The First Civilizations

The Mesopotamians, 3000-1000 B.C.

The Sumerian and Akkadian Period, 2800-2150 B.C.

Mesopotamians, 3000-1000 B.C.

Mesopotamia originally not suited for human settlement

Humans must modifications to the region

Mesopotamia means between “the two rivers”

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers 120° summers and only 10

inches of rainfall a year

Mesopotamians, 3000-1000 B.C.

The region that was located along the waterways in Mesopotamia was called the Fertile Crescent

Fertile Crescent had yearly deposit of fertile silt that provided rich topsoil

Rivers provided abundance of fish and attracted animals

Mesopotamians, 3000-1000 B.C.

Bronze Age born with smelting of copper and tin

Swamp marshes around rivers produced reeds for fuel and swamp mud made bricks

Abundance of plants provide food for domestic animals

Mesopotamians, 3000-1000 B.C. Mesopotamia lacked resources like stone, lumber

and minerals Humans adapted to region by using river ways to

move natural resources The development of sailed boats and the wheel

helped in movement of resources across water and land

Villages settled along river ways and lead to the development of urban areas around 3,000 B.C.

Region in constant struggle because of water ways and location

Mesopotamians, 3000-1000 B.C.

Religion Polytheistic any religion

that recognizes more than one god

Ziggurat an ancient Mesopotamian temple which served as a temple, government offices, and a storehouse for grain

Worshipped gods for protection, help and no hope for an afterlife

Mesopotamians, 3000-1000 B.C.

Social structure developed in city states

Military and religious leaders became social and political elites

Skilled workers Slaves and peasants

worked for elites Male dominance in

family

Mesopotamians, 3000-1000 B.C.

Economy Trade routes developed

along the water ways Both the Tigris and the

Euphrates reached different markets because of their locations

Cities along river ways became heavily involved in commerce

The Sumerians Modified environment by draining

swamps, irrigation and building drainage canals

Floods and droughts still devastated region

Introduce cuneiform, a system of writing using reeds to make impressions

Cuneiform introduced management of government, communication and record keeping

The Sumerians Sumerian Religion

Worshipped at a ziggurat, a large temple complex where daily government business was addressed

Government and religious beliefs replace loyalty to one’s tribe or clan

Ziggurat size was attempt to reach gods

Statue of god was worshipped there and it served a symbolic purpose

The Sumerians City Life in Sumeria

Mud brick houses 40% of grain used

to make ale Vegetables, fish,

figs, dates and cheese part of diet

Parents arranged marriages

Adultery a punishable crime

The Sumerians Women’s Roles

Women worked as tavern owners, merchants and wine sellers

Laws distinguished between respectable women and prostitutes

Slave women clothes distinguished them as slaves

The Sumerians Large city states

develop like Ur, Uruk and Kish

They were constantly at war for water, trade routes and influence

Developed a large trade in textiles, animals, stone and bronze

Sumerians considered the earliest civilization

The Sumerians Sumerian Religion

Polytheistic – any religion that recognizes more than one god

Natural disasters act of gods

Devotion to gods would spare them disasters not an afterlife

Akkadian Period, 2800-2150 B.C. Sargon I (2300 B.C.)

conquered Sumerians and saw an empire that stretched from Persian Gulf to Mediterranean

Used religion to unify Sumerians and Akkadians

Sargon places daughter, Enheduanna as high priestess of Sumerian and Akkadian gods

Akkadian Period, 2800-2150 B.C.

Enheduanna successfully linked the two religions and set a tradition of daughters serving as high priestess

Gods are ranked by importance (powerful to weak)

People believe that their world reflects the ranking of peoples (king, nobles and peasants)

Akkadian Period, 2800-2150 B.C.

Cuneiform, earliest written language, developed by accountants which was created by using a reed on a clay tablet

Scribes were the only people that knew how to read and write cuneiform

Used for inventory, payroll of soldiers, property ownership and correspondence between monarchs