Upload
harry-brown
View
229
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
History
• Over the course of several thousand years, several successive civilizations occupied the same general area
• Mesopotamia literally means “Land between 2 rivers”
Cultural Diffusion
• With each passing civilization, ideas were shared (or taken when conquered), then modified and improved upon
• Through this diffusion, a number of achievements were made
Achievements (by ruling group)
• Sumerians– City-State Political Organization
• Similar cultures, but each ruled itself
– Smelting of Metals (Bronze and Iron Age)• First to use bronze
– Invented the Wheel, Sail, and Plow– Ziggurats – enormous, religious pyramid type buildings– Cuneiform writing– Organized land development and irrigation canals– Numerical system in base 60
• Ex. 60 minutes in an hour; 360 degrees in a circle
Sumerians (continued)
• 4500 B.C. people were settling in the region, then in 3500 B.C. the Sumerians settled there and became the dominant group
Sumerian Literature
• Epic of Gilgamesh– Early Literature – Story of a young ruler and his
quest for immortality– Many note the similarities between this and
Ecclesiastes in the Bible– Gilgamesh learns lessons similar to the ideals of
Hammurabi’s Code
Decline of Sumer
• Sumerian city-states were weakened due to fighting one another
• Conquered by Sargon the Akkadian from the North in 2350 B.C.
• This created the first empire (more than one previously independent nation or people coming under the same control)
Hammurabi’s Code• Around 2000 B.C. Amorites take
over Mesopotamia, and set up at Babylon
• Hammurabi rules from 1792 B.C. to 1750 B.C. (this is the height of their empire)
• He created the code, which is the first set of laws to be written down– Uniform laws for all– Idea the government has duty to
people
Phoeniciansbegin c. 1200 BC – ends c. 146 BC
• Alphabet– Developed writing system that had one character for one sound– Trading partners picked it up– The word alphabet comes from their first 2 letters (aleph and
beth)– Makes learning easier for everyone around the world that
encountered it• Trading Empire– Excellent ship builders and seafarers– Some evidence shows that they traded for tin with those on the
southern coast of Britain– Other evidence suggests they may have traveled all the way
around Africa
Assyriansfirst established c. 2200 BC.c. 859 BC firmly established and thriving; ends c. 608 BC—had many different eras
From the Tigris to Central Egypt
• Communication– Multi-level to keep rulers informed of goings on
• Chariots• Military Organization– Developed through constantly being attacked (no
natural barriers)• Empire Building and Organization
Persiansbegins c. 540 BC – ends c. 331BC
• Tolerant Empire – did not destroy cities they conquered– Allowed local customs to remain in place– Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem c. 538 BC (had been
exiled earlier by Babylonians)• Roads (empire wide communication system)– Ran from Persia to Anatolia (1677 miles)
• Structure of Government– Divided the vast empire into 20 provinces, governed by a
satrap• Standing Army• Standardized coined money