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Ancient Sumer/Sumerians Fertile Crescent: had few natural barriers, became the crossroads for many people -cultural diffusion (spreading ideas and products) Mesopotamia: the land between the rivers in the fertile crescent; Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers" What rivers? The Tigris and Euphrates Sumer (Sumerians): 1st civilization here; grew into 12 separate city-states (independent, self governing) like a country Problems: 1. floods not regular-sun quickly turned silt to clay 2. no protection from enemies 3. lacked stone, metal, and wood ; Homes and city walls made of Clay Ziggurats: stairstepped temples soaring to the heavens topped with a shrine; each city-state had one -pg. 33 Religion: polytheistic; people were servants of the gods Afterlife: gloomy, joyless place under the earth's crust Bazaar- like a mini mall; buy,sell, and trade goods Scribes developed a system of writing called CUNEIFORM Fighting between city-states led to weakness and Sargon the Great conquered Sumer; created 1st empire- control of independent groups by one ruler King Hammurabi: conquered Sumer after Sargon; Code of Laws- 1st collection in history Other conquerors of the Fertile Crescent: 1. Hittites-forged iron tools and weapons 2. Persians-coins for trade; Ruler Zoroaster created new religionsingle god called Ahura Mazda (monotheism) 3. Phoenicians-sailors and traders "carriers of civilization" 4. Hebrews- monotheistic; recorded history in sacred book called the Torah- included laws called the Ten Commandments; Judaism directly influenced other religions such as Christianity and Islam. 5. Assyrians- military; brutal fighting styles