Chapter 3 Mesopotamia - Carrithers...
Transcript of Chapter 3 Mesopotamia - Carrithers...
Section Focus
• New conquerors moved into region
and introduced new skills and ideas.
• War and violence is still a major
aspect in region.
• Contributions still influence
civilization today.
Babylon Conquers Mesopotamia
• City-state of Babylon (Baghdad) was located on Euphrates.
• Babylon’s monarch, Hammurabi, united all of Mesopotamia:
– Unified religion
– Improved irrigation
– Reformed Economics
– Reformed law system
Hammurabi’s Code • Hammurabi’s government was
based on a strict code of law.
• Laws were written down
on a stele so all people
would know laws.
Hammurabi’s Code • Courts and judges used to
determine guilt.
• Punishments included fines,
death, or torture.
• Covered everything
in daily life.
• What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and kills the owner?
• If a builder builds a house for a man and does not build it well, and the house collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house, the builder shall be put to death.
Hammurabi’s Code
• What should be done when a "sister of god" (nun) enters the wine shop for a drink?
• If a "sister of god" (nun) who opens a wine shop or enters a wine shop for a drink, they shall burn that woman.
Hammurabi’s Code
• What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?
• If a son strikes his father, they shall cut off his hand.
Hammurabi’s Code
• What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?
• If a man is in debt and is unable to pay his creditors, he shall sell his wife, son, or daughter, or bind them over to service. For three years they shall work in the houses of their purchaser or master; in the fourth year they shall be given their freedom.
Hammurabi’s Code
• What should be done about a wife who ignores her duties or disrespects her husband?
• If the woman has not been careful but has played around, neglected her house, and insulted her husband, they shall bind that woman and throw her into the river.
Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi’s Code • How is the truth determined
when one man brings an accusation against another?
• If one accuses another, the accused will go to the river and leap into it. If he sinks and drowns in the river, his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes unhurt, then the accuser shall be put to death, while the other shall take possession of the accuser’s house.
Invasions of Mesopotamia
• Hammurabi died and region
fell into chaos.
• Many groups fought to control
land and power:
– Hittites: ironworking and chariot
– Assyrians: government and warfare
– Chaldeans: agriculture, education
The Phoenicians
• Other Mesopotamian groups grew
under new stability.
• The Phoenicians settled in area full of cedar trees.
• Developed purple
dye and built boats
for trade and
exploration.
The Phoenicians
• Phoenicians grew
wealthy and began
colonies (Carthage)
in the Mediterranean.
• Invented new
alphabet and spread
Mesopotamian culture.
The Hebrews
• Originally dispersed desert
nomads.
• Began the religion of Judaism;
the first monotheistic religion.
• After the Exodus the Hebrews
began a kingdom called Israel.
The Hebrews
• Jewish have strong beliefs in God,
education, justice, and obedience.
• Scriptures of Judaism are
recorded in the Torah
(Old Testament).
• Jewish ideas and ethics
influenced other cultures, in
Europe and the Americas.