The Ancient Fertile Crescent

The Middle East: The Cradle of Civilization

Mesopotamia

• Between Tigris and

Euphrates rivers

• Not a lot of resources

• Control of rivers key

to development

• Traders use the rivers

or go overland

• Wealth builds

Sumerian cities

Sumerian Civilization

• 12 separate city-

states that battle for

land and water

• Ruler in each city is

chief servant of the

gods

• Maintains city walls,

irrigation system,

leads armies

Social Structure

• Each city-state has its

own hierarchy

• Ruling family;

officials; high priests

• Lesser priests;

scribes; merchants;

artisans

• Peasants; slaves

Religion

• Polytheistic

• Gods have human

characteristics

• Afterlife

• Underworld

• Each city-state built a

ziggurat dedicated to

the city’s god or

goddess

Ziggurat at Ur

Temple

Mountain of the

Gods

Cuneiform

• Earliest form of writing

• Pictographs of clay tablets

• Becomes symbols for complicated thoughts

• Records; economic exchanges; myths; prayers; laws, business contracts

Cuneiform Writing

Deciphering Cuneiform

Sumer’s Legacy

• 1900 BC Sumer is gone

• Other’s adapt cuneiform and spread

Sumerian ideas

• Astronomy and mathematics

• 60 minute hour; 360 degree circle

• Knowledge is passed along to the Greeks

and Romans

Hammurabi

• 1790 BC-King of

Babylon

• Controls

Mesopotamia

• Law Code

• Civil Law

• Criminal Law

Hammurabi’s Code

Babylonian Numbers

Other Empires

• 1400 BC Hittites

• Iron working; horse-

drawn chariot

• 1350 BC Assyrians

• Trade and war

• 612 BC

Nebuchadnezzer

revives Babylon

The Persians

• Cyrus the Great

• 580-529 BC

• 539 BC conquers

Babylon

• A tolerant ruler

• Empire stretches from

Asia Minor to India

Darius the Great

• 522-486 BC

• Divided empire into

provinces headed by

a governor called a

satrap

• Law code; money

economy

• Built the Royal Road

and Persepolis

Persepolis

The People of Persepolis

Persepolis

The Royal Road

Zoroastrianism

• Founded by Zoroaster

about 600 BC

• Ahura Mazda aka the

Wise Lord

• Good vs. Evil

• Judgment Day

• Heaven/Hell

• Priests are called

magi

The Phoenicians

• Sailors and traders

• Carriers of civilization

• Colonized and traded all around the Mediterranean

• Developed an alphabet with 22 symbols that the Greeks adapt-it becomes ours

The Egyptians

• Nile River

• Upper and Lower

• Old, Middle, New

Kingdoms

• Pharaoh

• Pyramids and

mummies

• Hieroglyphics

Roots of Judaism

• Hebrews; Palestine

• Monotheistic;

• 2000 BC-Covenant

with Abraham

• Torah

• Prophets

• Law and Morality; The

Ten Commandments