Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia - The Land Between Two Rivers Mesopotamia was located between two rivers : the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East, and surrounded by desert. People came to Mesopotamia because the soil between the two rivers was very fertile.Mesopotamia was part of a larger region called the Fertile Crescent.The shape is somewhat similar to a crescent-shaped moon.

Two disadvantages and environmental challenges1. No natural barriers for protection2. Unpredictable flooding/ dry summer months

1.SumeriansThe region where the two riversmeet was called Sumer. Thepeople who lived in the Sumerregion were called Sumerians.The first humans to form thecivilization.

City-States Formed Along the RiversThey each had their Theocratic city-states :own form of governed by religiongovernment. They leader (priest-king)each had their ownrulers.

The Downfall of the SumeriansEach of the Sumerian city-statesruler began fighting each otherover land and the use of riverwater. Since the Sumerians wereconstantly at war with each other,they became weak. By 2000 BC, Sumer was aweakened area, and by 1759 BC,Sumer was conquered by anothergroup of people.

2. Akkadians• Famous king : Sargon the Great• United Akkad and Sumer• The political system : Empire ( The world’s first empire)• Established capital at Akkad

3. Amorites ( Babylonian Empire)1. Built capital, Babylon, on Euphrates river PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.

Hammurabi’s CodeHe developed a “code” oflaws. The laws werenumbered from 1 to 282 .Law number 196 states: If aman put out the eye of anotherman, his eye shall be put out.Some people summarizeHammurabi’s code by saying“an eye for an eye.”

Babylonia is ConqueredThough Hammurabi formed a largeand rich empire, the people that ruledafter him could not keep it together.The empire kept getting smaller andsmaller until eventually it wasdestroyed.

4. The AssyriansAssyria was a smallkingdom located northof Babylon. (Ninevehwas a capital city; on thebanks of upper Tigris).Their city was located inopen land that was easilyattacked, and they had toconstantly defendthemselves againstinvaders. Therefore,they became skilledwarriors.

The Assyrians• Warlike people from northern Mesopotamia, the Assyrians began to consolidate a great empire• For 500 years, they earned a reputation for being among the most feared warriors in history• Used chariots, and were the first to use calvary, soldiers on horseback.

Assyria OverthrownThe people that theAssyrians conquered wereconstantly rebelling againstAssyrian rule.

5. Chaldeans (The New Babylonian Empire)•Nebuchadnezzar revived the power ofBabylon, rebuilt the canals, temples, wallsand palaces of Babylon.•Also called the Chaldeans•Nebuchadnezzar built the HangingGardens of Babylon for his homesick wife

The Fall of the ChaldeansThe Chaldeanscame under attackand was defeatedby the Persians,who were led byCyrus, in 539 BC.Though theChaldeans weredefeated, the cityof Babylon wasspared fromdestruction.

The Defeat of the Persian Empire• Persia never conquered Greece.• In 331 B.C., Alexander the Great defeated Persia

Religion & the Afterlife - Religion : Polytheism (believe in many gods and goddesses) - View of life : pessimistic concept (pessimism) - Afterlife : no concept of afterlife

Achievements 1. Irrigation SystemUnpredictable river

2. Lunar calendar Because the climate of Mesopotamia, it was essential to begin planting or harvesting at exactly the proper time, thus it was necessary to find some reliable way of marking the passage of days until the proper times for agricultural work came around.

• Devised a calendar base on cycles of the moon (number of days between the appearance of two new moons was set as a month; 12 cycles made up a year)

4. System of writing : Cuneiform writing (it consisted of wedge-shaped characters : cuneus is Latin for wedge) pressed on wet clay by a reed (small piece of cane) stylus with a triangle point.

The Evolution of Writing• Sumerians invented the earliest known form of writing called cuneiform using a reed pen to make wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.• Cuneiform is from the Latin word for wedge.• Sumerian scribes went through years of difficult schooling to acquire their skills.

5. System of law : Code of Hammurabi “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” If a man destroy the eye of another, his eye shall be destroyed.

Art1. Architecture - Ziggurat : Sumerians (center of each major city) a terraced (stepped) tower surmounted by a shrine.

ZigguratZiggurats were the main temples used toworship the gods of a city. It was believedthat the gods descended to the Earth using theziggurat as a ladder.

2. Literature -Epic (long poem) : the epic of Gilgamesh - The adventures of the Amorite leader - Decision making of God to destroy world by the flood - The secret of immortality

Gilgamesh Epic, one ofthe earliest works ofliterature. Contains a “flood story”that predates the HebrewOld Testament story ofNoah by at least 2,000years.