Ancient Mesopotamian Societies

Mesopotamia = The land between the two rivers

In Between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers

The Sumerians

Cuneiform

• Cuneiform was the first writing system• It was based on syllables and words were written on

clay tablets and baked.• Cuneiform tells us about important people of the

time, their religion, and values and history.

Early Sumerian Government

• The 1st cities were led by “big men” or LU-GALS

• They typically met with a council of elders to make important decisions

• Their status increased over time until they became kings and passed power to their sons.

Sumerian Social Class

• Classes in Sumer were rigid and fixed by law• Women were able to own property and engage in business• Slaves were usually war captives or debtors

Mesopotamian Religion

• Mesopotamian gods were connected with forces of nature

• Polytheistic religion – belief in many gods• There was flooding from the rivers so

Mesopotamians believed their gods were angry and violent

Akkadian Empire

Akkadian Empire• In 2334 BCE, a great

Akkadian warrior, Sargon conquered Mesopotamia and established the first empire

• He created a large standing army

• He did not have a bureaucracy to collect taxes so his army always had to be on the move

From Sargon to Naram-Sin• Naram-Sin (2,254 -

2,218 BCE) was Sargon’s grandson

• He expanded Sargon’s empire to its greatest size

• Naram-Sin declared himself “King of the 4 Quarters” – effectively King of the World

Hammurabi’s Babylon (1,750 BCE)

The New Empire: A Successor to Sumer and Akkad

Who was Hammurabi?• Member of the

Amorite dynasty• King of Babylon from

1792 – 1750 BCE• United all of

Mesopotamia under the Babylonian Empire

Who was Hammurabi• He was best known

for the legal code he codified in 1772 BCE

• 282 laws written on it

• Discovered in 1901 in Iran; it was recorded on a clay tablet

“If any one ‘point the finger’ at a sister of god or the wife of any one, and can not prove it, this man shall be taken before

the judges and his brow shall be marked.”

“If he has broken the bone of another free man, his bone shall be broken.”

“If he has destroyed the eye of a man’s slave, or broken a bone of a man’s slave,

he shall pay half the slave’s value.”

“If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off.”

“If a woman hates her husband and says, ‘You may not have me,’ the city council shall inquire into her case; and if her husband has been belittling her, the woman may take her

dowry and leave…If she has not been careful…neglected her house, and belittled her husband, they shall throw her into the water. If a man seeks a divorce a wife who has not born him children, he shall pay her marriage price and return her

marriage dowry.”

SummaryHammurabi’s Code is known for:• Strict Penalties – most involving death and

mutilation• Gender & Class

Discrimination• Harsh Punishment of perjury– Reputation was important in

an age without electronic records.

Assyrian Empire

How did the Assyrians rule and influence Mesopotamia?

• Warfare was a central part of their culture

• Well ordered society• Highly regulated society• Created public places for trade• Higher class women had fewer

rights

The Hittites• Located in Modern Turkey

(Anatolia)• Most well known for

developing iron technology• We are not quite sure if they

were invaders or lived peacefully with others

The Phoenicians• Known as “carriers of civilization” because

they were mostly sea based people, who focused on trade and living on the water

• In this way, they “carried” civilizations and promoted cultural diffusion

• They are most well known for– Ship building– Establishing colonies throughout the Mediterranean– Glass blowing techniques and color dying (purple)– Creation of a new alphabet