Ancient Mesopotamia

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Mesopotamia

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Area between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

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Slit

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A thick bed of mud, very rich in nutrients. Slit led to huge quantities of Wheat and Barley.

Hint 2

Mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks.

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Trade

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The action of buying and selling goods and services.

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Three Environmental Problems of Mesopotamia

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1. Unreliable Flooding: periods of little rain to no rain.

2. No Natural barriers for protection from raiders.

3. Limited Natural resources for buildings and other necessary items.

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Solutions for Mesopotamian Problems

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1. The watering of plants for agriculture purposes was done by digging canals.

2. Walls were build for protection from invaders.

3. Trade allowed scarce resources to be acquired.

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How did the Tigris and Euphrates rivers affect life in Mesopotamia?

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By providing water and slit for farming.

Led to the development of levees and canals.

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Surplus

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More than needed

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Irrigation

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The watering of land for Agriculture purposes - was done through digging canals.

Hint 8

A way to supply water to an area of land.

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City - State

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A city and the area around it with an independent government.

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Fertile Crescent

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Large arc of rich on fertile farmland.

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Cities of the Fertile Crecent

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Assyrians (North)

Akkadians (Central)

Sumerians (South)

Amorites (South-West)

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Why did cities develop?

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-A settled existence, even in small villages, precipitates advanced cities.

-Environmental challenges such as lack of rainfall require cooperation and organization to develop solutions.

-Protection from open plains.(nomadic raiders)

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Civilization

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Mesopotamian city-states realize many of the characteristics historians use to describe Civilization.

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Polytheism

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Polytheism means believe in many gods.

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Cuneiform

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The World's first system of writing.

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Why was writing such as important development for Sumerians?

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It made possible to keep records.

Allowed leaders to write and communicate laws.

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List what invented in Sumer?

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First irrigation system.

Sailboats.

Wheeled Vehicles.

Pottery Wheel.

Writing System - Cuneiform

Ideas in Math and Science.

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Characteristics of Civilization

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Advanced Cities

Ziggurats

Specialization

Complex Institution

Record Keeping

Advanced Technologies

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What is the purpose of Advanced Cities?

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Advanced cities is the center of trade for a larger area.

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Ziggurats

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- A place of worship, a city hall and a center of trade.

- Smaller number of farmers to provide food for a larger number of people.

- Exchange their goods/ services of food.

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First and Second step to Specialization

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Hunting and Gathering.

Farming / Agriculture.

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Third step to Specialization

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Advance in technology which allows to produce more food.

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Fourth and Fifth step to Specialization

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Exchange grains for good and services of others.

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Sixth step to Specialization

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People began to focus on what they are good at (pottery, metal-working, etc.) and exchanges their goods or services for food.

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Seventh step of Specialization

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Market places emerge where people Exchange their goods or services.

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Eighth step to Specialization

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Grains are used as a currency to trade for good services.

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Ninth step to Specialization

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Money in a form of coins is accepted as a common. Currency

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Complex Institution

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- Institutions are mechanisms of social order.

-Institutions can be constructed to serve a MANIFEST FUNCTION - a function(relating to an institution) that is planned and intentional.

-Institutions can arise organically to serve individual needs/desires.

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RECORD KEEPING

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Someone had to keep track of everything.

Taxes, Laws and Grain storage.

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Scribes

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Professional record keepers.

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Epic of Gilgamesh

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-Stories and poetry served as recorded of a culture’s values, beliefs and Myths.

-Among the earliest known work of Literature.

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Advanced Technologies

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The Wheels, The Seeder Plow, Medicine, Bronze.

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The Spread of Cities

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Sumer’s city-states grew prosperous fromthe surplus food produced on their farms.

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Sargon of Akkad

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A conqueror named Sargon defeated thecity-states of Sumer. Sargon led his army from Akkad, a city-state northof Sumer.

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Sargon made Empire

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By taking control of both northern and southern Mesopotamia, Sargon createdthe world’s first empire.

Sargon’s dynasty lasted only about 200 years, afterwhich it declined due to internal fighting, invasions, and a famine.

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Hammurabi’s Code

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Hammurabi recognized that a single, uniform code of lawswould help to unify the diverse groups within his empire.

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Hammurabi’s law code prescribed punishments ranging from fines to death.Hammurabi had the code engraved in stone, and copies were placed all over his empire.

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Babylonian Empire

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The Amorites overwhelmed the Sumerians andestablished their capital at Babylon, on the Euphrates River.

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The BabylonianEmpire reached its peak during the reign of Hammurabi

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Being Slaves

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The vast majority of ordinary Sumerian people worked with their hands in fields andworkshops.

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Debtslaves could hope to eventually buy their freedom.

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Sumerian Science and Technology

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Arithmetic and geometry.

Architectural innovations.

Cuneiform.

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What Sumerians believe about their Gods?

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Sumerians also believed that their gods were both immortaland all-powerful.

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What is Demons known as?

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Demons knownas Ugallu protected humans from the evil demons who caused dis-ease, misfortune, and misery.