Chapter 3

1. Chapter 3 Ms. Sosa 11.08.11

4. Each spring • The two rivers overflowed • In the valley • Besides the northern plateau • Irrigation brought • Water to crops • Meaning more food for cities • Even in drought • Mesopotamia this place • Came to be called, • Perhaps the first • Civilization of all

5. “Land between Two Rivers” • One of the first civilizations- Mesopotamia- emerged between two rivers the Tigris and Euphrates River. • Northern Mesopotamia: Lots of rain • Southern Mesopotamia: On alluvial plain, very good soil but lots of drought. • Spring: River overflowed and left behind silt

6. From Cities to Civilizations • By 4,000 B.C., Villages were all across Mesopotamia • By 3,500 B.C. Cities such as Uruk, Kish, Eridu, and Ur were in Mesopotamia

7. Ziggurats • The ancient Sumerians believed that powerful gods lived in the sky. They built huge structures, called ziggurats, with steps climbing up to the top. • Ziggurats were temples.  • Religious ceremonies were held at the very top.  • All year long, people left offerings of food and wine on the steps of the ziggurats. The priests enjoyed these offerings, as the gods could not eat for themselves. • The Ziggurat was built in the center of town. It was the center of daily life.

8. Homes • Most homes were clustered around the Ziggurat and each other. The rich lived in large homes, and the poor lived in smaller homes. However, nearly all the homes were three stories high. • People built their homes of sun-dried brick. There was little wood and stone available for building materials. • Most houses shared walls. Kids played in the courtyard.  From the courtyard, stairs led up to the second and third floors, and then to the roof. People cooked and slept on their roofs, when weather permitted. Some of the fancier roofs were designed with four walls for privacy. Some had grape arbors that provided food, privacy, and shelter from the sun.  • As the cities grew, richer sections of town did develop, with huge homes. But all families had a home of their own. 

9. Education • The ancient Sumerians believed in education. Record keeping was very important to them. They wrote everything down. They wanted their sons to learn how to read and write. Their written language was called cuneiform. • Schools were attached to temples. Only boys went to school.  • Teachers were very strict. Students had to do a perfect job, or they were punished (usually whipped.) In spite of the punishment they quite often received, most students wanted to go to school anyway. Someone who could read and write could always find a good job.

10. Social Classes • The Upper Class: Men and women wore jewelry, especially rings. Men wore skirts and had long hair, curly moustaches, and long beards. Women wore dresses, off one shoulder. They had long hair, which they braided or wore up in fancy arrangements. It was easy to tell who were the priests. The priests shaved their heads. Everyone wore cloaks made from sheep wool to keep warm in winter. • The Lower Class: In ancient Sumer, people were paid for their work. If they ran a shop or worked in the fields, they were paid for their goods or labor. Stealing was a serious crime and punishment was severe. Everybody paid, even the king.  • Although the lower class did not have the luxury lifestyle of the rich, they were comfortable. They worked very hard, but they had homes.They wore jewelry, although perhaps it was not made of gold. They followed the clothing fashions of the time as much as possible.  • There was no law that said they could not move up the social scale, or more likely, have their children move up the social scale by becoming a scribe, or a priest or priestess.

12. Women • Women in ancient Mesopotamia were not equal to men, but they did have rights. Women could freely go to the marketplace, buy and sell goods, handle legal issues, own property, and start their own business.  • Upper class women, like members of the royal family and those who gave their life to the temple as priestesses, could learn how to read and write. Some women even had jobs running parts of the town or jobs in city government. 

13. Lesson 2 11.15.11 Ms. Sosa

14. Poem • The first city-states arose in Sumer • From Cities like Eridu, Uruk, and Ur. • A city-state had a leader under monarchy • So the king had final authority. • An important aspect of life was religion. • The Sumerians believed in polytheism.

15. Emergence of Cities • Sumerian Cities in Mesopotamia included Ur, Kish, Uruk, and Eridu • By 3000 B.C, Sumer had over 12 developed cities • City-States had walled cities with surrounding farmland, their own government, economic surplus and over 5,000 people.

16. Government • City-States were lead by one group plus a leader. They made laws and helped govern the city. • Monarchy is when the ruler is one person. • Kings passed land on to sons.

17. Religion • Priests had great power. They were second only to the king. • Polytheism is the belief in many gods. • Temples, or Ziggurats, were in the center of the city.

18. Commercial Society • New Surpluses meant new jobs like metalworkers, craft workers, builders. • Workers needed materials, so Sumerians imported and exported materials by caravans and boats. • Tokens were used to keep track of what they traded.

19. Discoveries at Ur • Tombs of high priests had valuable metals and stones. Others had weapons and jewels • Temple found dedicated to the Sumerian moon god, Nana. • The Royal cemetery of Ur had tombs of Priests and common workers.

20. Lesson 3 11.16.11

21. Poem • Sumerian Inventions • Are Still used today • Like almanacs, • First written on clay. • They developed a numeric • Measuring system • And used cuneiform • To make records written • They used a calendar • Similar to ours • Innovations like these • Resulted in power

22. Agricultural Developments • The Sumerians mixed metals to make stronger farming materials. • They gave tools multiple functions and planted crops in the shade of trees to protected them against the sun.

23. Developments in Measurement • Sumerians developed a way to measure weight and to measure land • They made a number system based on 60 (the way we measure time is from that same system.). • By 2100 B.C.E Sumerians used a 360-day calendar.

24. New types of houses • Mesopotamia had few trees, so Sumerians used mud to make bricks for houses. • Sumerians built Ziggurats, the tallest buildings in the city.

25. Wheels and Carts • The oldest wheels found were located in Mesopotamia and made in about 3500 B.C.E. • Sumerians attached wheels to carts and used them to transport materials.

26. Written Records • The earliest writing were found in Kish, by 3500 B.C.E • The writing system was cuneiform and had 700 symbols. • Only people called scribes usually wrote. They recorded wars, kings, and songs.

27. Lesson 4 Ms. Sosa 11.28.11

28. Poem • Life in Sumerian society • Came with great Variety • Each could choose his occupation, • And skills were passed down through generations. • Each deity got fine selections • Of gifts from people seeking protection • Socially, Kings and their families were the best, • Then priests and warriors, but workers were last.

29. Life in a City-State • People could not have farms in cities. They depended on villages to supply food. • The type of work people did determined what part of the city they lived in.

30. Specialization and Trade • Sumer civilians specialized in their trade (meaning they knew a lot about their trade). • They traded their products to get what they needed. • Some people studied to be priests, government officials, doctors, or scribes.

32. Government and Law • All government activities, like making laws and settling disputes, occurred in the palace • In Sumer, most people had rights, but in times of war, government could take away rights to property, land, cattle, and boats and could make people pay taxes.

34. Pleasing Gods • Sumerians did not know what caused dust storms, swarms of insects, tsunamis and so on. • So they worshipped deities who they believed controlled nature.

36. Social Structure • Society divided into social classes with different levels of importance.

37. Lesson 5 11.30.11

38. Poem • The first empires in our history • Brought vast lands into unity • Emperors made all decisions, • Controlling taxes, trade, religion • Sargon and the standing army • The code of Hammurabi • Assyrians and their libraries, • Irons, paved roads, and locks with keys • Despite this progress, in the end • Each empire was conquered once again.

39. The Akkadian Empire 2350 B.C.E • City-states fought each other for control of land and water. • They all were conquered by an outside enemy name Sargon after his disagreement with the king of the city-state Kish. • He conquered the city-states of Mesopotamia one by one and created the first empire. • He had the first standing army, which protected him and his rule.

41. Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire 1790 B.C.E • Hammurabi ruled the city-state of Babylon. He conquered most of Mesopotamia. • As a leader, Hammurabi encouraged trade, changed taxes so that everyone paid a fair part, and organized laws into the Code of Hammurabi by gathering and sorting through the laws of every city-state.

42. Code of Hammurabi • This is the name of written laws developed by Hammurabi and his empire • The law were on topics like family relations, taxes, land and business deals, trade, debt and crime. Some old laws were unfair, and some laws were confusing so Hammurabi changed them. • When his laws were broken, criminals were punished. • “Eye for an Eye” philosophy.

43. Kassite and Assyrian Rule 650 B.C.E • The kassite ruled for a while and kept Babylonian rule • Later the Assyrian gained control. They had powerful new weapons like iron weapons, chariots, battering rams, and lances. By 700 B.C.E the Assyrians Empire was the largest in the world. They were the first to use paved roads, a postal system, locks with keys, and libraries.

45. Questions • In what other way did the Sumerians control the rivers? • What important inventions did the Sumerians invent? • What do we call the Sumerian system of writing? • What tools did the Mesopotamians use for writing? • Of what material were the houses in Sumerian cities made? • What was the name of the temple where Sumerians believed their gods lived?

46. Questions • What was the importance of scribes in Mesopotamia? • Why did the scribes have greater access to the priests and kings than other people in the city-states? • How long did it take to train a scribe? • What is the name of the training school where scribes learn how to write?

47. Essential Questions • What can we learn about today by studying the past of the Middle East? • How did geography influence the location and development of city-states? • What role do governments play in organizing society?