Mesopotamia: Land Between Two Rivers

Climate

• Hot & Dry• Very Harsh• Intense Rainstorms• Temperatures often above 100 degrees

Fahrenheit• Would be a desert if not for the rivers.

Instructions• Student Handout:

The Fertile Crescent

Geography

• Greek word that means “between two rivers”

• It refers to the Tigris & the Euphrates Rivers.

• These two rivers flow into the Persian Gulf.

• One of the world’s earliest civilizations that existed between 5000-539 B.C.E.

• Present day Iraq

• Eastern part of the Fertile Crescent

• The northern part was referred to as Akkad and the southern part was Sumer.

• Irrigation (series of canals) made farming possible in this dry land.

• Many floods, which carried great amount of silt allowed the soil to be constantly replenished.

Levees

• People were attracted to Mesopotamia Area because of the natural levees that occurred along the Euphrates River.

• Natural levees are embankments produced by the sediment that builds up after thousands of years of flooding.

• The levee surface slopes gently downward away from the river.

• Aside from protection, the silt and sediment was fertile, easily drained, planted, irrigated and cultivated.

Increased cultivated land… Increase in food production, therefore,

population increased.

• It was in this region that humans first abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and built permanent settlements.

• Mesopotamia was not a single civilization or culture.

• It was an area that was composed of several independent city-states, each with its own religion, laws, language and government.

The Sumerians

• The first group to inhabit Mesopotamia.

The Sumerians• 4000 B.C.E.

• They lived in southern Mesopotamia in a number of independent city-states.

• Each consisted of a small city and its surrounding area.

• The rulers of these city-states constantly were at war with one another.

The Sumerians

• They used money, which made individuals wealthy.

• The head of the military would become King.

• War leaders evolved into hereditary rulers.

The Royal Standard of Ur

Ziggurat• In the center of each city was a temple that housed the city’s

gods.

• A ziggurat was a step pyramid that was a religious temple.

• They were polytheistic, which means they believed in many gods.

• They believed that the gods controlled every aspect of nature and everyday life

• It was vital to obey the gods and keep them happy with daily offerings or the gods would send wars, floods, & diseases to punish the people.

• The priest was the only one allowed in ziggurats; therefore, he was very important.

Ziggurat at Ur Temple “Mountain of

the Gods”

Cuneiform• The earliest writing was based on pictograms, which were

used to communicate information about taxes and crops.

• Ancient Sumerian record keepers marked pictographic symbols in soft pieces of clay with a pointed reed. The clay tablets were then baked to make them hard.

• Overtime, writing was changed into a script called cuneiform.

• Cuneiform means wedged shaped, because the marks in the clay were wedges.

• Not everyone learned to read and write. The ones that were picked by the gods were called scribes. Boys that were chosen to become scribes (professional writers) began to study at the age of 8. They finished when they were 20 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vglAeKfm2XA&feature=related

Sumerian Scribes

“Tablet House”

Deciphering Cuneiform

Inventions• Cuneiform• The wheel, which was first

used for pottery and then the 1st wheeled vehicles.

• They developed a number system based on the unit 60. They divided the hour into 60 minutes and the circle into 360 degrees. They also developed basic algebra and geometry.

• The water clock.• The 12 month calendar• The plow• The Sailboat

Royal Tombs of Ur

• From 1922 to 1934, an archaeologist named C. Leonard Woolley excavated the site of the ancient Sumerian city of Ur

• City famed in Bible as the home of patriarch Abraham

• Many great discoveries such as extravagant jewelry of gold, cups of gold and silver, bowls of alabaster, and extraordinary objects of art and culture

• Opened the world's eyes to the full glory of ancient Sumerian culture

Great Death Pit • Found at Ur was a mass grave containing the bodies of 6 guards

and 68 court ladies (servants of kings and queens) • servants walked down into the grave in a great funeral procession• they drank a  poisoned  drink and fell asleep never to wake again,

choosing to accompany the kings and queens in the afterlife

Board Game From Ur

Musical Instrument

Mesopotamian Harp

The Akkadians

The Akkadians• They were from the Arabian Peninsula.

• They were Semitic people. They spoke Semitic language related to languages similar to Arabic & Hebrew.

• They formed their own country called Akkad.

• Sargon I conquered the Sumerians in about 2500 B.C.E. He united Akkad & Sumer into a nation called the Kingdom of Sumer.

• They adopted much of the Sumerian Culture. They had many clashes with the Sumerians.

Sargon of Akkad unified: The World’s

First Empire

The Babylonians

The Babylonians• Henry Rawlinson of England helped find the key to understanding the

Babylonian Language.

• About 1790 B.C.E. King Hammurabi conquered city-states in the Tigris-Euphrates valley and formed the Babylonian Empire

• Adapted and built upon the Sumerian Culture.

• Recorded their laws and customs in the Code of Hammurabi, which was the 1st major collection of laws.

• Believed in astrology and recorded data later essential to astronomy. They also made horoscopes.

• Scribes became leading citizens, as they were educated.

• Practices polytheism. Marduk = God of Earth & Anu = God of Heavens

• Developed a 12 month calendar with 354 days.

Babylonian Math

Babylonian Numbers

Babylonians

The Code of Hammurabi

• The 282 laws were engraved in stone and placed in a public location for everyone to see.

• Hammurabi required that people be responsible for their actions.

• Some of Hammurabi’s laws were based on the principle “An eye of an eye, a tooth for a tooth” This means that whoever commits an injury should be punished in the same manner as that injury.

• An example, would be if a son slapped his father, the son’s hand would be cut off.

• The code did distinguish between classes of people. A person’s punishment would depend on who was wronged.

• Consequences for crimes depended on rank in society (ie. only fines for nobility)

Hammurabi’s [r. 1792-1750

B. C. E.] Code

Hammurabi, the Judge

Code of Hammurabi • http://www.youtube.com/user/AllHistories#

p/search/0/oDALXORbtR4(First two minutes)

Below are situations Hammurabi faced.  Decide what you think to be a fair way to deal with the problem.       

What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and kills the owner?

What should be done about a wife who ignores her duties and belittles her husband?

What should be done when a "sister of god" (or nun) enters the wine shop for a drink?

What should be done if a son is adopted and then the birth-parents want him back?

What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?

What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?

What happens to the wine seller who fails to arrest bad characters gathered at her shop?

How is the truth determined when one man brings an accusation against another

What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that

falls and kills the owner?• Code 229• If a builder builds a

house for a man and does not make its construction sound, and the house which he has built collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house, the builder shall be put to death.

What should be done when a "sister of god" (or nun) enters the

wine shop for a drink?

• Code 110• If a "sister of god"

(nun) who is not living in a convent opens a wine shop or enters a wine shop for a drink, they shall burn that woman

What happens to the wine seller who fails to arrest bad characters

gathered at her shop?• Code 108• If bad characters gather in the house of a

wine seller and she does not arrest those characters and bring them to the palace, that wine seller shall be put to death.

What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?

• Code 117• If a man be in debt and is unable to pay his creditors, he

shall sell his wife, son, or daughter, or bind them over to service. For three years they shall work in the houses of their purchaser or master; in the fourth year they shall be given their freedom

What should be done about a wife who ignores her duties and belittles her husband?

• Code 143• If the woman has not been careful but has

gadded about, neglecting her house and belittling her husband, they shall throw that woman into the water

What should be done if a son is adopted and then the birth-parents want him back?

• Code 185• If a man takes in his own home a young

boy as a son and rears him, one may not bring claim for that adopted son.

What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?

• Code 195• If a son strikes his father, they shall cut off

his hand.

How is the truth determined when one man brings an accusation against another

• Code 2• If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go

to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escape 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

The Epic of Gilgamesh• A long, narrative poem, The Epic of

Gilgamesh, is one of the oldest works of literature in the world & Epic Poem.

• The poem tells of a great flood that covers the earth may years earlier.• The story details

the exploits of King Gilgamesh and his companion, Enkidu.

Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh Epic Tablet:Flood Story

Epic of Gilgamesh: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSZg5DTW7Hw&feature=related

The Chaldean Empire

The Chaldean Empire• 612 B.C. – 538 B.C.

• Known as The Neo Babylonia Empire

• Suffering under the Assyrians, the city of Babylon finally rose up against its hated enemy, the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, and burned it to the ground.

• Conquered the Phoenicians.

• Forced a large part of the Jewish population to relocate. Numbering possibly up to 10,000, these Jewish deportees were largely upper class people craftspeople. This deportation marks the beginning of the Exile in Jewish history.

• Near one the ruler’s palaces were the famous Hanging Gardens built by King Nebuchadnezzar II.

The Hittites

The Hittites• 2000 B.C.

• Lived in Central Turkey

• Their culture was greatly influenced by the Babylonians

• They were the first to make iron tools and weapons, thus credited with starting the Iron Age in Western Asia.

• There were many miles between the city-states and many city-states maintained their own language and religions.

• The city-states often fought among themselves until Labarnas became king.

The Hittites• Made peace with Ramses

II of Egypt in the 1st Peace Treaty.

• Warlike People.

• One the earliest people to ride horses.

• Their laws were considered the fairest of the time. Their law tried to compensate the person who was wronged.

Sophisticated Metallurgy Skills

at Ur

Instructions• Student Handout:

The Hittites

The Assyrians

The Assyrians• 100 BC. - 612 B.C.

• Named after its original capital Ashur.

• Were the first to outfit armies entirely with iron weapons. And were the first to have a standing army (career = soldier).

• To besiege cities, they devised new military equipment: moveable towers & battering rams. For 500 years they terrorized the region, earning a lasting reputation as one of the most warlike people in history..

• They used chariots, which allowed them to move quickly. They had archers and a cavalry.

The Assyrians• They terrorized their enemies by deliberately

employing cruelty & violence. They dammed the rivers leading into Babylon. This deprived the Babylonians of water.

• Women had to be veiled when they appeared in public.

• They divided their empire into provinces, which had their own governor that was responsible to the king. The governor reported directly back to the king sending reports by messengers on horseback- the first mail delivery system.

• Founded one the 1st libraries• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5uWAWShizQ&feature=related

The Persians

The Persians• In 539 B.C., Babylon fell to the Persian armies of Cyrus the

Great.

• Located in present-day Iran

• The Persians were tolerant of the people they conquered. They respected the customs & religious traditions of the diverse group in their empire.

• The real unification of the Persian Empire was accomplished under the Persian emperor Darius, who ruled from 522–486 BC

The Persians• A skilled organizer, Darius

set up a government that became a model for later rulers.

• He divided the Persian Empire into provinces, each headed by a governor called a satrap.

• Each satrapy, or province, had to pay taxes based on its wealth and resources.

• Special officials, “the eyes and ears of the king,” visited each province to check on the satraps.

The Persians• Like Hammurabi, Darius

adapted laws from the people he conquered and drew up a single code of laws for the empire.

• By setting up a single Persian coinage, Darius created economic links.

• Zoroaster guided religious beliefs and also helped unify the empire. He rejected the old Persian gods. Instead, he taught that a single wise god, Ahura Mazda, ruled the world.

The Phoenicians

The Phoenicians• 1200-800 B.C.

• Prospered on the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

• Their chief cities were Tyre & Sidon

• They gained fame as sailors & traders

• They made glass from coastal sand.

• From a tiny sea snail, they produced a widely admired purple dye, called Tyrian purple. This became their trademark and the favourite colour of royalty.

The Phoenicians• The words Bible &

Bibliography come from the Phoenician city of Byblos.

• Due to their sailing skills, the Phoenicians served as missionaries of civilization, bringing eastern Mediterranean products and culture to less advanced peoples.

• Replaced the cuneiform alphabet of 550 characters with a phonetic alphabet, based on distinct sounds, consisting of 22 letters.

The Hebrews (Israelites)

The Hebrews (Israelites)• They recorded events and laws

in the Torah their most sacred text.

• To the Hebrews, history and religion were interconnected.

• According to The Old Testament,, the male leader of the Hebrews was Abraham (2000 B.C.).

• Abraham changed people’s belief in many gods to one God called Yahweh.

The Hebrews (Israelites)• According to the Torah, the Hebrews had lived near

Ur in Mesopotamia. About 2000 B.C., they migrated, herding their flocks of sheep and goats into a region known as Canaan (later called Palestine).

• Abraham’s grandson was Jacob, who was known as Israel and that is where the term Israelites comes from.

• The Book of Genesis tells that around 1800 B.C. a famine in Canaan forced many Hebrews to migrate to Egypt (led by Jacob’s son Joseph). There, they were eventually enslaved. In time, Moses, the adopted son of the pharaoh’s daughter, led the Hebrews in their escape, or exodus, from Egypt.

• For 40 years, the Hebrews wandered in the Sinai Peninsula. After Moses died, they entered Canaan and defeated the people there, claiming for themselves the land they believed God had promised them.

• By 1000 B.C., the Hebrews had set up the kingdom of Israel. Among the most skillful rulers of Israel were David, Saul and Solomon.

• Saul was the 1st king of the Israelites.

• According to Hebrew tradition, David was a humble shepherd who defeated a huge Philistine warrior, Goliath. Later, David became a strong, shrewd king who united the feuding Hebrew tribes under a single nation.

The Hebrews (Israelites)

• David’s son Solomon, turned Jerusalem into an impressive capital. He built a splendid temple dedicated to God, as well as an enormous palace for himself. King Solomon won praise for his wisdom and understanding. He also tried to increase Israel’s influence by negotiating with powerful empires in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

• The kingdom of Israel paid a heavy price for Solomon’s ambitions. His building projects required such heavy taxes and so much forced labour that revolts erupted soon after his death about 930 B.C. The kingdom then split into Israel in the north and Judah in the south.

The Hebrews (Israelites)

The Hebrews (Israelites)• Weakened by this division,

the Hebrews could not fight off invading armies. During their captivity, the Hebrews became known as the Jews.

• In time, Hebrew beliefs evolved into the religion we know today as Judaism.

• The Ten Commandments: Laws set out both religious duties toward God and rules for moral conduct toward other people.

The Lydians

The Lydians

• 8th Century B.C. to 546 B.C.• Known for their coins (made of gold and

silver), which became the first monetary system in the ancient world.

• Great traders that sparked a commercial revolution.

• Croesus, the king, was thought to be the richest king in the ancient world.