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Early Civilizations
Chapter 2 and 3
City-states of Ancient Sumer
• Fertile Crescent – region of the middle
east between and around the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers
– It has very rich soils and golden wheat fields
• Mesopotamia – “between the rivers”
Ancient Sumer
• World’s first civilization
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
– Poem of a great flood that destroys the world
• Flooding control
– Use of dikes and ditches
• Construction
– Lacked stone and wood
• Use clay to make bricks
• Ur and Uruk
Ancient Sumer cont.
• Rich from Trade
• Invented the wheel?
• Egyptian and Indian goods
Sumerian Civilization
• Multiple city-states and war = hereditary
rule by war leaders
• Gov’t
– Maintains city walls and irrigation system
– Led armies
– Enforced laws
– Employed scribes
– Led religious ceremonies
Sumerian Civilization
• Social Structure
– Hierarchy – system of ranking groups
• Top Class: ruling family, leading officials, high priests
– Small middle class: lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans
» Lower class: Peasants
» Slaves from warfare or sale
– Role of Women
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Goddesses were highly honored
Never had legal rights
Some ruler’s wives had supervisory positions
Read, write, & play music
Sumerian Civilization
• Religion
– Polytheistic ??
• Thought the gods acted like humans
• Responsible for truth, justice, violence, & suffering
– Ziggurat – a large, stepped platform thought
to have been topped by a temple dedicated to
the city’s chief god or goddess
– Sumerian Afterlife: after dying, you live in a
grim underworld with no escape and only dust
to eat
Sumerian Civilization
• Writing
– Invented by Sumerians
• Cuneiform: wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets
– Began as pictographs and later became complex
symbols
– Used for econ., myths, prayers, laws, and business
contracts
– Scribe school
» Not talking
» Poor writing was not tolerated
» Caned as a punishment
» Could gain high positions
Sumerian Legacy
• Cuneiform was used by Akkadians,
Babylonians, & Assyrians
• Astronomy, mathematics, number system
based on 6, 60 minutes, 360º
• Babylonians used Sumerian math to form
algebra & geometry, accurate calendars,
and prediction of eclipses
Mesopotamian Empires
• 2300 B.C.  Sargon,
ruler of Akkad
– Invaded & conquered
Sumer
– Builds first known empire
– Appointed local rulers
Mesopotamian Empires
• 1790 B.C.  Hammurabi, king of Babylon
– Conquered ancient Sumer after the death of
Sargon
– Hammurabi’s Code – publication of laws
• 300 laws on stone pillars
• Codify: arrange and set down in writing
• Civil law: private rights and matters
– E.g. business contracts, property inheritance, taxes,
marriage, divorce
• Criminal law: deals with offenses against other
such as robbery, assault, or murder
– “eye for an eye”
Mesopotamian Empires
• Hammurabi’s improvements:
– Better irrigation
– Well-trained army
– Repaired temples
– Encouraged religion by promoting Marduk,
the patron god of Babylon
Mesopotamian Empires
• Hittites – 1400 B.C.
– Introduced ironworking
• Assyrians
– Known for their skill as warriors
– Rich society
– First to develop laws regulating royal families
– Established one of the first libraries
Nebuchadnezzar
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King of Babylon
Reforms the Babylon empire
Rebuilds the city of Babylon
Built a defensive moat and wall
9 gates to enter the city in honor of the
main Gods and Goddesses
• Built the hanging gardens
Persians
• 539 B.C. Conquered Babylon
– Largest empire EVER!!!!!
• Darius
– Set up a bureaucracy
– Divided empire into two satrapy
– Governor for each
– Each paid taxes based on what they had
– Supervision of governors
Darius cont.
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Written laws
Built roads
Set up standards of weights and measures
Encouraged the use of coins
Barter economy : exchange one set of
goods or services for another
• Money economy: goods and services are
paid for through the exchange of a token
Zoroaster
• Persian intellectual
• Taught that a single god named Ahura
Mazda was in control of the world
• Also taught that Ahriman, the prince of lies
and evil was fighting for Ahura Mazda’s
power
• Stressed a final judgement day
Phoenicians
• Sailors and traders in the Mediterranean
– Made glass, “Tyrian purple”
– Set up colonies
– Colony: a territory settled & ruled by people
from another land
– “carriers of civilization”
• Alphabet – symbols representative of certain
sounds
• 22 Consonants
• Greeks add vowels