Indo-European Migrations: 4m-2m BCE

The Middle East: “The Crossroads of Three Continents”

The Ancient Fertile Crescent Area

The Middle East: “The Cradle of Civilization”

Fertile Crescent• Mesopotamia

=• Land between

TWO rivers–Tigris–Euphrates

Sumerians

This is now Kuwait

Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic

Enki

Innana

Anthropomorphic Gods

Polytheism

Poly• More than

one• Many

–Polygamy–Polygon

Theism • God• Religious

–Christian–Islam–Budhaism

Mesopotamian Trade

“The Cuneiform World”

Cuneiform (Writing)• Stylus (stick)• Wedges

–Symbols–Sounds–Pictures

• Scribes=writers• Clay tablet (wet)

Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped” Writing

Cuneiform Writing

Deciphering Cuneiform

Sumerian Scribes

“Tablet House”

Sumerian Cylinder Seals

Gilgamesh

http://

Gilgamesh Epic Tablet:Flood Story (Noah)

Ziggurat at Ur

Temple “Mountain of the Gods”

The Royal Standard of Ur

Mesopotamian Harp

Board Game From Ur

Sophisticated Metallurgy Skills

at Ur

Sargon of Akkad:The World’s First Empire

[Akkadians]

Present day Iraq

The Babylonian Empires

Hammurabi’s [r. 1792-1750

B. C. E.] Code

Hammurabi, the Judge

“An eye for an eye”

Babylonian Math

Base 60—think clocks, triangles

Babylonian Numbers

No 0’s