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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