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Mesopotamia A Presentation By Sharon Johnston Land and Geography: Incredibly fertile valley lying between the Tigris and Euphrates River (MesopotamiaLand between the rivers) Due to the lengthy growing season and fertile soils generated by the rivers this is amongst the worlds most fertile areas. Geographical modernity: Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia Boundaries include Deserts, and Mediterranean Sea The People: Time frame:2900 BC 539 BC Mesopotamia is not a unified culture it is a series of cultures occupying a specific area. The Sumerians First Group: SumeriansSumer (land) 3500-1800 BC People shrouded in mystery, spoke a foreign language unrelated to any other human language. Arose as they formed vast city states in Southern MesopotamiaNames Ur Lagash Eridu These people were very warlike and were constantly at warover resources mainly water. Water was a scarce and valuable resource. Strong influences in: Government Monarchy: forerunners to modern government. First rulers, were Priests. These “autocrats” ruled with absolute authority over a carefully constructed group of “bureaucrats”. Power was justified by “Divine Right” Writing: Was developed to make the life of Government much simpler. Distribution of land, assessment of sales in crops. Taxation, crops needed to be recorded. Series of symbols drawn on “wet clay” with a reed, known as Cuneiform. Religion: •Largely animist, polytheistic based on nature and their surroundings. •Deities were “anthromophorbic”, these gods created everything and watched over it. Flood idea. •First mythology, stories to explain surroundings •NO afterlife Literature The worlds first great epic; The Epic of Gilgamesh. Laws Code of “Hammurabi” Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Written codified laws Urbanization: continued the development of living in urban areas Science and Mathematics: Invented calendars to monitor the growing season of the their region Got as specific as a 360 calendar with a leap year! Concept of numbers and early forms of abstract mathematics Wheel Sumerian Conclusions Strangely enough these “Sumerians” were later absorbed and conquered by another “mysterious group known as the “Akkadians”. Strangely enough as is common practice these Akkadians did not enforce their culture upon the absorbed, rather they absorbed Sumerian culture. A vivid demonstration of Sumerian cultural superiority. Akkadians 2340-2125 BCA Semitic people living on the Arabic Peninsula during the rise of Sumer… As this group moved north into Mesopotamia they came into conflict with the city states of Sumer… These states were absorbed and conquered by the advancing Akkadians led by the legendary King Sargon. Largest city: Akkad…largest until Babylon. However this domination was very, very short-lived as the Sumerian city of Ur arose in 2125 BC and reclaimed control of the Region. The Akkadians strangely enough absorbed all of the culture of the Sumerians…making the transition very easy. The Amorites: 1800-1530 BC The last Sumerian dynasty fell in 2000 BC, Mesopotamia was disorganized and chaotic for a century. Similar to the Akkadians the Amorites based their capital in a large city…Babylon. Babylon became the center of the empire. This period is referred to as the Old Babylonian period The Amorites (Old Babylonians) believed that their monarchs were of divine origin Amoritic government was based on a new concept and that is centralization. Unlike their Sumerian and Akkadians counterparts the Amorites based their political system on the concept of a strong central government by an autocratic divine ruler as opposed to a confederacy of loose states that had existed before. The important aspect was rule by law…Code of Hammurabi Hammurabi, the Old Babylonian’s most important ruler…1792-1750 BC Sumerian in spirit…but Amoritic in its harshness. Nothing is known of their religion. They probably adopted the animistic polytheism of the Sumerians. Like the Sumerians they possessed no afterlife and as such the Amorites were ruthless in their pursuit of obedience and morality in this life. The Hittites: 1600-717 BC Expanded the empire to its largest size to date. Very mysterious group. Their origin is mysterious Ended the Old Babylonian period Adopted the culture of the Old Babylonians and the Sumerians before them. Our best source of Mesopotamian History, the Hebrew scriptures and the Bible say nothing of the Hittites. In the 13th century Hittites waged a war on their neighbors to the south…the Egyptians. This war may have led to their downfall. Hittites are significant because of the size of their empire dramatically impacted the world from a cultural diffusion perspective. Heavy emphasis on Commerce. The transmitters of knowledge. Range from Egypt to Greece The only literature that has survived from the Hittites is Laws and it is obvious that they changed the Laws of the Old Babylonians a great deal. They were softened, they were not as harsh as the Amorites. Abolished private ownership of land and instigated the concept of fines as a punishment. Recognized that all gods were legitimate gods. Kassites: 1530-1170 BC Brief reign due to constant military aggression and migration: Chariots Reign so brief…little or nothing is know but their name? History is written by the winners, and unfortunately they were…not winners. Assyrians: 1170-612 BC Semitic Subjugated Brutal Legendary King: Assurbanipal Conquered Babylonia out of vengeance Forced relocation of it’s victims: WHY? Greatest Achievement: Library of Nineveh Chaldeans: 612-539 Arose against the hated Assyrians Led by legendary Nebuchadnezzar II Wide range of conquests Conquered Israel, held the Hebrews in Babylon. Fell to the Persians Akkadians 2340-2125 BC Amorites 1800-1530 BC Sumeria 3500-1800 BC Mesopotamian Civilization Hittites 1600-717 BC Chaldeans 612-539 BC Assyrians 1170-612 BC Kassites 1530-1170 BC