were the people divided by
class (jobs)
• Government- who was in control
• Trading Systems- why did they trade, where
did they trade, what did they trade
Geography- Google Earth
• One major area of development of civilization was in an area called
Mesopotamia.
• It was located in:
• Asia: valley between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers (present day Iraq)
• Mesopotamia means
“the land between the rivers”.
• Early civilizations formed around
rivers so they could FARM. (crops
need water!)
The Impact of Geography
• The most important features of this area for the development of
civilization were the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
• The rivers caused the soil in this area to be rich and fertile.
• Each year the rivers would flood, bringing important nutrients to
the soil.
The Impact of Geography
• The people of Mesopotamia learned to control the flow of the rivers.
• They created irrigation and drainage ditches to make it easier to
grow crops.
• They were able to grow a lot of food (surplus)= led to the
development of cities.
Architecture
• In the cities, the Sumerians built temples and
monuments called ziggurats.
• Temples for their gods
• Built them tall to be close to the gods
• Only priests were able to go inside
• Streamline: Religious Beliefs of the Ancient Sumerians
Written Language
• The Sumerians developed the first written
language called cuneiform.
• The cuneiform alphabet had about 500
characters, or wedge shaped forms.
• A scribe was a professional writer.
Streamlines
• Development of Writing in Mesopotamia
(02:09)
• The Role of Scribes in Ancient Sumerian Society
(02:05)
Government
• Sumer was divided into city-states.
• Each city had its own ruler, laws, and customs.
• Ruled by a priest-king, or king who was the head
of the government and the ziggurat.
http://www.ma-boutique.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/ancient-mesopotamian-cityvsdfvdfresve-amazing-decor-broch-crannog-and-hillfort.jpg
Government
• One of the greatest contributions of the
Babylonians was the creation of a code-of-laws
known as Hammurabi's Code. This is the
oldest set of laws in the world.
• Hammurabi = one of Babylon's greatest kings.
• He did something that no one had ever done before. The
Sumerians had created the first written language,
cuneiform. Using this written language, Hammurabi
created the first written set of laws. In Hammurabi's
court, it did not matter if you were rich or poor. If you
broke the law, and were found guilty, you would be
punished.
• Since the laws were clearly written down, everyone was
expected to obey them.
Babylonians
•Hammurabi’
s Code of
Law
Examples of Hammurabi’s
Code
• If a builder builds a
house for some one,
and does not
construct it
properly, and the
house which he built
falls and kills it’s
owner, then that
builder shall be put
to death.
•If a son
strikes his
father,
they shall
cut off his
hand
• If the woman
has not been
careful but has
gadded about,
neglecting her
house and
belittling her
husband, they
shall throw that
woman into the
water.
• If a man put out the eye of another
man, his eye shall be put out.
• If he breaks another man's bone, his
bone shall be broken.
• If he puts out the eye of a man's
slave, or break the bone of a man's
slave, he shall pay one-half of its
value.
•Until this law, what
passed for “law” was
simply custom or
the wish of whoever
was ruling at the
time. The law could
change from
generation to
generation – even
minute to minute.
•
https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=oD
ALXORbtR4
Social Order
• Society was split into
social groups, or classes
• The class systems were
unequal
• The classes defined who
had power, less
desirable jobs
Streamline
• Social Hierarchy Within Nippur
Trade in Mesopotamia
• The land of Mesopotamia did not have a lot of natural
resources, or at least they did not have the ones in demand
during that time period. So, to get the items they needed
the Mesopotamians had to trade.
• In the southern part of Mesopotamia, docks were built
along the sides of the rivers so that ships could easily dock
and unload their trade goods.
• The merchants traded food, clothing, jewelry, wine and
other goods between the cities.
• http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/trade/explore/exp_set.html
• What were the different ways that the Mesopotamians
traded goods?
Trade System
Streamline
• Development of Trade in Mesopotamia