Mesopotamia “The Land between Two Rivers” Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

MesopotamiaMesopotamia“The Land between Two Rivers”“The Land between Two Rivers”

Tigris and Euphrates RiversTigris and Euphrates Rivers

River CivilizationRiver Civilization With your elbow partner discuss: Why would people group up and settle near

rivers? what challenges might they face?________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________

MesopotamiaMesopotamia “land between two rivers” - the Tigris

and Euphrates the Fertile Crescent - area of rich soil in

the Middle East where the agricultural revolution took place

Tigris and Euphrates had unpredictable flooding

Heather Nice

Mesopotamia was the setting for many civilizationsSHOW MAP OF FERTILE CRESCENT CIVILIZATIONS

cultural diffusioncultural diffusion

process of a new idea or a product spreading from one culture to another culture as trade began to develop from one city-state to another

Heather Nice

America has been known for years as a cultural melting pot. If that is the case, where do we see diffusion in our culture today?

city-state vs. empirecity-state vs. empire city and all its surrounding lands

that function as an independent political unit

City-states evolved into empires Empire- controlled by a single

ruler aka a monarchy

Contributions of Contributions of Mesopotamian Mesopotamian

CulturesCultures

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Nanna ziggurat temple in Ur, ca 2100 BCE: revives and perfects the earlier ziggurat-temple form

Major Groups in Major Groups in MesopotamiaMesopotamia

Sumerians Babylonians Chaldeans Assyrians Persians

Hebrews Phoenicians

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Head of a Ruler, 2300–2000 B.C. Iranian(?). Arsenical copper.

Sumerians TechnologySumerians Technology arch, wheel, plow, & sail astronomy & fortune telling number system - 6’s & 12’s concept of city-state Ziggurat – Temple “Mountain of God”

Cuneiform – Form of writing using stylus and wet clay tablet

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In times of peace, before time of monarchial rule, who controlled the government? LARGE LANDOWNERSWhy was their government developed in the first place? IT WAS DEVELOPED IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED TO CONTROL TRADE WITH OTHER REGIONSOne of their first cities is Ur – where is it located today? IRAQSo, Sumer would be located in what present day country? IRAQINTERESTING FACT – this is where ghost stories originateKEY LEADER: SARGON OF AKKAD

BabyloniansBabyloniansHammurabi’s Law Code–1st written code of laws

imperial governmentfirst to build Babylon

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The city of Babylon belonged to two different empires…one is obviously the Babylonian Empire – can anyone tell me what the other is? THE CHALDEAN EMPIREHammurabi’s law codes were remarkable because they survived as long as they did. REMEMBER IT WAS THE FIRST UNIFIED LAW CODE!Imperial government – a government that rules over extensive territories or over colonies KEY LEADER: HAMMURABI

HittitesHittites Iron, chariots, hunters.

Heather Nice

Portion of a Hittite relief carving featuring a lion hunt. Note the use of chariots and iron arrowheads.

PhoeniciansPhoenicians alphabet & writing with phonetic symbols

commerce & shipbuilding, sailing, trade (trade =$$)

dyes and other products–murex

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Located in present day LebanonSHIPBUILDING – considered to be the most able seafarers of their timeThe origins of our modern western alphabet is attributed to them!Took the oils from 60,000 murex to make one pound of dye...

PhoeniciansPhoenicians In early civilization, explain how

creating a universal phonetic symbols or the alphabet was a helpful tool?

Explain how being an experienced sailor was beneficial in a rising economy for the Phoenicians?

HebrewsHebrews (Israelites, Jews)(Israelites, Jews)

Monotheism – One GodTorah--Old Testamentconcept of human dignity

Judaism

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Abraham was considered to be the “Father of the Jews” Moses was the one who led them from bondage to Mt. Sinia to receive the Ten Commandments from God.Jewish Holy book??? TORAHNAME OF GOD??? YawehKEY LEADERS: SOLOMON, DAVID, (SAUL)

AssyriansAssyrians warfare: weapons, armor,

cavalry, tactics, catapult and other siege tools

postal service some roads built city of Ninevah improved writing

Heather Nice

The establishment of the Assyrian empire represented the first success of professional military forces. They also had a very efficient government.KEY LEADER: ASHURBANIPALIRON WORKING WAS ESSENTIAL TO THEIR GOVERNMENT B/C OF NECESSITY OF TOOLS!!!

Assyrian TreasuresAssyrian Treasures

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Gold jewelry and other precious items recovered from royal tombs excavated at the ancient Assyrian capital of Nimrud, and objects from the royal cemetery at Ur, have been found where they were stashed for safety—in a vault below the Central Bank in Baghdad—before the onset of the Gulf War in 1990. Gold bull-headed Sumerian lyre from royal cemetery of Ur, circa 2500 B.C. Clay figurine of bearded man with ax, perhaps a warrior, from circa 1900 B.C. Gravestone of Assyrian King Adad-Nirari III (811-782 B.C.) with symbols of gods on either side of his head.

The Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age time when a people use bronze (mix

tin and copper) rather than stone, bone, or copper

begins in 2500 BCE in Mesopotamia

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When advanced past Neolithic – need more advanced tools to support growing cities -> used the fire they had already mastered to start molding metals into tools and weapons

polytheism monotheismpolytheism monotheism a belief in

many gods

a belief in one god

(originated with the Hebrews – Judaism)

EARLY LAW EARLY LAW CODESCODES

Think - Pair - ShareThink - Pair - Share

What governmental systems were established in early civilizations and why?

What legal ideas can be traced to ancient civilizations?

How were religious philosophies integrated into these ancient systems?

HAMMURABI’S HAMMURABI’S CODE OF LAWSCODE OF LAWS

first set of written/codified laws (282)

– In cuneiform deal with what Mesopotamians value: family relations,

crime, and property issues follow “eye for an eye” philosophy

Emphasizes government responsibility for society This document made the laws more consistent and

predictable.

Heather Nice

Who was Hammurabi?Hammurabi – Babylonian king à believed that a Code of Laws was necessary to ensure Babylonian empire lastedWhat can you tell about Marduk, the Babylonian god, through reading these laws? How does he compare to the God of the Jews?

LAW OF MOSESLAW OF MOSES Includes Ten Commandments

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Written to the Jews in their holy book, the Torah.Inscribed by Moses, but dictated by their God – they only had one unlike all other religions of the time – they were monotheistic.Believed Abraham to be the Father of the JewsMoses was the man who led them out of bondage and took them to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, or the Laws of God

LAW OF MOSES cont.LAW OF MOSES cont. Transcribed by Moses on Mt. Sinai Sometimes resembles “eye for an

eye” strict justice softened by expressions

of God’s mercy Goal: moral life in accordance with

God’s laws

Mesopotamia “The Land between Two Rivers” Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

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