mesopotamia. things to know where was mesopotamia how did the fertile crescent get its name? what...
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Mesopotamia
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Things to know
• Where was Mesopotamia• How did the Fertile Crescent get its name?• What was the most important factor in
making Mesopotamia’s farmland fertile?
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Simple Outline
• Hunter-gatherer groups first settled 12,000 years ago• Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded bring silt (rich soil
and tiny rocks)• Mesopotamia means “between the rivers” in Greek
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Farming and Cities• Early settlements were located near rivers, but water was not
controlled and flooding was a problem• Later, people built canals to protect houses from flooding –
and moved water to fields• With irrigation, the people were able to grow more food• Food surpluses allowed some to stop farming and
concentrate on other skilled jobs
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The Rise of Sumer• The World’s first civilization• Most Sumerians were farmers, however, centre of
society was the urban areas
• The 1st cities had about 10,000 residents• By 2000 BC, some had more than 100 000!
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City-States
• A city-state was a city and all the countryside around it
• City-states fought each other to gain more land• Individual city-states gained and lost power• Cities like Ur (above) and Uruk fought for
dominance
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Gilgamesh
• One of Uruk’s kings – Gilgamesh became a legendary figure in Sumerian literature
• Considered 1st piece of literature
Read the handout and watch Epic
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Rise of the Akkadian Empire
• Another society at the same time was the Akkadians – lived at peace with Sumerians
• ... Until Sargon built a capital in present day Baghdad – which was in Sumer
• Akkadians and Sumerians go to war, and Akkadians win – creating the world’s first Empire
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Sargon’s story• According to legend, a gardener found a baby
floating in a basket on a river and raised him as his own child. This baby later became the Akkadian emperor Sargon.
• Sargon is believed to be among the first military leaders to use soldiers armed with bows and arrows.
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After Sargon
• After his death, the Akkadian Empire only lasts 50 years.
• City-state of Ur rebuilds and conquers Mesopotamia.
Sumerian Society
1. Polytheistic2. Priests3. Social hierarchy (Priests –
craftsmen – merchants – traders – farmers)
4. Role of women
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Sumerian Achievements• Invention of writing - cuneform (kyoo-nee-uh-fohrm)
• Epics• The Wheel• Potter’s Wheel• Plow• Clock (used water to measure time)• Sewers• Bronze metal work• Makeup• Math system (based on 60 – circles, months, ...)• Medicine from plants and animals• Architecture – most significant was the ziggurat
(first to build these large temples
(Stylus)
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Hammurabi’s Code
• Hammurabi has sent a delegate to a tribe not following his law code. It is that delegate’s job to convince the people of that particular tribe to adopt Hammurabi’s Code and become a part of the civilized world.
Look over the CODE
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Hammurabi’s Code
• 1792 BCE - Babylon’s Monarch (Hammurabi) lays out world’s first written laws
• 282 Laws that dealt with daily life• Laws were etched into a stone that was placed
in the middle of the city• Social class did matter – injuring a
rich man brought a tougher penalty than injuring a poor man
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Moving Forward ….• Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia and
created a code of Law• Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the
region’s culture• The Phoenicians built a trading society in the
eastern Mediterranean region
Big Picture• After the Sumerians, many cultures ruled parts
of the Fertile Crescent
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Invasions of Mesopotamia
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Invasions of Mesopotamia
• Hittities – (present day Turkey)– First to master iron working and to use Chariots in battle– Rule for about 400 years
• Assyrians (uh-sir-ee-unz)– Very strong army and ferocious in battle– Roads built to link the empire
• The Chaldeans (kal-dee-unz)– Built the hanging gardens (why so called?)– Became epicentre for astronomy and tracked weather, politics and
economics
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The Phoenicians
• Not a militaristic empire – rather a wealthy trading society
• Often ruled by foreign governments• Trade made written communication essential – thus
they develop an alphabet