Ancient Civilizations:

Mesopotamia

Geography• Fertile

Crescent•North east of Egypt•Good farmland•Between the Tigris, Euphrates Rivers

“the cradle of civilization”

• Lack of natural barriers• Frequent migration and invasion• Very diverse group of people

Mesopotamia• “the land between two rivers”• Eastern end of fertile crescent• A crossroads where people shared ideas

and customs

Sumerian Civilization

• First civilization in Mesopotamia was Sumer.• City –states: political units made up of a city

and surrounding land.

City-States

• Fought each other for land and water

• War leaders evolved into hereditary rulers

Religion• Polytheistic (many gods/ goddesses) • Ziggurat: largest building in city-state,

temple to city-state’s chief god or goddess

Ziggurat

Offered sacrifices of animals, grains, wine

Holy day celebrationsceremonies and processions

Happy gods/goddessesprosperous city-state

Government• Ruler/ Chief servant of the gods

responsible for:–Maintaining city walls– Irrigation systems– Leading army– Enforcing laws– Employing Scribes• Collect taxes• Keep records

Society

• Social hierarchy- system of ranks

Women in society• Role changed over time.• Early days mother-

goddess honored.• Large city-states:

warrior leaders and male gods replaced mother-goddess.

• Could own property and trade.

Contributions to society

• Cuneiform- wedge-shaped writing

Other contributions• First wheeled vehicles• Irrigation systems/ dikes/

canals• Algebra/geometry• Astronomy

Other civilizations of Mesopotamia

• Assyrians• Persians• Babylonians

• Hittites• Lydians

Assyrians• Upper Tigris region• Conquered entire Fertile Crescent• Enemies united to destroy, empire collapsed

Persians

• Ruler- Darius• Divided the empire into

provinces• Built roads- aid travel and

communication

Babylonians

• Powerful ruler- Hammurabi• Code of Hammurabi- first major collection of

laws in history

Hittites

• Mined iron ore to produce iron• Brought the world into the iron

age

Lydians

• Developed a system of coined money