* )

4500 B.C.E 331B.C.E

*Geography

*Land*Deserts, Mountains, Rivers, Seas*Not isolated by natural barriers*Waves of tribes built empires *Crossroads of World

*Rivers*Tigris & Euphrates*Floods often, not predictable (March-June) size varies*Built Canals & Dikes

*Fertile Crescent*Fertile Land (Rich Soil)*Different Civilizations lived there

*Civilizations in Mesopotamia

*Sumerians- Neolithic people, overtime created the Sumerian culture.

*Assyrians - 2000 B.C. Northern Mesopotamia, adopted Sumerian culture. Fierce warriors

*Persians- Conquered Babylon 539 B.C.

*Lydian’s- Western part of Asia Minor, did not create Empire

*Babylonians- 1792 B.C. conquered Tigris-Euphrates Valley

*Hittites- 1600 B.C. Invaded the Tigris-Euphrates from Asia

*Religion *Sumerians- Polytheistic-Nature*Buried food & tools with their dead*Afterlife- Dark lower world*No rewards & No punishments*Temples called Ziggurats (God protected each city)

*Babylonians- Polytheistic- adopted Sumerian beliefs*Sacrifices for favors (successes)*Priest tell future, power and wealth*Afterlife- Dark Lower world

*ReligionPersians*Polytheistic*Great prophet Zoroaster*Earth train for future life* People Must Choose*Good vs. Evil

Zoroastrianism- *universal struggle between good vs. evil= final judgment

*GovernmentSumerians-

City-State (rarely united) independentWar Leaders became important

(Kings)

Persians- Kings & Generals- Secret

agents “King’s Eyes and Ears”

Royal Road

The PhoeniciansLoose association of City-States

*Government*The Babylonians*1792 B.C. strong ruler Hammurabi*Great Military, Political, Lawmaker*The Code of Hammurabi (282 laws)*Commerce and industry, wages, hours, working conditions, & property rights

*Punishment: “Eye for an Eye” (varied)

*Wealthy man destroyed the eye of a poor man…. What happens?

*Code of Hammurabi *1. If a builder builds a house for a man and does not make its

construction sound, and the house which he has built collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house, the builder shall be put to death. (229)*2. If the woman has not been careful but has gadded about, neglecting her house and belittling her husband, they shall throw that woman into the water. (143)*3. If a "sister of god" (nun) who is not living in a convent opens a wine shop or enters a wine shop for a drink, they shall burn that woman. (110)*4. If a man takes in his own home a young boy as a son and rears him, one may not bring claim for that adopted son. (185)*5. If a man be in debt and is unable to pay his creditors, he shall sell his wife, son, or daughter, or bind them over to service. For three years they shall work in the houses of their purchaser or master; in the fourth year they shall be given their freedom. (117)

*Code of Hammurabi*6. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be

hewn off. (195)*7. If bad characters gather in the house of a wine seller and she does not arrest those characters and bring them to the palace, that wine seller shall be put to death. (109)*8. If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser. (2)

*LeadersBabyloniansHammurabi – Law Code

PersiansGreat Prophet Zoroaster

HebrewsMoses

*Written LanguagePictographs –*Pictures of Objects

Sumerians*Cuneiform*600 symbols*Used wedge called stylus

*Written LanguagePhoeniciansPhoenician alphabet

22 lettersAdopted by Greeksadded signs and vowels

*Social ClassesSumerians – *Upper class: Kings, high priests, and nobles*Middle class: Lower priests, merchants, scholars*Lower class: Peasant farmers, slaves (kidnapped in war)

*AchievementsSumerians – *writing system cuneiform*Developed the arch*Wheel* Math- Numbers based on 60 (Compass & watch)

The Babylonians –Hammurabi Law Code

The Hittites –The smelting of IronLaw and Government

*AchievementsAssyrians*Cavalry & Chariots*Created a Library

Lydian'sMoney Economy

(economic system money)Set prices for goodsCoined Money

PhoeniciansAlphabet