ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA. Theory: Humanity begins in Africa. The theory states: Humanity begins as Pangea breaks apart. Continental drift is what caused

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Theory: Humanity begins in Africa.

The theory states: Humanity begins as Pangea breaks apart. Continental drift is what caused people to be on

different parts of the globe.

Fact: Early humans were hunter-gatherers and lived in bands. Hunter-gatherers: Hunted animals & gathered plants

for food. Bands: Group of families traveling together.

EARLY HUMANS

Early bands were nomadic and often migrated by season. Nomadic – Move from place to place. Migrated – Moving from one place to settle in

another.

Bone/stone tools and fire were the new “technology” of the time.

Use of tools allowed early humans to hunt and butcher animals better.

EARLY HUMANS

Fire provided: Heat Light source Protection Ability to cook

With better food & protection, life spans grew quickly.

EARLY HUMANS

Agriculture develops in area where water is available.

Irrigation becomes vital for growing crops. Irrigation – watering dry land using ditches, pipes, or

streams.

Fertile soil attracts farmers to areas where bigger, better crops grow.

BEGINNINGS

1. According to theory, where did humanity begin?

2. What are bands of people?3. Why were stone/bone tools so useful?4. What 4 uses did fire provide early humans?5. Why was irrigation important to early

farmers?

HOMEWORK #1 – 9/26/2013

With agriculture taking over, bands of people stop migrating.

Villages develop; able to hold thousands of people.

Village life had advantages: Food was plentiful Easily defended from nomadic bands

FIRST COMMUNITIES

With villages developing, the first type of houses are constructed.

Houses were made from dried mud brick and wood.

Houses didn’t have doors or windows, just opening in roof to enter/leave.

Houses were also usually 1 room; sometimes 2 room for “upper” class.

FIRST COMMUNITIES

As agriculture techniques improved, farmer produced surplus of crops. Surplus – more than what is needed to survive.

With surplus of crops, people could specialize in other types of work. Specialization – skill in one kind of work.

First type of specialized jobs: Pottery Weaving

FIRST COMMUNITIES

Specialization and surplus leads to trade among different villages

Villages could trade crop surplus for a weaving/pottery surplus from another village.

Social classes developed within villages based on specialization. Ex. – Artisans (potters, weavers, etc.) made one

class.

FIRST COMMUNITIES

Mesopotamia lies between two rivers (Tigris & Euphrates); present-day Iraq. Name means “land between two rivers”. Often called “Fertile Crescent”.

The two rivers would flood every year, depositing fertile soil on the floodplain.

Farmers would use this silt to grow their crops. Silt – fine, dusty soil deposited by flooding rivers.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

1. What were 2 advantages of villages being created?2. What 2 materials were early houses made of?3. What two jobs were the first specialized jobs

created in villages?4. What did specialization and surplus create between

villages?5. What present-day country is Ancient Mesopotamia

located in?6. What were the two rivers Ancient Mesopotamia

located between?7. Define the following terms:Silt Specialization Irrigation NomadicMigrated

Hunter-Gatherer Bands

HOMEWORK #2 – 10/1/2013

Mesopotamia had an annual rainfall total of 10 in., making irrigation vital.

Floods were unpredictable: Could wipe out newly-planted crops if happened too

late No flood caused droughts (very common)

Farmers controlled flood waters by creating irrigation canals & basins

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Mesopotamian villages traded with other cultures for supplies they lacked.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Traded: Grains Dates Misc. farm

products

Traded for: Stone Wood Metals Ivory Ebony Precious Gems

As villages grew in numbers, village leaders emerged (typically older members).

Village leaders were responsible for settling village disputes.

Leaders organized workers for: Building and cleaning irrigation canals Harvesting crops Building village/city walls

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

As villages grew in number, they morphed into cities.

Cities became the center of culture for surrounding villages and farms.

The first-known civilization in history started in Sumer (3300 B.C.), a region in southern Mesopotamia.

Sumerian cities were centers of: Trade Religion Education

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Based on influence, cities began to rule surrounding lands and villages.

These city-states acted more like independent countries, not cities. City-states – A community that included a city and

its surrounding lands.At center of each city-state was a zigguratZiggurats were centers of:

Religion Trade Education

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

By 3000 B.C., Sumer had 12 known city-states; located near Tigris & Euphrates.

Land surrounding those city-states was extremely fertile; farmers grew more crops.

Food surplus’ supported larger populations.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Food surplus also led to city-states trading with each other.

City-states would form alliances based around trade or protection.

City-states would also fight one another for control of land or resources.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

1. What was vital to Ancient Mesopotamians due to very little rainfall?

2. What group of people were used as village leaders? Why were they chosen?

3. What is unique about Sumer?4. What is a city-state?5. Where were ziggurat’s located? What were

ziggurats the center of?6. Where were the 12 Sumerian city-states built

near?7. What were alliances between city-states based

on?8. Why would city-states attack each other?

HOMEWORK #3 – 10/3/2013

City-states had 3 social classes Movement among classes was limited.

Upper class consisted of: Kings Priests Landowners Gov’t officials Rich merchants

Priests & kings were believed to have a link to the gods, so they had tremendous influence.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN SOCIETY

Middle class consisted of: Farmers Artisans Other misc. free people

Lower class consisted of: Slaves


Women were part of each class and had rights as well.

Free women could: Own land Work as merchants or artisans

Main role for women was still raising children and running household.


Sumerians were responsible for creating: Plow Wheel Mathematics/Simple arithmetic Written language

Plows were used to break up firm soil making it easier to plant seeds.

Wheels were used for: Wagons Pottery


Sumerian math was used to keep records of crops and trades.

Sumerians used writing to keep record of business deals & trades

Cuneiform was used to keep records and write down history of Sumer. Cuneiform – wedge-shaped style of writing.

Those who specialized in cuneiform were called scribes.


1. How many social classes were there in Sumer?

2. What did priests and kings have a “link” to?3. What 4 inventions did Sumerians create?4. Why was cuneiform important to Sumerians?5. What were people who specialized in writing

cuneiform called?

HOMEWORK #4

Because land was flat, Sumerian city-states had no natural protection from others.

Around 2371 B.C., Sargon of Akkad took control of the entire Sumerian region. Created the world’s first empire. Empire – Many different lands under control of one

leader.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN EMPIRES

Sargon’s Akkadian empire lasted 200 yrs.; was overtaken by Amorites

Hammurabi, leader of Babylonian empire, overtakes Amorites.

Hammurabi used a code of law to keep his empire in order. Code of law – Set of written laws for people to obey.


Hammurabi’s code was fair, but bloody.

The goal of his laws were to bring justice to his empire. Justice – fair treatment of people.

Hammurabi’s laws created the idea that: Society should be run by rule of law. Laws should be applied to everyone, not just few.


Hammurabi’s code of law states: If a son strikes his father, his hand shall be cut off. If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye

shall be put out. If a man breaks another man’s bone, his bone shall

be broke as well. If the slave of a freed man strike the body of a freed

man, his ear shall be cut off. If a man steals from another man, his hand shall be

cut off. If a carpenter builds a house that collapses, killing

the son of a freed man, the carpenter’s son shall also be killed.

HAMMURABI’S CODE OF LAW

Babylonian empire falls in 1500 B.C., 500 yrs. following its creation.

Assyrians gain control of Fertile Crescent in using military power.

Assyrian soldiers were armed with iron swords and iron-tipped spears.


Assyrian empire reached its height under rule of Ashurbanipal (668-627 B.C.)

Ashurbanipal chose governor’s to rule certain parts of kingdom.

Governor’s sent tributes (payments for protection) to Ashurbanipal. City-states that didn’t pay were destroyed by

Assyrian army.


In 609 B.C., Assyrian empire falls to Chaldeans (w/ help of Medes).

Babylon is chosen to be center of new empire.

Chaldean’s reached their height under ruler Nebuchadnezzar (602-562 B.C.)


To please his wife, Nebuchadnezzar built gardens in his palace to remind her of home.

The gardens were planted on an artificial mountain placed in Babylon.

The plants & trees seemed to grow as if they hung in mid-air.

HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON

Even though Nebuchadnezzar was kind to his wife, he (like the Assyrians) was an unkind ruler.

Under his rule, Chaldeans did the following to their people: Took over Jerusalem from the Hebrews (capital of

Hebrews) Destroyed a sacred religious temple of the Hebrews in

Jerusalem. Held thousands of Hebrews as prisoners in Babylon for

50 years. Like Assyrians, made people pay for protection of

Chaldean army (those who didn’t pay were destroyed).


Weak rulers followed Nebuchadnezzar, leading to the end of the Chaldean empire.


1. What kinds of weapons did the Assyrians use to conquer the Fertile Crescent?

2. What is a tribute?

3. Who was the leader of the Assyrian empire when it had reached its height?

4. What group of people took over the Assyrian empire? Who was their leader at the height of their empire?

5. What did Nebuchadnezzar build for his wife?

HOMEWORK #5

East of the Fertile Crescent was Medes, home of the Persians.

Persians were nomadic herders who thrived through trade; their leader was named Cyrus (a.k.a. Cyrus the Great).

Cyrus had a vision of controlling all lands around Persia; combining them into one empire.


Cyrus quickly controlled the crumbling Chaldean empire and added it to his growing empire.

The Persian army totaled over 300,000 people; was made up of the following: Persian officers. Soldiers (native Persians & conquered people)


The best fighters in the Persian army were labeled the Immortals.

Earned this name because they never totaled less than 10,000 soldiers. When an Immortal became sick, injured, or

wounded, another soldier took his place. Immortals were given the honor of leading the

Persian army into every battle.


Cyrus ruled with his empire through peace, not force.

A gov’t policy was created called toleration. Allowing people to keep their customs & beliefs.

Cyrus was able to keep his massive empire in control using toleration; people still paid tributes.


After Cyrus’ death, a cruel ruler named Cambyses took over the Persian Empire.

While he expanded the empire, Cambyses had to deal with more rebellion due to his cruel ways.

Once Cambyses died, Darius took control of the empire.

After ending the rebellions, Darius began expanding the empire even further.


1. Who was the 1st leader of the Persian empire?2. How many soldiers were in the Immortals?3. What is toleration?4. Despite the peacefulness of Cyrus’ empire,

what did people still pay?5. Who were the two leaders that followed Cyrus

after his death?

HOMEWORK #6

During his rule, Darius grew the empire to stretch 2,800 miles wide.

In order to ensure stability & peace in empire, Darius divides empire into 20 provinces.

Satraps (governors) ruled the provinces for Darius along with a military leader to keep order.


In order to ensure the empire was safe, Darius sent out spies called “king’s eyes & ears”.

These spies would tell Darius: If satraps were being unfair. Which laws worked/which didn’t. How trade throughout empire was going. If taxes were too steep/not enough.


To unify the empire, Darius created: The Royal Road Minted coins

The road was used for: Mail Royal messengers Royal army

Minted coins were used to: Pay taxes Make trade easier


Darius had plans to fight against Egyptian rebels, but died (486 B.C.) before being able to fight.

Darius’ son, Xerxes, took control of the empire and the rebellion in Egypt & Greece.


1. In order to keep the empire in order, what did Darius divide his empire into? How many were there?

2. What are satraps?3. What were the spies that Darius sent

throughout the empire called?4. What was the Royal Road used for?5. What were minted coins used for?6. Who took over the Persian Empire following

Darius’ death?

HOMEWORK #7

Documents

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA. Theory: Humanity begins in Africa. The theory states: Humanity begins as Pangea breaks apart. Continental drift is what caused