“The land between two rivers”Sumer--Akkad—Babylon—Hittites—

Assyrians—Babylon—PersianMs. Jerome

Do Now

Read excerpt and answer questions from The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literature. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the protagonist of the story, Gilgamesh king of Uruk, which were fashioned into a longer Akkadian epic much later. The most complete version existing today is preserved on 12 clay tablets from the library collection of 7th-century BC Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. The epic was originally titled He who Saw the Deep (Sha naqba īmuru) or Surpassing All Other Kings (Shūtur eli sharrī), which are the first few words of the epic in different versions.

Map: Why is the outlined location of Mesopotamia an ideal location for a civilization?

Modern Day Iraq

The Unpredictable Floods

The Tigris and Euphrates flooded unpredictably

Washed settlements awayOthers learned to build canals and dikes and

built uphillSumer developed in southern Mesopotamia

Over 100,000 people Sumerian cities were the center of political and

military authority Marketplaces were economic centers Also cultural centers with priests and scribes

Sumer

Sumerian Civilization

River management was key to early successDeveloped cuneiform—why is this important

to the longevity of a culture?

Write down laws Treaties Social and religious customs Record keeping (who paid their taxes? Who didn’t?)

Each symbol stands for a word

First wheeled vehicles

Polytheism

Each city state had its own god that was worshipped only by its people.

Sumerians built ziggurats to honor their deities.

Each city state had a ziggurat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8v2vRlLL58&feature=related

Video on Sumer What continuous contributions does the video discuss

about the legacy of Sumer? What was at the center of each City State? What contributions did the Sumerians give to the

world?

Sumerian social structure

Sumer became attractive to raiders for its wealth

This developed the need for a recognized military

By 3,000 b.c.e. all Sumerian cities had kings who claimed absolute authority

Most of the population was comprised of peasant farmers Which tells you what about the civilization?

The Rise of the Babylonians

The Akkadians and Babylonians of northern Mesopotamia soon overshadowed Sumer

Led by Akkadian warrior Sargon, Mesopotamian city states merged into an empire until his death.

Akkad was overrun by a new powerhouse, Babylon, under the leadership of its King, Hammurabi

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Orientmitja2300aC.png

Sargon the Great: ca. 2270 BC – 2215 BC

Builds the FIRSTempire known IN HISTORY!

Hammurabi’s Empire

Hammurabi’s Code activity

Groups of 3 Each group has to skim through 50 different codes of

Hammurabi http://www.phillipmartin.info/hammurabi/hammurabi_

codeindex.htm Make a list of 10 different facts you can defer about

Mesopotamian/Babylonian culture based on its laws Consider values, social structure and level of punishment

per offense

The Jeromeurabi Code

Rules regarding homeworkRules regarding attendanceRules regarding class workRules regarding leaving the classroomRules regarding group work Rules regarding writing assignments …

Enter the Hittites, exit the Babylonians!

Babylon falls

By 1500 b.c.e. the Hittites became the dominant force in Anotolia (Turkey), invading the riches of Mesopotamia

Why? Because they used iron—a stronger metal than bronze.

Enabled them to become a military powerhouse

But good news travels fast…Enter the Assyrians

The Rise of the Assyrians

Pret ty

extens ive !

The Assyrians

A military powerhouseMilitary dominated life in this cultureMilitary rank based on merit rather than

noble birthAlso, good administration like HammurabiPreserved literature

The Fall of the Assyrians

Too big to administer (this is a common theme through history!)

Internal strifeAssyrian empire began

to collapse by 612 b.c.e. with the death of King Assurbanipal Built first library Maintained

Mesopotamia’s literature (epic of Gilgamesh)

Nebuchadnezzer and the New Babylonian Empire

Nebuchadnezzer rebuilt Babylon—canals, walls, temples, a defensive mote

Built first great, illustrious city of the ancient world

Summary

Contributions of the Hittites Introduced

ironworking

Contributions of the Assyrians Founded the

first library

Contributions of the Babylonians Established

first great ancient city

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The growing Persian Empire would soon encompass all of Mesopotamia

AfghanistanEg

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