Problem of the Day

2. Problem of the Day A statement has had all its vowels removed. Replace them and find the statement. N P P L D Y K P S T H D C T R W Y

3. Problem of the Day An apple a day keeps the doctor away

4. The Fertile Crescent

5. Fertile Crescent vs. Mesopotamia • Fertile Crescent is a fertile area in the Middle East that stretches from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. • Shaped like a crescent moon • Mesopotamia is a region within the Fertile Crescent • The Land Between the Rivers • Tigris & Euphrates Rivers made it possible for farming due to flooding

6. Why Were People Drawn to This Region? • Rich soil • Life-giving rivers • Fish • Clay for building • Strong reeds to make boats • Fertile soil left behind from the floods

7. What Challenges Did People Face in Mesopotamia? • Unpredictable floods destroyed crops, homes & people • Some areas were marshy and unsuitable for farming because of over-flooding

8. Why is the Region Known as the Cradle of Civilization? Rock- a- bye Mesopotamia… • It is the birth of civilization.

9. The Many People of Mesopotamia • Sumerians (3000 B.C. - 1800 B.C.) 2.Babylonians (1800 B.C. - 1200 B.C.) • Assyrians (1200 B.C. - 539 B.C.) 4. Persians (539 B.C. - 330 B.C.)

10. Sumerians • Sumer was never united under one ruler • Independent city-states • Results in their downfall…why? • Sumerians were great inventors • The wheel (around 3500 BCE) • Invention of cuneiform writing • The Plow • The Sailboat

11. Sumerians • First Writing system • Cuneiform • Clay tablets with reed for a stylus • Earliest literature • World’s oldest poetry • The Epic of Gilgamesh

12. I am the great king Gilgamesh…read the handout about my epic tale!

13. Sumerian Religion • Polytheism- belief in many gods • Sumerians believed in polytheistic, anthropomorphic deities • Each city-state had its own patron god • Ziggurats – massive, stepped-pyramids used as temples by Sumerian priests • Existed long before the Egyptian pyramids

14. Main Sumerian Deities • An: God of heaven • Enlil: God of the air • Enki: God of freshwater, male fertility, and knowledge • Inanna: Goddess of love, female fertility and warfare • Ki: Goddess of the earth. • Nanna:God of the moon • Ninurta: God of war, agriculture • Utu: God of the sun

15. Religions have attempted to build their sanctuaries on prominent heights. Since no such natural heights were available in the flat flood plains of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), ancient priests and kings determined to build ziggurats, square or rectangular artificial stepped temple platforms. Functionally, temples were placed on raised platforms to give them prominence over other buildings in a city, and to allow more people to watch the services performed at the temple. Symbolically, however, the ziggurat represents the cosmic mountain on which the gods dwell. The priests ascent up the stairway to the temple at the top of the ziggurat represents the ascent to heaven. The great ziggurat at Khorsabad, for example, had seven different stages; each was painted a different color and represented the five known planets, the moon, and the sun. WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE REVEAL ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS BELIEF OF PEOPLE IN MESOPOTAMIA?

16. Many archaeologists believe that there was a temple on the highest terrace of the ziggurat. Drains for rain water Terrace This staircase runs directly up the front of the ziggurat. Possibly only the temple priests were allowed to climb these steps to get to the higher stages of the ziggurat.

17. The mud-brick core of the ziggurat was covered with baked bricks. Each baked brick measured about 12 x 12 x 3 in and weighed up to 33lbs. About 720,000 baked bricks would have been needed in building the first stage of the ziggurat. This brick was stamped with the name and title of Ur-Nammu, the king who ordered the ziggurat built. Most bricks used to build the ziggurat were stamped. Somebody had the job of stamping the damp bricks.

18. ZIGGURATS

19. Why Did Sumer Fall? • Its wealth lead to fighting over… • Land • Use of river water

20. The First Empire • Akkad was a Sumerian city-state. • King Sargon I of Akkad conquered Sumer and united the city-states. • Eventually dissolved into independent city-states until Babylonia took control.

21. Akkadians

22. Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire.

23. Hammurabi • Babylonia’s most powerful and memorable king rules from 1792 to 1750 B.C.E. • Reorganizing the tax system for easier collection of taxes • Repaired the irrigation canals to increase • Establishes a written code of laws ( more to follow at a later date)

24. Hammurabi • “So That the Strong Should Not Harm the Weak” Hmmm…I think someone “got my nose”?

25. The End of Babylonia ( for now) • The decline began with the death of Hammurabi • Fell to the Hittites in 1600s B.C.E.

27. The Babylonians • Began as empire around 1890s BCE when city-states were united. • Located 60 miles south of Baghdad • Babylonians built: • Great walled cities teeming with life • Roads allow caravans to travel the empire • Vast public buildings • The palace at Mari ( 350 –room palace with pipes to drain waste) • Comfortable houses for all people

28. Babylonian Empire • Started as city by the Euphrates River in 1900 BCE • Babylon--capital of Babylonian Empire • Under King Hammurabi conquered all of the surrounding cities (including Sumer) to make it the Fertile Crescent’s 1st united empire in 1787 BCE. • Empire-- an area of many territories and peoples that is controlled by one government

29. Babylonian Culture • Very similar to Sumerian culture • Adopted their religion, literature, inventions, & practices • Became wealthy via trade & agriculture • Trade required them to build roads & bazaars • bazaar--outdoor market place for trading goods • caravan--a group of travelers (Why travel together?)

30. Babylonian Accomplishments • Hammurabi’s Code--first known, written set of laws, created by King of Babylon during his reign (1792-1750) • Created a useful system of mathematics & astronomy • Math based on numbers from 1-60 • Does this sound familiar? • Allowed them to calculate areas of geometric shapes • Why would this be important for building an empire?

31. The End of Babylon • All their wealth couldn’t save them from conquest… • They fell to another, growing empire in 1500 BCE.

32. The Assyrian Empire • Civilization on upper Tigris River in an open plain • Capital—Nineveh • Frequently attacked by invaders • Developed standing army (soldiers who serve in military as their primary job) • By 1365 BCE decided that best defense was a good offense! • They started creating their own empire!

33. The Assyrian Army • Fierce & cruel warriors • Weapons made of iron (rather than bopper or bronze) • Created forts & government to administer conquered cities • First mail service to communicate between cities in empire • Other Advancements: • Trained Horses & Chariots • Archers & Stone Slings • Battering Rams

34. The Softer Side of the Assyrians • They created a great library with clay tablets from Sumer & Babylon.

35. Biggest=Best? • By 650 BCE, Empire stretched from The Nile River to the Persian Gulf! (See map on p. 39 in textbook.) • Captured enemies (murdering or enslaving them), plundered & looted cities, & demanded taxes (tributes) from the vanquished. • The Assyrians were widely hated. • Several revolt attempts • Medes & Chaldeans overthrew them in 612 BCE.

36. Babylon’s Back, Baby! • What city rose out of the ashes of Nineveh? • The Chaldeans made the city of Babylon their new capital. • This time around their most important king was Nebuchadnezzar II • Ruled from 605-562 BCE • Babylon grew strong under him

37. More Babylonian Accomplishments • Center of Math & Science • Astronomy so accurate could calculate length of year to within minutes of modern methods! • Started domesticating honey bees (Why?)

38. Reasons to Remember Babylon: • Huge wall surrounding the city • Beautifully decorated • Towers for guards • 4-Horse Chariot-wide • Famous Gate of Ishtar

39. Reasons to Remember Babylon: • Hanging Gardens of Babylon • Built by Nebuchadnezzar • Beautifully decorated • Roof-top tropical gardens • In the middle of the desert • 1 of 7 Wonders of the Ancient World • Why? Let’s find out...

40. This Time Babylon Falls & Stays Down • Nebuchadnezzar is succeeded by his son in 562 BCE, but he’s assassinated just three years later. • Within a few years, new empire invades

41. The Persian Empire • (539-330 BCE)

42. The Persian Empire • Located east of Fertile Crescent (modern-day Iran & Afghanistan) • People were Indo-Europeans called Aryans (source of Iran’s name) • Started in 550 BCE by Persian province ruler named Cyrus the Great (350-330 BCE) • United Medes & Persians into a strong army and later a kingdom

43. The Persian Empire • Army of archers & cavalrymen conquered most of ancient world (See map on p. 39) • Turkey • India • Egypt • Unlike Assyrians, they were benevolent: • Freed Jews • Treated conquered fairly & kindly (did force tributes) • Allowed them to maintain culture

44. Ruling the Biggest Empire • Emperor Darius I (522-486 BCE) set up system to organize the empire: • Divided into 20 provinces • Each managed by governors • Judges & Tax Collectors appointed • Surprise inspectors • Well paved roads which led to international trade

45. Bureaucracy • complex structure of government offices needed to govern a vast empire or nation (negative connotation)

46. Zoroastrianism • the official religion of the Persian Empire • had one supreme god who made world, sun, moon & stars • What is this kind of religion called?

47. The Persian Empire Lasted • until Alexander the Great conquered it in 330 BCE