Download Kingdoms and Empires of Mesopotamia

Ancient Civilizations:
Mesopotamia
Geography &
Environment
“the land between the rivers…”
The Geography
• On which
continent was
Mesopotamia
located?
• Asia; in what is modern day Iraq,
Syria & Turkey
The Geography
• On which river
did the ancient
Mesopotamians
settle?
• Between the Tigris
& Euphrates Rivers; in an area known
as the Fertile Crescent
Early
Mesopotamian
Kingdoms
Mesopotamian Cultures
• Mesopotamia did NOT represent a
unified kingdom, instead it was made
up of a series of kingdoms that
occupied a
specific
geographical
space
Mesopotamian Cultures
• Sumer
• Akkad
• Babylonia
• Assyria
• Neo-Babylonia
• Persia
Sumer
3500 – 2300 BCE
The first civilization
Sumerian Geography
• Geography:
• Located at the
southern end
of Mesopotamia
• Near the mouths of the Tigris &
Euphrates
Sumerian Geography
• City-state:
• A city + its surrounding lands
• Independent political units that
competed for trade & boundaries
• i.e. Uruk, Kish, Ur, Lagash
Sumerian Geography
• Characteristics:
• Shared culture
• Unique government
• Outer walls
• A central temple/ziggurat
Sumerian Religion &
Government
• Polytheism:
• The worship of more than one god
• Believed gods were immortal & all
powerful; humans were to serve the
gods
Sumerian Religion &
Government
• Ziggurat:
• Temples where
sacrifices and
offerings were made to the gods
• Animals, food, wine, etc.
Sumerian Religion &
Government
• City-states were
ruled by priestkings who were
viewed as
powerful agents
of the gods
Sumerian Culture &
Knowledge
• Despite their religious practices,
Sumerians had little, if any, belief in an
afterlife
• Believed that the souls of the dead
went to the “land of no return”
Sumerian Culture &
Knowledge
• Developed a
form of
written
language
known as
cuneiform
Sumerian Culture &
Knowledge
• Invention of the wheel (3000 BC)
• Economy based on farming & trade
• CULTURAL DIFFUSION
Sumerian Culture &
Knowledge
• Other notable contributions:
• Invention of the sail & plow
• The usage of bronze
• Development of a number system
Kings
Wealthy
merchants
Field laborers
Slaves
Babylonia
1790 – 1590 BCE
The first system of justice
The Babylonian Empire
• In 1792 BC a new empire took control
of Mesopotamia
• Babylonia
• Reached its
height during
the reign of
Hammurabi
The Babylonian Empire
• Hammurabi’s Code:
• Written code of laws
• Stressed responsible
behavior
• Capital punishment
The Babylonian Empire
• “an eye for an eye, a tooth
for a tooth”
• Punishments based on
SOCIAL CLASS
• Laws focused on ALL
aspects of society