Mesopotamia: Land Between the Rivers

1. I.Land Between the Rivers A.Introduction 1.Punishement was extremely severe in the ancient world. 2.The land of Sumer was one of the first civilizations. B.The Geographic Setting 1.Sumer became one of the most prosperous areas of the ancient world. 2.Mesopotamia comes from the Greek words that mean “between the rivers.” 3.Mesopotamia is part of the Fertile Crescent. 4.The rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, provided everything for these people. 5.The rivers were often violent and unpredictable. C.The First Cities 1.Cities first developed in the land of Sumer. 2.City-states developed independent of each other. (own laws, rulers, etc.) 3.Sumerian cities were much like our cities today. D.Sumerian Religion 1.The Sumerians built ziggurats in their cities for their gods. 2.Religious, social, and economic activities all took place at the temple sites. 3.The Sumerians were polytheistic. A Greek word meaning “many gods.” 4.Sumerian myths were an important part of their society. 5.The Sumerains honored their gods in religious ceremonies. 6.The Sumerian culture died out in about 2000 BC.

2. II.Babylonia and Assyria A.Introduction 1.The Assyrians were powerful and known for war. 2.The Assyrians ruled Mesopotamia at various times and were cruel. B.The Two Empires of Mesopotamia 1.The history of Mesopotamia is filled with stories of conquest. 2.Assyria and Babylonia were the 2 empires in this region. 3.Both empires (Assyria and Babylonia) built beautiful cities. C.The Babylonia Empire 1.A Babylonian king named Hammurabi united the cities of Sumer. 2.Hammurabi created a system of roads throughout the empire. 3.Babylon’s location made it a cross roads of trade. 4.Hammurabi’s empire was finally destroyed by about 1600 BC. 5.Assyria, north of Babylon, grew into a powerful empire. D.The Empire of the Assyrians 1.The Assyrians became skilled warriors and conquered a large empire. 2.The Assyrians were clever when it came to waging war. 3.The Assyrian capital, Nineveh, contained a vast library. 4.Eventually, the Assyrians were overthrown in 612 BC. E.Babylonia Rises Again 1.Babylon became the center of the New Babylonian Empire. 2.Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilt the city and built gardens for his wife. 3.The Chaldeans made scientific observations and became a center for learning. 4.Like the earlier empires, the New Babylonians were conquered.

3. III.The Legacy of Mesopotamia A.Introduction 1.It appears that we have some sort of rulebook. 2.It appears that these rules are not fair. (=, or apply to all) B.Hammurabi’s Code 1.A written code helps make sure people know what is expected. 2.Hammurabi wrote down laws for everyone to follow. 3.These 282 laws covered all aspects of life. 4.The code was based on “an eye for an eye,” but did not apply evenly to all. 5.Some of the laws seemed unfair and made no sense. 6.People choose or choose not to follow rules. 7.The laws are important to us because they are written down.

4. C.The Art of Writing 1.It took a long time for the art of writing to be developed. 2.Writing developed in Mesopotamia in 3100 BC to keep track of records. 3.Writing was used for various purposes. (tax records, gift to the gods, etc.) 4.Scribes shaped the soft wet clay into tablets. 5.Tablets could be large or small depending on its purpose. 6.Writing first developed from clay tokens to keep records. 7.Scribes combined symbols to make groups of wedges and lines known as Cuneiform. 8.Scholars believe that the Sumerians developed their system of writing independently.

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