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Mesopotamia “Land Between Two Rivers”. Some Key Terms. Scribe – a professional writer Fertile Crescent – an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began. City-state – a political unit consisting of a city and its surrounding countryside.
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Mesopotamia “Land Between Two Rivers”
Some Key Terms Scribe – a professional writer Fertile Crescent– an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began. City-state – a political unit consisting of a city and its surrounding countryside. Polytheism –the worship or belief in many gods Myth – a traditional story which usually is about a hero, especially one that is concerned with gods and explains some practice, or event in nature. Irrigation – a way of supplying water to an area of land. Empire – Land with different territories and peoples under a single ruler Monarch – a ruler of a kingdom or empire Social Hierarchy – the division of society by rank or class
Mesopotamia - The Land Between Two Rivers Mesopotamia was a place where many cities began to grow. Mesopotamia means the land between two rivers - The two rivers were the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East, and surrounded by desert. People came to Mesopotamia because the soil between the two rivers was very fertile. (Rich soil good for growing crops.)
USA Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East.
Mesopotamia was part of a larger region called the Fertile Crescent. This area stretched from the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea down to the Persian Gulf, had fertile soil and was where many civilizations started. The shape is somewhat similar to a crescent (think of a crescent-shaped moon).
The Cradle of Civilization Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East, which is located in Southwest Asia. The first civilizations and examples of writing were found in Southwest Asia. These things began in Mesopotamia. When a newborn baby begins life, he or she is placed in a cradle. Mesopotamia is called the cradle of civilizationbecause the first civilizations began there, about 5,500 years ago in 3500 B.C.
THE MANY PEOPLE OF MESOPOTAMIA: • Sumerians (ancient Sumer’s city-states) (3000 B.C. - 1800 B.C.) • ---Sargon of Akkad (Sargon the Great) established the 1st Empire (Akkadian Empire in 2270 B.C.) 2. Babylonians(Babylonian Empire) (1800 B.C. - 1200 B.C. 3. Assyrians(Assyrian Empire) (1200 B.C. - 612 B.C.) 4. Chaldeans (The 2nd Babylonian Empire) (612 B.C. – 539 B.C.) 5. Persians(Persian Empire) (539 B.C. - 330 B.C.)
Sumer • The Sumerians were the world first ever civilization. • They became so big that city-states developed to govern cities and the surrounding countryside.
City-States Formed Along the Rivers Many city-states formed along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia. The region where the two rivers meet was called Sumer. The people who lived in the Sumer region were called Sumerians. Although cities in Sumer shared a common culture and language, they did not unite under a single ruler. Each Sumerian city acted as an independent state, with its own god or goddess, its own government, its own army, and its own king. The city of Ur was the most important city-state.
Sumerian Cities Sumerian houses faced away from crowded streets. Instead, they faced onto courtyards where families ate and children played. Sumerians had a form of light at night. They burned oil lamps. On hot nights, people slept outdoors on their homes flat roofs. Sumerians even had plumbing! Clay pipes that were buried underground carried their waste away. Inventions like plumbing wouldn’t come around for another thousand years in other parts of the world!
Why Did These Cities Develop? Because of fertile soil in Mesopotamia, farming was very successful. In fact, people were able to create surpluses of food. This meant that some people could stop farming and begin doing other things, like building a city. As cities began to develop, people began to worry about others who might come and invade their city. They wanted to protect themselves from enemies, so people in Mesopotamia built walls around their cities. This was a difficult and time consuming task.
Sumerian Scribes Writing first began in Sumerian cities. The first schools were set up in Sumer over 4,000 years ago. Sumerian schools taught boys the new invention of writing. Those who graduated became professional writers called scribes. Scribes were the only people who could keep records for the kings and priests. Boys who wanted to be scribes had to attend school from the age of 8 to the age of 20. Scribes would write letters for a fee for those who could not read or write.
Sumerian Scribes “Tablet House”
Sumerian Writing Scribes used a sharp point called a stylus to etch words into clay tablets. These tablets have been discovered by archaeologists and looked at by historians.
Gilgamesh: “The First Superhero” • The first great work of literature was written by the Sumerians about a king named Gilgamesh, called the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh Little is actually known about the historical Sumerian Gilgamesh,, who ruled the city-state of Uruk probably around 2600 B.C. Still, he is possibly the most famous Mesopotamian of all, for he is the hero of stories first told aloud in the marketplaces of Mesopotamia and later written down as one of the world’s first epics. Twelve tablets that tell parts of the tale were found at Nineveh in the library of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal. In these tales, Gilgamesh is half god, half man; a great builder and warrior, but not a perfect human. Sumerian stories, religious songs, and poems, written on clay tablets in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), are the oldest examples of literature in history. An EPIC is a long tale of the adventures of a heroic or courageous character. The hero’s adventures would be hold and retold by generations of people in a civilization like that of the Sumerians. Eventually, the story would be written down. An example of an epic poem from another civilization is BEOWULF, which was written in the Old English language.
Sumerian Religion Sumerians worshipped many gods, not just one. This belief in many gods is called polytheism. “Poly” means many and “Theism” means gods. • Sumerians believed in such gods asNanna, Utu, Enlil, Enki, and more. Ziggurats were the main temples used to worship the gods of a city. Ziggurats were built in the center of the city. They had steps and ramps, and it was believed that the gods descended to the Earth using the ziggurat as a ladder. Only priests were permitted inside the ziggurat; as a result, they were very powerful members of Sumerian society.
Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic Sumerian Gods • Had male/female names • Enki- God of Crafts • Ninhusaq- Great mother goddess • Nanna- moon god • Enlil- mother nanna • Uu- sun god, son of nanna • Inanna-goddess of love/war Enki Innana Anthropomorphic Gods
Ziggurat at Ur • Temple • “Mountain of the Gods”
Sumerian Mythology Sumerian myths, or stories, explained people’s beliefs. Sumerians believed that a person must keep the gods happy by going to the ziggurat and praying to them. They believed that the gods would reward them for good service. They also believed that the gods would punish the people who made them angry. They worshipped different gods and goddesses.
Sumer Culture • A social hierarchy developed: • Kings • Priests • Merchants, Traders, and Craftsmen • Farmers/Laborers • Slaves
Sumer Culture • Some Sumerian inventions and accomplishments: • Developed the first form of writing—cuneiform • Irrigation • Carts using wheels; wheeled vehicles • Sailboats • Clay pottery, houses, brick, pottery wheel, etc. • Sewers • Copper and Bronze tools and weapons • Plows made of bronze • Make-up and jewelry • Written Laws • Religious Tradition • Early forms of math and scientific study • Numbers and Measurement---Number system based on 60, the calendar, time, units of measurement, etc.
Mesopotamian Trade “The Cuneiform World”
The Downfall of the Sumerians Each of the Sumerian city-states had a ruler, and these city-states began fighting each other. They fought over land and the use of river water. Since the Sumerians were constantly at war with each other, they became weak. By 2000 BC, Sumer was a weakened area, and by 1759 BC, Sumer was conquered by another group of people - the Babylonians, who were from the north.
Mesopotamia after Sumer • The Akkadians were led by Sargon (“Sargon the Great”) and invaded Sumer. • Sargon created the first permanent army and the world’s first empire. He ruled from 2270 B.C.-2215 B.C. • The empire lasted less than 200 years.
Mesopotamia after Sumer • Many groups of people began creating civilizations and fighting each other in Mesopotamia and other areas of the Middle East: • Babylonians • Hittites • Hebrews • Kassites • Assyrians • Chaldeans • Phoenicians • Persians
The Two Great Empires of Mesopotamia After the Sumerians were defeated, Mesopotamia had two main empires: Babylonia and Assyria. An empire is an area of many territories and people that are controlled by one government. The Babylonian empire lasted from around 1800 BC to 1200 BC. The Assyrian empirelasted from around 1200 BC to 612 BC.
Babylon - “Gate of God” The Sumerians were conquered by the Babylonians. The king of Babylon was Hammurabi. Hammurabi united the cities of Sumer and then expanded his empire all the way to Asia Minor
A Crossroads of Trade Babylon’s location made it a good place for trade. Groups of travelers, called caravans, traveled back and forth from the Sumerian cities in the south to the city of Akkad in the north. Along the way, they always stopped in Babylon to trade. Babylon had special markets, called bazaars, that people could go to buy cotton cloth from India. They could also buy spices from Egypt there. Babylon became rich due to trade.
Indo-European Migrations: 4m-2m BCE The Middle East: “The Crossroads of Three Continents”
Hammurabi • Hammurabi was king of Babylon from 1792 B.C. to 1750 B.C. and was a great monarch • He created a set of laws called Hammurabi’s Code, which included 282 laws for citizens to follow. • Many of these laws are found in modern governments
Hammurabi’s Code Law number 195 states: If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off.There are many, many more laws like this in Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi was the king who united most of Mesopotamia and conquered the Sumerians. He developed a “code” of laws. The laws were numbered from 1 to 282. Law number 196 states: If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. Some people summarize Hammurabi’s code by saying “an eye for an eye.” A statue of Hammurabi
On the left is a stela, which has all 282 of Hammurabi’s laws engraved on it. This stela is located in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The Hammurabi stela was discovered in 1909, in Susa, Elam, which is now Khuzestan. Khuzestan is a province of southern Iran. Susa
