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Power concedes nothing without a demand.
Name:
Date:
Mr. Carey/Mr. Clarke
First Civilizations: Mesopotamia
First Civilizations: Mesopotamia
I. Overview
As we have started to realize, most of the world’s early great civilizations were located in river valleys, whose rivers
provided water for human consumption and agriculture, animals and plants for food, and transportation for trade and
human migration. When we talk about civilizations, we’re talking about large areas of land with large populations and
distinct, organized cultures that are situated around those river valleys mentioned above. The characterization of
civilizations does not simply begin and end, however, with their nearness to river valleys. It is important to understand
that most civilizations share the following features:
Food Surpluses: Resulting from an agricultural lifestyle,
food surpluses support large populations and allow people
to specialize in different tasks/jobs.
Government: Also referred to as a bureaucracy, a
government is an established system that rules, manages,
and organizes a civilization
Social Classes: As different groups within a civilization
pursue specialized forms of living (a businessman v. a
farmer), certain groups get more resources/wealth than
others, making for social divisions that give rise to
inequalities and social classes.
Cities: Densely populated and developed, cities serve as
centers of trade, culture, and other forms of exchange.
System of Writing: Civilizations rely upon an organized
form of writing in order to keep written records, make
laws, and aid communication amongst its members.
Religion: Civilizations often feature an organized
collective of beliefs, cultural values, and worldviews that
attempt to give order to meaning to life.
One of the earliest homes to civilization was that of Mesopotamia,
which literally translates to “the land between the rivers.” The rivers
that fed Mesopotamia (as shown by the image to the left), were the
Tigris and the Euphrates. A series of ancient civilizations—most
notably Sumer, Babylon, and Persia—thrived within this region, whose
super-rich soil and plentiful rivers gave it the nickname “The Fertile
Crescent.” Unfortunately, the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers was very unpredictable, so some early settlements were
frequently washed away. But soon people learned to build canals and
dikes, and began to build their towns father uphill, enabling large citystates to emerge. By 3000 BCE, Ur, Erech, and Kish were the major citystates of the first major civilization of Sumer.
Directions: Actively read and annotate the provided texts on Mesopotamian civilization. While you read, focus on the
questions provided below. When you have finished reading, respond to these questions in the “Homework section of your
AP World History notebook.
1.
2.
In your own words, explain why Mesopotamia can be characterized as a “civilization.” Use evidence from both
the “Overview” section of this handout as well as the first text to support your response.
Given the provided excerpts, explain whether or not Hammurabi’s Code can be considered fair. Your response
should come in the form of a CER and use evidence from at least three excerpts.
II. From Sumer to Babylon
Sumerian civilization rose in the southern part of Mesopotamia. In addition to successful
agriculture and river management, the Sumerians developed a form of writing known as
cuneiform. Scribes used this form of writing to set down laws, treaties, and important social and
religious customs; soon the use of cuneiform spread over the trade routes to many other parts of
the region. Trade was also enhanced by the introduction of the wheel, a major development that
greatly reduced the time it took to transport both goods and people between two points. (1)
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
Sumerians also developed a twelve-month calendar and a mathematical system based on units of
sixty. They also used geometry to survey the land and to develop architectural enhancements
such as arches and columns. (2)
Sumerians were polytheistic, meaning that they worshipped more than one god. The interesting
thing about Sumerian polytheism was that each city-state had its own god that was worshipped
only by its people. In addition, there were a bunch of gods that all the city-states worshipped
collectively. Sumerians built temples, called ziggurats, which were terraced pyramids, to appease
their gods. They believed that when disaster struck, it was because the gods were angry. (3)
The Sumerian city-states eventually declined and were conquered. The city of Akkad, which was
north of Sumer, rose to dominate the region. The Akkadians’ major contribution was they
developed the first known code of laws, which they wrote in cuneiform, which they learned from
the Sumerians. But by 1700 BCE, Akkad was overrun by a new powerhouse in Mesopotamia—
Babylon. King Hammurabi of Babylon expanded on this idea of a code of laws by developing an
extensive code that dealt with every part of daily life. The Code of Hammurabi, as it has come to
be called, is often credited as a significant step toward modern legal codes. It distinguished
between major and minor offenses and it established a sense of justice and fairness by applying
the laws to nearly everyone. (4)
Babylon quickly fell due to the invasions of the Kassites and then the Hittites, who had learned
how to use iron in their weapons. The Assyrians, who had copied the Hittites’ iron weaponry,
proceeded to conquer the region next, but their harsh policies of rule allowed a new civilization,
the Persian Empire, to emerge. (5)
III. Excerpts from the Code of Hammurrabi
Note: The following documents are excerpts from the Code of Hammurrabi, which King Hammurabi wrote in roughly
1754 BCE in order to create order in his Babylonian kingdom.
Excerpt 1
196. If a rich man put out the eye of another rich man, his eye shall be put out.
197. If he break another rich man's bone, his bone shall be broken.
198. If a rich man put out the eye of a [commoner], or break the bone of a [commoner], he shall pay one [silver] mina.
199. If a rich man put 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.
200. If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.
201. If he knock out the teeth of a [commoner], he shall pay one-third of a [silver].
Excerpt 2
132. If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she
shall jump into the river for [the sake of her] husband. (2)
138. If a man wishes to separate from his wife who has given him no children, he shall give her the amount of her
purchase money and let her go.
142. If a woman fights with her husband, and he says, "You are not congenial to me," the reasons for her prejudice must
be presented. If she is guiltless, and there is no fault on her part, but he leaves and neglects her, then no guilt attaches
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
to this woman, she shall take her dowry (property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage) and go
back to her father's house. (3)
143. If she is not innocent, but leaves her husband, and ruins her house, neglecting her husband, this woman shall be
thrown into the water.
Excerpt 3
22. If anyone is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death.
23. If the robber is not caught, then shall he who was robbed claim under oath the amount of his loss; then shall the
community, and ... on whose ground and territory and in whose domain (areas) it was compensate (repay) him for
the goods stolen.
24. If persons are stolen, then shall the community and ... pay one mina of silver to their relatives.
Excerpt 4
creditor (n): someone who provides another person with a loan.
Excerpt 5
3. If anyone bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it
be a capital (serious) offense charged, be put to death.
4. If he satisfy the elders to impose a fine of grain or money, he shall receive the fine that the action produces.
5. If a judge try a case, reach a decision, and present his judgment in writing; if later error shall appear in his decision,
and it be through his own fault, then he shall pay twelve times the fine set by him in the case, and he shall be publicly
removed from the judge's bench, and never again shall he sit there to render (make) judgement.