Mesopotamia: “The Cradle of Civilization”

Earliest Civilization: the Fertile Crescent

earliest of all civilizations as people formed permanent settlements

Mesopotamia is a Greek word that means “between the rivers”, specifically, the area between the Tigris River and Euphrates River (present day Iraq)

Lasted for approximately 3000 years

Its peoples were the first to irrigate fields, devised a system of writing, developed mathematics, invented the wheel and learned to work with metal

Geographic Conditions Little rainfall

Hot and dry climate

windstorms leaving muddy river valleys in

winter

catastrophic flooding of the rivers in spring

Arid soil containing little minerals

No stone or timber resources

Then why live in Mesopotamia?

NATURAL LEVEES: embankments produced by build-up of sediment over thousands of years of flooding

Natural Levee

create a high and safe flood plain

make irrigation and canal construction easy

provide protection

the surrounding swamps were full of fish & waterfowl

reeds provided food for sheep / goats

reeds also were used as building resources

History of Mesopotamia

Over the centuries, many different people lived in this area creating a collection of independent states

Sumer- southern part (3500-2000 BCE) Akkad- northern part (2340 – 2180 BCE) Babylonia- these two regions were unified

(1830-1500 BCE and 650-500 BCE) Assyria- Assyrian Empire (1100 -612 BCE)

Standard of Ur

Religion

Position of King was enhanced and supported by religion

Kingship believed to be created by gods and the king’s power was divinely ordained (Devine Right)

Belief that gods lived on the distant mountaintops

Each god had control of certain

things and each city was ruled by a different god

Kings and priests acted as interpreters as they told the people what the god wanted them to do (ie. by examining the liver or lungs of a slain sheep)

gods were worshipped at huge temples called ziggurats

Polytheistic religion consisting of over 3600 gods and demigods

Prominent Mesopotamian gods

Enlil (supreme god & god of air)

Ishtar (goddess of fertility & life)

An (god of heaven)

Enki (god of water & underworld)

Shamash (god of sun and giver of law)

Ziggurats Large temples dedicated to

the god of the city Made of layer upon layer of

mud bricks in the shape of a pyramid in many tiers (due to constant flooding and from belief that gods resided on mountaintops)

Temple on top served as the god’s home and was beautifully decorated

Inside was a room for offerings of food and goods

Temples evolved to ziggurats- a stack of 1-7 platforms decreasing in size from bottom to top

Famous ziggurat was Tower of Babel (over 100m above ground and 91m base)

Ziggurat of Ur -2000BCE

Sumerians social, economic and intellectual basis Irrigated fields and produced 3 main crops (barley, dates and sesame seeds) built canals, dikes, dams and drainage systems develop cuneiform writing invented the wheel Abundance of food led to steady increase of population (farm, towns,

cities) first city of the world Developed a trade system with bartering: mainly barley but also wool

and cloth for stone, metals, timber, copper, pearls and ivory Individuals could only rent land from priests (who controlled land on

behalf of gods); most of profits of trade went to temple

However, the Sumerians were not successful in uniting lower Mesopotamia

Akkadians Leader: Sargon the Great – The illegitimate son of a priestess who

was put in a basket and flowed down the river ( Sound Familiar?) Sargon unified lower Mesopotamia (after conquering Sumerians in

2331 BCE)- Conquered Uruk and dragged leader away on a leash Established capital at Akkad Over 56 year reign he conquered and united peoples from the

Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea Spread Mesopotamian culture, but lead by terror Standardized weights and measures which facilitated trade First king to have standing army (5400 men), very expensive, to

feed the army he established the conquering tradition of plundering However, short-lived dynasty as Akkadians were conquered by the

invading barbarians by 2200 BCE

Babylonians KING HAMMURABI’S BABLYON

6th Amorite king Amorite- Nomadic people from the north of

Babylon, assimilated into the city and became leading citizens

He build new walls to protect the city and new canals and dikes to improve crops

Economy based on agriculture and wool / cloth

individuals could own land around cities Artisans and merchants could keep most

profits and even formed guilds / associations Grain used as the medium of exchange >

emergence of measurement of currency: shekel = 180 grains of barley; mina = 60 shekels

Mina was eventually represented by metals which was one of first uses of money (but it was still based on grain)

43 year reign Military conquests extended from Babylon to

Persian Gulf and to Syria Much more of an administrative leader than

Sargon Hammurabi’s Legacy: law code

• Babylonians reunited Mesopotamia in 1830 BCE • central location dominated trade and secured control • YET AGAIN, Mesopotamia was not unified for long…

Code of Hammurabi To enforce his rule, Hammurabi collected all the laws of

Babylon in a code that would apply everywhere in the land

Most extensive law code from the ancient world (c. 1800 BCE)

Code of 282 laws inscribed on a stone pillar placed in the public hall for all to see

Hammurabi Stone depicts Hammurabi as receiving his authority from god Shamash

Set of divinely inspired laws; as well as societal laws

Punishments were designed to fit the crimes as people must be responsible for own actions

Hammurabi Code was an origin to the concept of “eye for an eye…” ie. If a son struck his father, the son’s hand would be cut off

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

2016 Zodiac chart

Capricorn: Jan. 20 to Feb. 16 Aquarius: Feb. 16 to March 11 Pisces: March 11 to April 18 Aries: April 18 to May 13 Taurus: May 13 to June 21 Gemini: June 21 to July 20 Cancer: July 20 to Aug. 10 Leo: Aug. 10 to Sept. 16 Virgo: Sept. 16 to Oct. 30 Libra: Oct. 30 to Nov. 23 Scorpio: Nov. 23 to Nov. 29 Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 to Dec. 17 Sagittarius: Dec. 17 to Jan. 20

What are the

eight characteristics of civilization?

Explain the geography of Mesopotamia?

What were the two Neolithic cities we talked about?

What is the Standard of Ur and what are two things we can learn from it?

What was the

relationship that Mesopotamians had with the gods?

What is a ziggurat?

Who was King

Hammurabi and how was he different from Sargon?

Who was Sargon the Great?

What inventions are credited to the Sumerians?

10th century BCE, Assyria emerged as dominant force in the north

City of Assur- became important trading and political center

After Hammurabi’s death, Babylon fell apart and kings of Assur controlled more of surrounding area and came to dominate

Made conquered lands pay taxes (food, animals, metals or timber)

Rule by fear as kings were first to have an army made up of professional soldiers (estimated 200 000 men)

Made superior weapons of bronze and iron Iron changed lifestyles in Mesopotamia in weapons and

in daily life ie. replaced wooden wheels and applied to horse drawn chariots

Assyrian Warfare Justification

“The king, who acts with the support of the great gods his lords and has conquered all lands, gained dominion over all highlands and received their tribute, captures of hostages, he who is victorious over all countries.”

Assyrian Brutality “I flayed as many nobles as had rebelled against me

[and] draped their skins over the pile [of corpses]; some I spread out within the pile, some I erected on stakes upon the pile … I flayed many right through my land [and] draped their skins over the walls.” †

“I felled 50 of their fighting men with the sword, burnt 200 captives from them, [and] defeated in a battle on the plain 332 troops. … With their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool, [and] the rest of them the ravines [and] torrents of the mountain swallowed. I carried off captives [and] possessions from them. I cut off the heads of their fighters [and] built [therewith] a tower before their city. I burnt their adolescent boys [and] girls.” †

“In strife and conflict I besieged [and] conquered the city. I felled 3,000 of their fighting men with the sword … I captured many troops alive: I cut off of some their arms [and] hands; I cut off of others their noses, ears, [and] extremities. I gouged out the eyes of many troops. I made one pile of the living [and] one of heads. I hung their heads on trees around the city.” †

Discuss with your group.

Why did the Assyrians depict their conquests

and battles in such vivid detail?

Line of Kings of Assyria and reemergence of Babylon

Ashurnasurpal 885BCE-860BCE – Military mastermind – Set standard for future warrior kings of Assyria – War captives and subjects objecting taxation were brutally

torchered – Wanted to be King of the “Four Corners of the Universe” – Babylon refused to conform with the Assyrian warrior

culture, Assyrians saw Babylon as the source of the height of Mesopotamian culture, sister culture

Sennacherib 704BC – Put Crown Prince on the throne of Babylon – In 688 the crown Prince was captured and killed by an

invading army, Sennacherib blamed the Babylonians – Decided to besieged Babylon, “I pressed upon the enemy

like the onset of a raging storm…all their bodies I bore through like a sieve, and their throats I cut like lambs”

– Cursed the city and said nothing will be built here for 70 years

– Assyrian people were appalled and he son killed him

Esarhaddon 680BC-669 – Rebuilt Babylon (70 year curse)

Ashurbanipal 669BCE- 627BCE – Cultured Ruler (Could Read and

Write) – Wanted copies of all written work

20,000 total – Built worlds first library at Nineveh – Military Leader, controlled the “Four

Corners of Universe: – Death lead to chaos in Babylon

Why do you think the Assyrians were so brutal and vivid with their warfare and descriptions of

it?

Corroboration

Evidence that confirms or supports a statement, theory, or finding; confirmation – To corroborate historical events we must have

two or more sources that explain the same event

What do other artifacts show us? Do the artifacts agree? If not, why? What are other possible artifacts? What artifacts are most reliable?

Wall Carving from Assyrian Palace

The Two Sources

The Book of the Kings

The Sennacherib Prism

Final Questions

Why do you think these documents present such different versions of Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem?

Do you think these documents provide trustworthy accounts of what happened during the siege of Jerusalem? Why or why not?

Nabopolassar 627BCE – Took up the cause of restoring

Babylon back to the Babylonians – Determined to win south

Mesopotamian independence from Assyria

– Starts attacking north into Assyria in 615BCE

– Joined by Meads from the north of Assyria

– 612BCE Medes and Babylonians siege Nineveh (Capital of Assyria)

The Neo-Babylonia Empire Nebuchadnezzar II (son of Nabopolasar) restores the Babylonian Empire, his rule lasted 60 years until his death @ 84 years old The Neo-Babylonians were the last great empire in

Mesopotamia (now called Iraq). The Hanging Gardens are one of the 7 wonders of the ancient

world. The sight of so many trees and bushes rising above the desert was stunning to many people. It may not have really existed though.

The Neo-Babylonians were very skilled in math and astronomy .

The Neo-Babylonians had an inner & outer wall, A great defense.

The Neo-Babylonians created the sundial , the 24 hour day and the 7 day week.

Tower of Babel

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Babylonian Captivity

- Kingdom of Judea - King refused to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar - Babylon sieged Judah - Ordered the forced relocation of Jewish people to Babylon

End of Neo Babylonian Empire

Nabonidus 556BCE – Commoner becomes King after coup – Priests, Nobles and Citizens disliked – Got rid of Babylon’s principal god Marduke in

favor of the god Sin – 549BCE abandoned the throne for ten years

to rebuild temples in northern Mesopotamia – Nabonidus refused to deal with a new threat

from the north, the Persians

Start of Persian Dominance in Mesopotamia

Cyrus the Great 559BCE – Known for his use of mounted

archers – Tolerant ruler, bloodless victory at

times – 546 BCE Empire extended from Asia

Minor to Iran – Last great conquest would be

Babylon – 539BCE Nabonidus returns to defend

city, Babylonians turn on him and welcome Cyrus the Great as liberator

– Restored the city back to Maraduke – Released Jewish population from the

Babylonian captivity

Who was the best? Sumer

Closely tied to

environment Irrigation

techniques for farming

wheel Trade- bartering Writing- cuneiform Religion tied to

government as priests and kings made decision for gods

ziggurats

Babylon

Production of food through farming

Private ownership of land vs ownership by the gods

Developed mathematics and calendar system and system of units for currency

Hammurabi’s law code

Assyria Kings conquered lands to create empire of Assyria Cooler climate could produce crops with little irrigation Deposits of ore allowed for development and use of iron Assyrian army became most effective military force

Legacies of Mesopotamia Revolutionary innovations emerged in

Mesopotamia such as: codified laws ziggurats Cuneiform Irrigation Metal working, tools Trade transportation wheel Writing mathematics prosperous living based on large scale agriculture

http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?videoId=84y2q4giihY

How were the Assyrians able to

dominate Mesopotamia after the fall of Babylon?

How did the Neo Babylonians empire

fall?

How did the Neo-Babylonians conquer

the Assyrians?

What happened to the 70 year curse put

on Babylon by Sennacherib?

Why was Sennacherib

assassinated?

What was the Assyrian world view?

Why did the Assyrians depict their

conquest in such vivid detail?

How was Ashurbanipal the

same and different from previous

Assyrian Kings?

What role did Ashurnaserpal have

at the start of Assyrian dominance

in Mesopotamia?

Development

Of

WRITING

Development of Writing

Click here to see the development of writing from pictograms to cuneiform

Pictograms: picture to show meaning Ideograms: signs to represent words / ideas Phonetics: signs to represent sounds

*Phonetics are the basis of most writing systems

Writing Greatest contribution of Mesopotamia to

western civilization was the invention of writing

allowed the transmission of knowledge, the codification of laws, records to facilitate trade / farming

Sumerians wrote on wet clay tablets with the point of a reed > then dried in the sun to make a tablet

Scribes were only ones who could read and write and served as priests, record keepers and accountants

As society evolved, the first form of writing was developed called CUNEIFORM (meaning “wedge shaped”), dating to 3500 BCE

Cuneiform spread to Persia and Egypt and became the vehicle for the growth and spread of civilization and the exchange of ideas among cultures

Gilgamesh Gilgamesh is an ancient story or epic

written in Mesopotamia more than 4000 thousand years ago

Gilgamesh is the first known work of great literature and epic poem

Epic mentions a great flood Gilgamesh parallels the Nippur Tablet,

a six-columned tablet telling the story of the creation of humans and animals, the cities and their rulers, and the great flood ANALYSIS

Gilgamesh and the Nippur tablet both parallel the story of Noah and the Ark (great flood) in the Old Testament of the Jewish and Christian holy books

Modern science argues an increase in the sea levels about 6,000 years ago (end of ice age)

the melting ice drained to the oceans causing the sea level to rise more than ten feet in one century

Royal Tombs of Ur

From 1922 to 1934, excavation of the ancient Sumerian city of Ur

City famed in Bible as the home of patriarch Abraham

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 mass grave containing the bodies of

6 guards and 68 servants grave was a great funeral procession drank poison, choosing to

accompany the kings and queens in the afterlife

Interesting Facts!

Mesopotamia, specifically Babylon used a mathematical system based on sixty as all their numbers were expressed as parts of or multiples of sixty

Some parts of the ‘base-sixty’ system still remain today: 360 degrees in a circle, 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in 1 hour

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