Bell Ringer

• TOTAL RECALL!– Where is Mesopotamia?– What does the word “Mesopotamia” mean?– What are natural (geographical) boundaries of

Mesopotamia?– What is Hammurabi’s Code?– What is the cultural, political, and religious capital

city of Mesopotamia?– What were the two competing kingdoms vying for

control of Mesopotamia?

Mesopotamia

Mr. PentzakLevel One Humanities

Fall 2013

Mesopotamia

• “Between the Rivers”– Tigris & Euphrates

• A region, not a country!– Controlled by various societies/civilizations over

time.– Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians,

Greeks, Romans, etc.

Geography • Natural Boundaries:

-Zagros Mnts. -Taurus Mnts.-Persian Gulf -Mediterranean Sea-Red Sea -Arabian & Syrian Desert

• Isolated • Fertile flood plain

Fertile Crescent• “Fertile Crescent” – Arid= (of land or a climate) having little or no rain;

too dry or barren to support vegetation– Annual flooding of Tigris and Euphrates deposits

silt– Silt= fine sand, clay,

or other material carried by running water and deposited as a sediment

Rise of Civilization• Agriculture develops about 10,000 years ago

(c. 8000 BCE)– Hunter-Gatherers previously!

• Neolithic farmers settle in Fertile Crescent around 6000 BCE

• Agriculture becomes increasingly complex which in turn makes society more complex

• Villages → Towns → Cities → City-States• Division of labor, specialization, surplus!

Sumerians• Settle in the region around 5000 BCE• A distinct and flourishing culture emerges– Later civilizations will borrow heavily from them

• Develop irrigation= a system of supplying land with water by means of artificial canals, ditches, etc., esp. to promote the growth of food crops

• Inventions: plow, wheeled vehicles, sailboat, mathematics, astronomy, the arch, writing, potter’s wheel, and the frying pan

• Bring us out of Neolithic age, Bronze Age! (c. 3100 BCE)– Iron will replace bronze c. 1200 BCE

Sargon the Great

• Akkadian (North of Sumer, South of Assur)• Conquers most of Mesopotamia• First Empire• Ruled c. 2334 BCE – 2279 BCE• Subsequent kings tried to emulate• Cultural blending as empire spreads• Standardize weights and measures– Trade!

Hammurabi

• Babylonian King 1792-1750 BCE• Hammurabi’s Code– 200+ laws on everything from building codes, fair

wages, divorce, slavery, and major crimes– Strict punishments– Consequences based on social rank

Ashurbanipal

• Assyrian King from 668-627 BCE• Collects cuneiform tablets from all over the

kingdom– First library

• Promotes culture and the arts throughout Mesopotamia

• Eliminates many military threats– Bankrupts the kingdom as a result, upon his death

civil wars and weak leaders– Paves way for Persian control (Cyrus the Great)

Assyrians

• Northern Mesopotamia• Constant conflict with Babylonia• Conquers Babylon– Destroys, rebuilds (Sennacherib)– Emulate their culture

Babylon

Babylon

• Possibly built by Sargon the Great• Major political, cultural, and religious center

of Mesopotamia• Highly prized-attacked often• Tower of Babel, Hanging Gardens

City Life

• Ur & Uruk– First cities

• Walled• Mud brick cities• Narrow, crowded streets– Buildings several stories high

• Ziggurat in center of town

Economy

• Extensive trade networks develop– Needs/wants- timber, metal ore/alloys, precious

stones, spices – Traded for agricultural products and textiles– Wheat, beans, grapes, olives, flax

• Contracts and debts recorded by scribes on cuneiform tablets

• Several laws enacted regarding trade, wages, and prices

Religion• Polytheistic• Over 3,000 gods. Each city had a patron god• Statues would be placed in temples so there

would always be something praying to the gods• Daily sacrifices – beer, bread, fruit, wine, meat

• Same gods, names change over time depending on the culture in power

Religion cont.

• Ziggurat- a rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple

• Every city had one, and rulers used them to display their wealth and devotion to the gods

• Marduk was the most important god• Tiamat (salt water) • Apsu (fresh water)

Culture

• Similar throughout Mesopotamia, borrow heavily from one another

• Cuneiform– One of the earliest forms of written languages– Clay tablets, reed styluses

• Epic of Gilgamesh– Gilgamesh c. 2500 BCE, written text c. 1700 BCE

Women

• Not equal to men, but had rights– See shift in view of Tiamat

• Able to own property, navigate legal issues, buy and sell goods, operate businesses

• Upper class/religious class were literate• Married young– Dowries– Divorce

Lingo Bingo• Sargon the Great• Hammurabi• Cyrus the Great• Ashurbanipal• Babylon• Assyria• Tigris &Euphrates• Taurus and Zagros Mountains• Syrian and Arabian Desert• Mediterranean Sea and Persian

Gulf• Cuneiform• Ziggurat• Irrigation

• Silt• Scribe• Epic of Gilgamesh• Tiamat• Apsu• Marduk• Ea• Fertile• Sumerians• Frying pan• Sailboat• Pancakes

• http://history-world.org/sumeria.htm• http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/sumer.html• http://www.mitchellteachers.net/WorldHistor

y/MrMEarlyHumansProject/PDFs/SumerAchieveBlurbs.pdf