Download Mesopotamia Fact Sheet

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Mesopotamian Civilization 3100 BCE – 539 BCE
1. What is Mesopotamia?
a. Mesopotamia means “Between the Rivers” in Greek.
b. Series of civilizations that lived between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers around
present-day Iraq.
c. The area around these rivers is known as the “Fertile Crescent ”
d. Agriculture would begin the development of cities along the region, which would
grow into kingdoms and empires.
2. Mesopotamia – Important People
a. Sargon (2300 -2215 BCE)
i. King of Akkad who first united the various settlements in Mesopotamia
under one government.
ii. Among the first rulers to create a unified, multi-ethnic empire.
b. Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE)
i. King of Babylon who wrote one of the first written codes of law in history
– The Code of Hammurabi.
ii. His laws were among the first that protected the weak from abuse by the
strong.
c. Ashurbanipal (685 -627 BCE)
i. King of Assyria who was known as a lover of learning.
ii. His library at Nineveh housed thousands of written documents on tablets.
iii. The library is now at the British Museum, London.
d. Nebuchadnezzar II (634-562 BCE)
i. Last of the great Babylonian kings.
ii. Primarily known as a military leader.
iii. His Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world.
3. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions
a. The Wheel
i. Invented in Mesopotamia about 5000 years ago.
ii. Originally three pieces of wood tied together with leather and wooden
rods.
iii. It made transportation and farming easier and quicker.
b. Development of Writing
i. A kind of symbol writing called Cuneiform developed from picture
writing.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
ii. A series of wedge shapes in soft clay that were hardened into tablets.
iii. First used for making lists, cuneiform became used for letters, records,
contracts, legal documents and eventually literature.
Mathematics
i. Used a number system based on 60 and developed the concept of zero.
ii. Today’s 360-degree circle and 60-minute hour come from Mesopotamia.
iii. They also knew basic geometry and had an approximate value for pi (π)
Astronomy
i. Early astronomy developed from the observations of Babylonian priests.
ii. They believed the movement of the stars could forecast (predict) events
on Earth.
Cities
i. After the development of agriculture, villages developed along the TigrisEuphrates rivers.
ii. These later became city-states, which had an urban center, surrounding
villages, and farmland.
iii. The most famous cities included Ur, Uruk, Nineveh and Babylon
Architecture
i. Each city erected a temple to their particular god.
ii. The largest were stepped structures called Ziggurats made of mud brick.
iii. Structures similar to the ziggurat can be seen in pyramids in Egypt and
temples in Central America.
Kingship
i. Early city-states developed government based around a king.
ii. The king was believed to be appointed by the gods. The gods also give
the king his power.
iii. Kings served as military leaders, magistrates, administrators and servants
to the local god.
Written codes of law
i. Early kings needed written laws to ensure justice and equal protection.
ii. Hammurabi’s code is among the best preserved of these early law codes.
iii. Laws dealt with contracts, wills, business dealings, and crime and
punishment.