Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Chapter 2 Notes Western Asia and Egypt Questions we will answer • How did geography affect the civilizations in Mesopotamia? • How did the Akkadian Empire begin? • What were the contributions of each of the societies in Mesopotamia? Voices from the Past • “ Ur is destroyed, bitter is its lament. The country’s blood now fills its holes like hot bronze in a mould. Bodies dissolve like fat in the sun. Our temple is destroyed, the gods have abandoned us, like migrating birds. Smoke lies on our city like a shroud.” • Constant conflict marked early civilization in Mesopotamia. • Fighting over land and water The Impact of Geography • • • • Mesopotamia= the land between the rivers. The Tigris and the Euphrates. Part of the fertile crescent. Due to the resources and availability of water, Mesopotamia was able to sustain early civilizations. • Little rain in the area, but the overflowing of the rivers provided fertile land. Impact of Geography • The rivers flood Irrigation systems control water supply abundance of crops produced people are able to create civilizations. The people of Mesopotamia • Three general areas in Mesopotamia – Assyria – Akkad – Sumer • Review: – What role did geography play in the development of Mesopotamian civilization? – The land was fertile due to the flooding of the rivers. This allowed civilizations to develop. City states of Ancient Mesopotamia • Origins of Sumerians is still a mystery • Developed a number of independent citystates, the basic units of Sumerian civilization. • Cities were surrounded by walls six miles long, with defense towers every 30 feet. • Plenty of mud to build with, mud bricks • Using the mud bricks they created the arch and the dome and built some of the largest brick buildings in the world. Gods, Goddesses, and Rulers • Most prominent building in a Sumerian city was the temple dedicated to the chief god or goddess of the city. • Often built atop a massive stepped tower called a ziggurat. • Temples were the center of the city and the gods and goddesses “owned the cities” • Theocracy- a government by divine authority • Kings were seen as divine in origin and derived their power from the gods. • The army, the government and the priests and priestesses all aided the King. • Review: Why were the city-states considered theocracies? – Sumerians believed gods and goddesses ruled the cities Economy and Society • Economy based chiefly on farming and trade. • 3 major social groups: Nobles, commoners, and slaves • Nobles: royal and priestly officials and their families • Commoners: farmers, merchants, fishers and craftspeople (90 % of the population) • Slaves: belonged to palace officials and worked in building projects Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia • Akkadians- to the North – Semitic people – 2340 B.C :Sargon, leader of the Akkadians, overran the Sumerian city-states and set up the first empire in world history. – Easy to invade Sumer because of the flat land and location. • Empire- large political unit or state, usually under a single leader • Attacks from neighbors eventually caused the Akkadian empire to fall. • 1792 b.c, another empire comes to control: Babylon, a city-state south of Akkad • Hammurabi comes to power, gaining control of Sumer and Akkad. • After his death, weak kings were unable to keep his empire together. The Code of Hammurabi • Laws under Hammurabi give a great insight into life in Mesopotamia. • Based on a system of strict justice. • Punishments were harsh, and depended on social class. • Principle of retaliation was a fundamental part of this system of justice. • The code took seriously the duties of public officials. If they did not find the robbers, or murders etc. they had punishment. • Consumer protection laws, held builders responsible for structures they created. The Code of Hammurabi • Largest category focused on marriage and family. • Parents arranged marriages • Society was patriarchaldominated by men. • The code showed women had far fewer rights then men in their marriage. • Woman’s place was in the home. If she failed to complete her duties, her husband could legally divorce her. • Women “neglecting her house and humiliating her husband” could be drowned. • Father controlled kids. • Review: How does society work under the code of Hammurabi? The importance of Religion • The harsh climate and • According to Sumerians, weather of human beings were Mesopotamia, made created to do manual them believe the world labor that the gods was controlled by were unwilling to do supernatural forces. themselves. • The gods and goddesses • Review: what role did permeated all aspects the physical of the universe. environment play in the way Mesopotamians • 3,000 gods and viewed the world? goddesses- polytheistic The Creativity of the Sumerians • Credited with inventing the oldest writing system, cuneiform, which dates from about 3000 b.c. • Scribes kept records for Sumerian society, and it was one of the most important positions. • Scribes were usually wealthy men, who attended a tough school from sun up to sun down. • The Epic of Gilgameshstory passed down because of cuneiform. • Sumerian Technology: the wagon wheel, the sundial, bronze, number system based on 60. 60 minutes in an hour, thanks to the Sumerians. Review • Write a paragraph (5 sentences) explaining how the Sumerians, Akkadians and Babylonians have impacted the course of human history. • What did their societies develop that we still use today? Think technology, government and economics. Hammurabi’s Code • The most complete law from Mesopotamia • Punishments could be extremely severe. • Let’s look at some examples 22 • If a man has committed highway robbery and has been caught, that man should be put to death. 25 • If fire broke out in a free man’s house and a free man, who went to extinguish it, cast his eye on the goods of the owner of the house and has appropriated the goods of the owner of the house, that free man shall be thrown into that fire. 196 • If a free man has destroyed the eye of a member of the aristocracy, they shall destroy his eye.