LESSON 3THE EARLY

CIVILIZATIONS

OLDEST CIVILIZATION Land between the rivers of Euphrates and Tigris was known as Mesopotamia which is the present-day Iraq

Birthplace of the first river valley civilization

Between Zagros and Anti-Taurus mountains in northern end, and the Arabian plateau and Persian Gulf

EUPHRATES AND TIGRIS

ZAGROS AND ANTI-TAURUS MOUNTAINS

PERSIAN GULF

Greeks called Mesopotamia from word mesos meaning 'middle' and potamos means 'rivers'

Mesopotamia was part of the Fertile Crescent the rich soil of the region and its shape gave it the name fertile crescent

FERTILE CRESCENT

Mesopotamia was a flat plain with a hot, dry climate. its land was fertile because of the rivers that flowed through it

Terrain made attractive to neighboring places

Lack of natural barriers As a result invaders attacted the region

MESOPOTAMIA

SUMERIANS Moved into the southern part of mesopotamia about 3500 BCE

They were farmers and city builders

They built cities tributaries along the river

Each Sumerian city became independent city-state

Each city-state has its own god

2000 BCE, the temple had become a ziggurat

A ziggurat is a massive tower that dominated the city

Temple and its priests owned a large portion of the city's territory, but they did not rule the city.

Control over politics was in the hands of the king was a war leader

ZIGGURAT

The king is the supreme ruler in the city

King held much land, like other high-ranking people called nobles

Land of the nobles was worked on by slaves as well as free men and women called clients

Free citizens known as commoners also owned land

Outstanding contributions to civilization

Highly creative people First people known to use wheels

Wheeled carts and sail Wheels on war chariots First people on earth to invent writing 3000 BCE

System of writing is called cuneiform meaning 'wedge-shaped'

CUNEIFORM

Skilled mathematicians, proven by their invention of mathematical ideas called sexagisimal, which is the division of a circle into 360 degrees, an hour into 60 minutes, and a minute into 60 seconds

Arithmetic and geometry to survey lands and re-establish property lines

Improvements in farming. the plow was also their invention

Built complex irrigation systems to channel water

Calendar comprising of 12 months to keep track of the seasons

About 2500 BCE, invaders conquered the city-states of sumer

Their achievements left a lasting mark on the new invaders

AKKAD A city north of mesopotamia 2350 BCE Sargon founded the first empire ever recorded in history

He extended the irrigation system and flood control of mesopotamia

He also protected trade caravans through the assistance of his armies

SARGON

Akkadians borrowed the sumerian civilization

They adapted cuneiform for writing

They translated the religious, scientific, and literary works of the sumerians

As a result, Akkadians absorbed sumerian religious beliefs and ideas about government and society

Laters rulers lacked the abilities of Sargon, and civil war came

For a brief period, Ur-Nammu, king of the ancient city of Ur reunited the city-states

About 2050 BC He compiled the first known code of laws

His code summarized sumerian ideas of justice

UR-NAMMU

UR-NAMMU CODE OF LAWS

2000 BCE a group of nomads invaded mesopotamia, attacking the rich cities in the river valleys

Amorites built a small village of babylon along the euphrates river

Boasted a giant ziggurat dedicated to the chief babylon god marduk

1700 BCE king of babylon, hammurabi

GOD MARDUK

HAMMURABI EXPANDED THE SUMERIAN LEGAL CODE

About 1700 BCE hammurabi who came from syria

Capital was the city of babylon which means 'gate of the gods'

He was one of the great rulers of ancient times

Outstanding general, an able administrator, and patron of the arts

KING HAMMURABI

Code of hammurabi discovered in 1901 by a team of french archaeologists digging at susa the present-day iran

Found three pieces of black stone with writings on them that when put together will form an eight-foot column

Scholars believed that the code was first developed by the sumerians

SUSA PRESENT-DAY IRAN

CODE OF HAMMURABI His goal was "to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil, to prevent the strong from oppressing he weak and to further the welfare of the people"

Code contained 282 laws under headind such as trade, family labor, real estate, and personal property

CODE OF HAMMURABI

THE HITTITES Rebellions and invasions weakened the babylonian empire after hammurabi's death in 1600 BCE

Hittites adapted babylonian cuneiform and ideas of government and religion

Experts military strategy , skillful diplomacy

Expert on metalworks

Hittites lost their military advantage

The most feared and hated invaders to the fertile crescent after 1200 BCE were the assyrians

ASSYRIANS They settled in tigris valley

Built a city-state named after their chief god, Assur

1100 BCE Possessed a highly disciplined army. once a city is conquered they show no mercy

CHIEF GOD ASSUR

"I cut off their heads, and like heaps of grain, i piled them up"

700 BCE they captured babylon they tortured and beheaded prisoners, enslaved women and children

Empire divided into provinces, each ruled by a governor responsible to the king, who had absolute power

They collected taxes from conquered people

They built a capital at nineveh

Assyrian king ashurbanipa built a library

KING ASHURBANIPA

CHALDEANS

Medes and Chaldeans joined the oppressed people within assyrian empire in 612 BCE to capture and destroy nineveh

Medes occupied the highlands north of mesopotamia

Chaldeans established empire in the mesopotamian proper

During the reign of nebuchadnezzar, the chaldeans extended their empire over the fertile crescent

Nebuchadnezzar built babylon as a symbol of power

His palace was splendor by the famous hanging garden of babylon

NEBUCHADNEZZAR

HANGING GARDEN OF BABYLON

Chaldeans advanced the study of mathematics and astronomy

They believed that the position of the stars and planets, and the movement of comets determined the fates of individuals

They suffered civil wars after the death of nebuchadnezzar in 539 BCE, the chaldean empire fell into the hands of invading persians

PERSIANS Became a powerful force in the fertile crescent region

20 years they onquered fertile crescent

Through the leadership of cyrus the king of persia

Cyrus was a remarkable military leader and a wise ruler

CYRUS

Darius, cyru's son-in law, completed the task of organizing tha vast persian empire

He divide the empire into provinces or satrapies. each satrapy was ruled by a governor or satrap who collected taxes and administrative laws.

DARIUS

As a way of checking, Darius sent a royal inspectos called "the eyes and ears of the king" into provinces

But soon the empire fell into the hands of the Greeks and to Alexander the Great

ALEXANDER THE GREAT