Download ppt - Get Ready to Read (cont.)

Get Ready to Read (cont.)

Focusing on the Main Ideas

Mesopotamian Civilization

• Civilization in Mesopotamia began in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

• Sumerians invented writing and made other important contributions to later peoples.

• Sumerian city-states lost power when they were conquered by outsiders.

Mesopotamia’s Civilization

• Rivers were important because they made for good farming conditions.

• They also made it easy for people to travel and trade.

• Civilizations are complex societies with cities, governments, art, religion, class divisions, and a writing system.

(pages 17–20)

• Governments were formed because someone had to make plans and decisions for the common good.


• Floods in Mesopotamia were frequent and unpredictable.

• Farmers learned to control the rivers with dams and channels.

• Mesopotamia is a flat plain bounded by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Mesopotamia’s Civilization (cont.)

• They also used the rivers to irrigate, or water, their crops.


(pages 17–20)

• Sumerian cities were city-states, with their own governments.

• Sumerian cities often fought each other.

• Many cities formed in a southern region of Mesopotamia known as Sumer.


• To protect themselves, the city-states built walls around themselves.


(pages 17–20)

• Each city-state had a ziggurat, or grand temple, to honor the gods.

• Sumerians believed in many gods.



(pages 17–20)

• Most Sumerians were farmers, but some were artisans, or skilled workers.


• Others were merchants and traders.


• Sumerian city-states had three classes.

• The upper class consisted of kings, priests, and government officials.

• The middle class consisted of artisans, merchants, fishers, and farmers.

(pages 17–20)


• The lower class consisted of slaves.


(pages 17–20)

A Skilled People

• Writing helps people keep records and pass on ideas.

• Mesopotamia has been called the cradle of civilization because of the influence of Sumerian ideas on other areas.

(pages 20–21)

• Sumerians developed a writing system called cuneiform.

• Only a few people, called scribes, learned to write.


Sargon and Hammurabi• Sargon, the king of the Akkadians,

conquered all of Mesopotamia and set up the world’s first empire.

(page 23)

• An empire is a group of many different lands under one ruler.

• After Sargon, another group of people became powerful.

• They built the city of Babylon on the Euphrates River.


Sargon and Hammurabi (cont.)

• The Babylonian king, Hammurabi, conquered lands north and south of Babylon to create the Babylonian Empire.

(page 23)

• The Code of Hammurabi was a collection of laws covering crimes, farming, business activities, and marriage and family.

• Many punishments in the code were cruel, but the code was an important step in the development of a justice system.


Get Ready to Read (cont.)

Focusing on the Main Ideas

The First Empires

• Assyria’s military power and well organized government helped it build a vast empire in Mesopotamia by 650 B.C.

• The Chaldean Empire built important landmarks in Babylon and developed the first calendar with a seven-day week.

The Assyrians• The Assyrian empire arose about 1,000

years after the rule of Hammurabi.

• The Assyrian army was the first large army to use iron weapons.

• Their weapons were stronger than those of copper and tin.

(pages 27–28)

The First Empires

• They fought with spears, daggers, bows and arrows, chariots and soldiers on horseback.

The Assyrians (cont.)

The First Empires

(pages 27–28)

• The empire was divided into provinces, which are political districts.

• Each province was governed by an official who collected taxes and enforced laws.

• The capital of the Assyrian empire was Nineveh.


The First Empires

(pages 27–28)

• One of the first libraries was in Nineveh and held 25,000 tablets of stories and songs.

• People began to rebel because of Assyria’s cruel treatment.

• The Assyrians built large temples and palaces, with statues and wall carvings.


• The Chaldeans rebelled and took control of Nineveh in 612 B.C.

The First Empires

(pages 27–28)

The Chaldeans

• The Chaldeans, who were descendents of Babylonians, rebuilt Babylon.

• Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Chaldeans.

(pages 29–30)

• The city became the center of the Chaldeans’ empire.

• The city was surrounded by a huge wall. Inside the wall were palaces, temples, and a huge ziggurat.

The First Empires

The Chaldeans (cont.)

• The Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

• Nebechadnezzar ordered the Hanging Gardens to be built for his wife, who missed her green, mountainous homeland.

The First Empires

(pages 29–30)

The Chaldeans (cont.)

• The Chaldeans were merchants, artisans, and traders.

• Babylon was on a major trade route and profited from trade.

The First Empires

(pages 29–30)

The First Empires

Why was the Assyrian army a powerful fighting force?

It had a well-organized army with advanced weapons.

Section 2 Mesopotamian Civilization

The First Civilizations

Review Main Ideas

Where were the first civilizations in Mesopotamia?

in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Section 3 The First Empires

What helped Assyria build an empire in Mesopotamia?

its military power and well organized government


Review Main Ideas


Section 3 The First EmpiresReview Main Ideas

What scientific advancement did the Chaldeans make?

They mapped the stars, planets, and phases of the moon; created the sundial; and used the seven-day week.

Click the map to view an interactive version.

Reigned c. 1792–1750 B.CHammurabi