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Mesopotamia: Land Between The Rivers 3500 B.C – 539 B.C
Aim: What are the achievements of Mesopotamian Civilization?
Do Now: Geography played an important role in the ancient world as it still does today. Explain what you think would be the likely
impact of the following geographic features on the people of Mesopotamia.
Feature
Impact of the feature
 The region of Mesopotamia is
known as the “fertile crescent”
because it had the best soil
 There were few natural
barriers surrounding the region
of Mesopotamia.
 The Tigris & Euphrates rivers
flooded unpredictably.
One Region: Many Different People
Because this region was so fertile, and due to the fact that there were few natural barriers, many different people migrated to this
region, influenced it, and controlled it at different times.
The Sumerians  The Akkadians  The Babylonians  The Hittites  The Assyrians  The Neo-Babylonians
 Invented the




wheel for trade,
the sail, and the
plow
Built ziggurats
Established citystates
cuneiform writing
Wrote “The Epic
of Gilgamesh”
 Built the very
 Established a
 Brought iron



first empire in
history
Had no idea
how to
control it –
soon
overthrown.

successful
empire
Improved
cuneiform
Hammurabi’s
Code of laws –
first written law
code for all to
see.
The Phoenicians
The Phoenicians were traders who set up trading
posts all throughout the ancient world. Because
they needed a more efficient way to keep
records, they simplified cuneiform and created
The Phoenician Alphabet which was adopted
by the Greeks and later the Romans. Our
Alphabet comes from theirs!

metallurgy to
Mesopotamia
Brought
chariots to
Mesopotamia
Ended
Babylonian
rule
 The first to


outfit their
entire army
with iron
weapons
Terrorized
ancient people
with battering
rams
Built an empire
 Defeated the

Assyrians to reestablish
Babylonian rule
Nebuchadnezzar
rebuilt the city of
Babylonia Hanging gardens
of Babylon
The Hebrews
The Hebrews, the first followers of Judaism,
lived in the region of Mesopotamia and were
heavily influenced by what surrounded
them. The idea of “an eye for an eye” was
adopted from Hammurabi’s code and made
its way into the Bible.
The Epic of Gilgamesh – is the earliest known works of literature
which follows legendary Gilgamesh, king of the city – state of
Uruk, and his relationship with his best friend, Enkindu. After Enkindu’s death, Gilgamesh searches for the possibility of eternal life but
is told the following:
“The life that you are seeking you will never find. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they
retained in their own keeping."
What can we conclude about Mesopotamian religion by reading this quote from The Epic of Gilgamesh?”
Hammurabi, the Priest King of Mesopotamia
Hammurabi (c. 1792 - 1750 B.C.E.) united all of Mesopotamia under his forty-three year reign. Although Hammurabi's Code is not the
first code of laws (the first records date four centuries earlier), it is the best-preserved legal document reflecting the social structure of
Mesopotamia during Hammurabi's rule. It was the first comprehensive set of written laws which were made public.
Actual text
Explain the Law
Code 229: If a man knocked out the teeth of a man of the
same rank (social class), his own teeth shall be knocked out.
If he knocked out the teeth of a commoner (poor person), he
shall pay one mina of silver
Code 117: If a man be in debt and is unable to pay his
creditors, he shall sell his wife, son, or daughter, or bind
them over to service. For three years they shall work in the
houses of their purchaser or master; in the fourth year they
shall be given their freedom.
Code 2: If a man puts out the eye of another man, his eye
shall be knocked out.
Why was Hammurabi’s Code considered to be
so significant?
What do these laws tell us about Mesopotamian
society? What is valued? What is not valued?
How did the punishments indicate the presence
of social classes?
Close: Complete the SPRITE chart classifying the various characteristics of Mesopotamian society that we discussed today.

Social classes develop and not treated equally under the eyes of the law– seen in
laws of Hammurabi’s Code.

Highly Patriarchal – Women hold no public positions; domestic caretakers
Social
Political
Religious
Intellectual/Technological
Economic