Download Mesopotamia Notes

Chapter 2 Sec. 1
Page 29
Mesopotamia
The Fertile Crescent
Geography
Desert Climate
Fertile Crescent: arc of land that provides
some of the best farming in Southwest
Asia
Mesopotamia=Fertile Crescent=land
between the rivers
Rivers: Tigris and Euphrates
Environmental Challenges
1st group to settle the area were called
Sumerians (Iraq today)
Three Disadvantages:
1. unpredictable flooding and periods
of little rain
2. no natural barriers
3. Limited Natural resources
Solving Problems
to provide water, they dug irrigation
ditches that carried water to fields
built mud bricks and created walls
traded goods in exchange for raw
materials that were needed
(It took many ppl working together to
accomplish this)
City-States
City-States - city and it’s surrounding
lands that function as an independent
political unit (like a country)
Some city-states in Sumer were Ur,
Umma, Lagash, Uruk, Kish, and Nippur
Priests and Rulers Share
control
Priests managed the irrigation system
and ran the first gov’t
in times of war, the best fighter would
lead the city-state
In time, military leaders became full-time
rulers which led to a dynasty: a series
of rulers from one family
Spread of Cities
As the culture of Sumer grew, other
cities developed in the region
cultural diffusion: the process in which
new ideas or products spread from one
culture to others. took place
usually happens through trade, war,
or migration
Sumerian Culture
Religion: believed in polytheism: belief
in many gods
In order to keep the gods happy, the
Sumerians built impressive ziggurats
and offered sacrifices of animals, food
and wine; also prayed and performed
rituals
Life in Sumerian Society
social classes began
Kings, landholders and priests made
up the highest level
Wealthy Merchants next
most ppl worked the land and fields
Slaves were the lowest class
Sumerian Science and
Technology
Arithmetic and geometry: created a
number system and used geometry to
build
Architecture: Arches, columns, ramps
and the step pyramid
Cuneiform: Sumerian system of writing
1st Empire Builders
Sargon the Great - 2334 BC
Sumerian city-states had been
fighting each other for many years
in city-state of Kish, Sargon got army
loyal to him and took over, then
moved to conquer rest of Sumer took 56 years
created the first empire: brings
together several peoples, nations or
states under the control of one rule
used military dictatorship to keep
control, with loyal army in each city
helped unify Sumerian culture, but
army was brutal
Sargon’s Akkadian Empire lasted less than 200
years
Babylonian Empire
Amorites invaded in about 2000BC and
overwhelmed the Sumerians. Established
their capital at Babylon on Euphrates River
Babylon reached it’s peak under the rule
of Hammurabi
Hammurabi created a single uniform code
of laws that were carved in stone and put
in each city
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnQGjmdUGCI
The Kings: From Babylon to Baghdad 1: first 12 minutes