The Fertile CrescentMesopotamiahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1g60SSGmeY&safe=active

: Canaan

. Sumer

DO NOW-on pkt backList several reasons as to why people would decide to settle along a river?

Mesopotamia’s Legacy -what was left to us

by this civilization?

The Legacy of Mesopotamia

–The earliest existing set of written laws, known as Hammurabi’s Code, established rules and punishments for Babylonians.

– A one-God religion known as Judaism

–Government- formal

To measure the passage of time

Calendar-– Based on the phases of the

moon– Crescent moon meant the

begin of the month Sumerians year was short 11

days which meant they couldn’t accurately predict the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers or when the crops should be harvested. They eventually learned to add an extra month.

– Watches– The changing positions of the

stars, planets and moon

Astronomy- study of the stars• Learned to recognize planets

and constellations• Learn to foresee ECLIPSES

• Thought to be a bad omen

Astrology – belief that the movement of the stars and planets affect/influence the lives of men and women

• and Astrology

Medicine Physicians and

veterinarians Potion and ointments

from natural ingredients - Flowers

Roots Leaves Nuts Snake skins’ Turtle shells

Recorded temperature, pulse, skin color

Promote proper hygiene 3000 BC = invention of

soap Cosmetics *real cure of illness was

to please the angry gods which sent the demons to invade the body

More LegaciesMATH Base ten and decimals - Place value - Right angle - Square - Hypotenuse

The wheel was believed to have been made by the Sumerians. It was made of planks of wood joined together. The picture below briefly describes the stages of development of the wheel.

VocabularyDroughtFamineSurplusBarterFertile CrescentMesopotamia

Vocabulary city-state Ziggurat Cuneiform Code of Hammurabi Hammurabi Sumer Babylon Empire

Fertile Crescent?A fertile area of land that is shaped like a crescent.Mesopotamia is part of the Fertile Crescent Two

rivers

CaananPersian Gulf

What does Mesopotamia mean?It means:

Land between two rivers.

The Euphrates and the Tigris Rivers.

DO NOW:On the last page of packet:

On the chart, fill in 8 of Mesopotamia’s legacies

A Challenging Environmentthe overflow of the Euphrates

and the Tigris rivers were “UNPREDICTABLE!”

These overflows caused floods and destroyed many villages.

Droughts Quite the opposite of an overflow.

This is when there is a long period of dry weather.

What can a drought do to a civilization?1. Turn fertile soil to dust2. Shrivel crops3. Cause a widespread lack of food or

FAMINE!

Taming Rivers They built canals and dikes. The flooding of the rivers left deposits of

silt which was excellent for crops. Silt – created fertile land – This is where historians

believe farming began

ClimateDRY……little rainIrrigation (trap water)

….leads to a SURPLUS: extra supply of food

Mesopotamia’s Lively TradeBARTER- to trade one of a kind products for another without the exchange of money.

..There was a NEED!!

caravans – groups of travelers

bazaars – markets selling different kinds of goods

Sumer- [city-state]Who were the Sumerians?

– No one knows

• First to create technology associated with farming such as the wheel and irrigation

NOMADS that settled in lower Mesopotamia.

City-State- A self-governing city and the land

surrounding it. Shared customs-ways of doing something Shared religious beliefs Worked together to meet their basic

needs. Army Spoke the same language

– BUT they don’t have…………….

City-State – cont’d

NO CENTRAL GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unlike Egypt

Much conflict: Why? Because no unity, separate rulers

Wars over lands, river use

DO NOW: in your notebook

LIST 6 traits of a CITY-STATE

Temples for GodsPeople did not worship rulersBuilt Ziggurats: temples for

gods and goddesses–Most important building in the

city–HIGH so they would be closer

to the gods–Stairs used for gods to come to

the earth

Examples of ziggurats

Sumerian Writing The first to create a system of

writing - CUNEIFORM: Sumerian

system of writing – used symbols Kept records

Babylon Upstream from Sumer Built an empire because they took from

the Sumerians

–Hanging Gardens of Babylon• Garden = palace rooms• Seventh Wonder of the World• Had many levels• Built by King Nebuchadnezzar as a

birthday present for the queen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLlroENeNHk&feature=player_embedded

DO NOW-in your notebook

Written LAWS: Why do we need them? Give good reasons.

LAWS First to write down the laws First lawgiver – HAMMURABI Code of Hammurabi –first law recorded-

282 laws- 44 columns Harsh punishments “Eye for an Eye” codes # 196-223 Code written on stone in the center of

town.

Hammurabi’s Code The carving on the stone on

which the code is written depicts Hammurabi receiving the divine laws from the sun god, the god most often associated with justice.

code protecting all classes of Babylonian society, including women and slaves.

protection of the weak from the powerful – the poor from the rich.

Code #8

“If any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pig or a goat, if it belonged to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay thirty fold; if they belonged to a freed man of the king he shall pay tenfold; if the thief has nothing with which to pay he shall be put to death.”

With an example such as this, students are able to see the ways that the Code worked to reinforce class distinctions as it also established specific punitive rules for social order.

If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then the builder shall be put to death. (Another variant of this is, If the owner's son dies, then the builder's son shall be put to death.)

If a son strikes his father, his hands shall be hewn off.

If anyone steals the minor son of another, he shall be put to death.

If anyone brings an accusation against a man, and the accused goes to the river and leaps into the river, if he sinks in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river proves that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser. If anyone brings an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if a capital offense is charged, be put to death.

If a man puts out the eye of an equal, his eye shall be put out.

If a man knocks the teeth out of another man, his own teeth will be knocked out.

If anyone strikes the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public.

If anyone opens his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, and the water floods his neighbor's field, he shall pay his neighbor corn for his loss.

If a judge tries a case, reaches a decision, and presents his judgment in writing; and later it is discovered that his decision was in error, and it was his own fault, he shall pay twelve times the fine set by him in the case and be removed from the judge's bench.

Do Now: in your notebook

Yesterday, we discussed several of Hammurabi’s codes. – Would you have wanted to live under the

Codes of Hammurabi? • Why or why not?

DO NOW: in notebook

What 3 facts about JUDAISM do you recall learning, when we did Religions of the World?

Birth of Judaism

Ancient Hebrews

From the Bible, lived in Mesopotamia

Judaism: religion, today 17 million people

Origins of JudaismLeader: Abraham, led across

the Fertile CrescentCanaan: area reached by

Abraham between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea

Canaan

Captivity in EgyptFamine strikes CanaanMove to Egypt…enslavedMoses: raised by Pharaoh

–Led Hebrew out of slavery

Ten CommandmentsMount Sinai: where the

Hebrews lived, where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments: basis of laws for the Hebrews

* Answers may be used more than once

Writing Laws/Gov’t

Religion

Sumerians

Babylonians

Hebrews

Idea of one GodPolytheism:

Worship many gods

Popular at this time

Monotheism:belief in one god

Hebrews were the first group-in their area- to worship one god

They saw God as just and all-important

Judaism

–The religion practiced by the Israelites was very different from other religions practiced in the ancient world.

–The Ten Commandments are the core beliefs of Judaism.

–Judaism has influenced other major religions of the world.

Wisdom of SolomonSolomon: leader- name

means “peace” Organized the kingdom of

IsraelHe had lots of wisdomStory of the baby

Although Solomon was young, he soon became known for his wisdom. The first and most famous incident of his cleverness as a judge was when two women came to his court with a baby whom both women claimed as their own. Solomon threatened to split the baby in half.

One woman was prepared to accept the decision, but the other begged the King to give the live baby to the other woman. Solomon then knew the second woman was the mother.

DO NOW: in your notebooks What does this psalm mean:

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord.