Mesopotamia

Things to know

• Where was Mesopotamia• How did the Fertile Crescent get its name?• What was the most important factor in

making Mesopotamia’s farmland fertile?

Simple Outline

• Hunter-gatherer groups first settled 12,000 years ago• Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded bring silt (rich soil

and tiny rocks)• Mesopotamia means “between the rivers” in Greek

Farming and Cities• Early settlements were located near rivers, but water was not

controlled and flooding was a problem• Later, people built canals to protect houses from flooding –

and moved water to fields• With irrigation, the people were able to grow more food• Food surpluses allowed some to stop farming and

concentrate on other skilled jobs

The Rise of Sumer• The World’s first civilization• Most Sumerians were farmers, however, centre of

society was the urban areas

• The 1st cities had about 10,000 residents• By 2000 BC, some had more than 100 000!

City-States

• A city-state was a city and all the countryside around it

• City-states fought each other to gain more land• Individual city-states gained and lost power• Cities like Ur (above) and Uruk fought for

dominance

Gilgamesh

• One of Uruk’s kings – Gilgamesh became a legendary figure in Sumerian literature

• Considered 1st piece of literature

Read the handout and watch Epic

Rise of the Akkadian Empire

• Another society at the same time was the Akkadians – lived at peace with Sumerians

• ... Until Sargon built a capital in present day Baghdad – which was in Sumer

• Akkadians and Sumerians go to war, and Akkadians win – creating the world’s first Empire

Sargon’s story• According to legend, a gardener found a baby

floating in a basket on a river and raised him as his own child. This baby later became the Akkadian emperor Sargon.

• Sargon is believed to be among the first military leaders to use soldiers armed with bows and arrows.

After Sargon

• After his death, the Akkadian Empire only lasts 50 years.

• City-state of Ur rebuilds and conquers Mesopotamia.

Sumerian Society

1. Polytheistic2. Priests3. Social hierarchy (Priests –

craftsmen – merchants – traders – farmers)

4. Role of women

Sumerian Achievements• Invention of writing - cuneform (kyoo-nee-uh-fohrm)

• Epics• The Wheel• Potter’s Wheel• Plow• Clock (used water to measure time)• Sewers• Bronze metal work• Makeup• Math system (based on 60 – circles, months, ...)• Medicine from plants and animals• Architecture – most significant was the ziggurat

(first to build these large temples

(Stylus)

Hammurabi’s Code

• Hammurabi has sent a delegate to a tribe not following his law code. It is that delegate’s job to convince the people of that particular tribe to adopt Hammurabi’s Code and become a part of the civilized world.

Look over the CODE

Hammurabi’s Code

• 1792 BCE - Babylon’s Monarch (Hammurabi) lays out world’s first written laws

• 282 Laws that dealt with daily life• Laws were etched into a stone that was placed

in the middle of the city• Social class did matter – injuring a

rich man brought a tougher penalty than injuring a poor man

Moving Forward ….• Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia and

created a code of Law• Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the

region’s culture• The Phoenicians built a trading society in the

eastern Mediterranean region

Big Picture• After the Sumerians, many cultures ruled parts

of the Fertile Crescent

Invasions of Mesopotamia

Invasions of Mesopotamia

• Hittities – (present day Turkey)– First to master iron working and to use Chariots in battle– Rule for about 400 years

• Assyrians (uh-sir-ee-unz)– Very strong army and ferocious in battle– Roads built to link the empire

• The Chaldeans (kal-dee-unz)– Built the hanging gardens (why so called?)– Became epicentre for astronomy and tracked weather, politics and

economics

The Phoenicians

• Not a militaristic empire – rather a wealthy trading society

• Often ruled by foreign governments• Trade made written communication essential – thus

they develop an alphabet