CHAPTER 2: WESTERN ASIA

& EGYPT

3500-500 B.C.

CIVILIZATION BEGINS IN

MESOPOTAMIA

Chapter 2: Section 1

Civilization in Mesopotamia Begins

Main Ideas

Mesopotamia, one of the first civilizations, began

between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Mesopotamia, one of the first civilizations, began

between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

The Sumerians formed city-states and created forms of

communication that affect our lives today.

Key Terms patriarchal

polythestic

cuneiform

TIMELINE: MESOPOTAMIA

The Fertile Crescent

The land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

was known as “Mesopotamia”.

Mesopotamia was located at the eastern end of the

Fertile Crescent, an arc of land from the

Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

This land would be enriched by large deposits of

silt, which was deposited by the two rivers during

unpredictable flooding in late spring.

The Fertile Crescent

People in Mesopotamia

controlled flooding by

creating irrigation and

drainage ditches.

This allowed for the

growing of an abundance

of food and civilization

emerged.

Areas of Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia covered three general

areas: Assyria, Akkad, and Sumer. Several

peoples lived in these areas

Mesopotamian civilization involved many

peoples.

The Sumerians developed the first Mesopotamian

civilization.

CONSIDER THE AREA WHERE

YOU LIVE. WHAT ROLES HAS

GEOGRAPHY PLAYED IN

HOW YOUR AREA HAS

DEVELOPED PHYSICALLY,

COMMERCIALLY, AND

CULTURALLY?

Discussion Question

The City-States of Ancient Mesopotamia

By 3000 B.C. the Sumerians had formed a number of city-states centered around cities such as Ur and Uruk.

These states controlled the surrounding countryside politically and economically.

City-states were the basic political unit of the Sumerian civilization.

The Sumerians built largely with mud bricks.

Using them they invented the arch and the

dome and built some of the largest brick

buildings in the world.

The most important building in each city was

the temple.

Often it was built on top of a massive stepped

tower called a ziggurat.

Sumerians believed gods and goddesses owned and ruled the cities.

The Sumerian state was a theocracy, then–a government by divine authority.

Priests and priestesses were important figures politically as well as religiously.

Eventually, ruling power passed more into the hands of kings, who traced their authority back to the divine.

The Sumerian economy was principally

agricultural, but industry (metalwork and

woolen textiles, for example) and trade were

important.

The invention of the wheel around 3000 B.C.

facilitated trade.

The Sumerian city-states had three classes: nobles, commoners, and slaves.

Nobles included the royal family, royal officials, priests, and their families.

Commoners worked for large estates as farmers, merchants, fishers, and craftspeople. Around 90 percent of the people were farmers.

Slaves principally worked on large building projects, wove cloth, and worked the farms of the nobles.

THE SUMERIAN CITY-STATES WERE

THEOCRACIES (THEO MEANING

“GOD” AND CRACY MEANING

“RULE”). IN A THEOCRACY,

GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY IS

FOUNDED UPON DIVINE AUTHORITY.

CANADA IS A DEMOCRACY. ON

WHAT AUTHORITY IS ITS

GOVERNMENTAL POWER BASED?

Discussion Question

The Fertile Crescent

The Sumerians were the

creators of the first

Mesopotamian

civilization.

The Mesopotamians were

polytheistic believing in

over 3,000 different gods

or goddesses.

Sumerian Cities

Sumerian cities like Uruk, were surrounded by walls as long as 10 km with defense towers every 10 meters.

Uruk, one of the largest cities had a population of an estimated 50,000 people by 2700 B.C.

Walls and structures were made of sun dried brick due to a lack of wood and stone for building purposes.

Religion and Rulers

The most prominent

building in a Sumerian

city was the temple built

to honour the local deity.

The temple was built upon

a massive stepped tower

like structure called a

Ziggurat.

Sumerian Religion

Due to the harsh physical environment and

famines, Mesopotamians believed that the

world was controlled by often destructive

supernatural forces and deities.

The Mesopotamians were polytheistic because

they believed in many gods and goddesses.

They identified three thousand of them.

Sumerian Religion

Human beings were to serve and obey the gods and goddesses.

Sumerians believed that human beings were created to do the manual labor the gods and goddesses were not willing to do.

As inferior beings, people could never be sure what the deities might do to help or hurt them.

Daily menu for the god Anu at Uruk:

12 vessels of wine 2 vessels of milk

108 vessels of beer

243 loaves of bread

29 bushels of dates

21 rams

2 bulls

l bullock

8 lambs

60 birds

3 cranes

7 ducks

4 wild boars

3 ostrich eggs

3 duck eggs

Do not copy, interest only. I

found it interesting, anyway

Religion and Rulers

The Temples and related buildings served as the

center of the city physically, economically, and even

politically.

Surplus food and crafts were stored in the temple

and then distributed or traded.

It is possible that the early priests had a part in

ruling and the Sumerian government was a

theocracy- a government by divine authority.

Religion and Rulers

Eventually power would

reside in the office of the

king who would lead

armies, supervise public

works construction and

organized workers for

irrigation projects.

Writing and Literature

Around 3,000 B.C. the Sumerians created a cuneiform system of writing.

Using a reed stylus , they made wedge shaped impressions on clay tablets, which were then baked in the sun.

A system of writing was important because it allowed for the keeping of records and the passing of knowledge.

Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped”

Writing

Cuneiform

Cuneiform

Cuneiform Writing

Deciphering Cuneiform

Writing and Literature

One of the earliest surviving works of Sumerian literature is the Epic of Gilgamesh.

It tells the tale of the adventures the Uruk King, Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu.

Gilgamesh is wise and strong, a being who is part human and part god.

Gilgamesh befriends a hairy beast named Enkidu.

When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh feels the pain of his friend’s death, and he searches for the secret of immortality.

He fails.

Mesopotamian Harp

Board Game From Ur

Sophisticated Metallurgy

Skills

at Ur

Science and innovations

The Sumerians are credited with numerous

inventions such as:

The wagon wheel

The Arch

The potters wheel

The Sundial

Number system based on 60

12 month calendar based on the cycles of

the moon

First to make bronze and develop a metal

plow

The Akkadian and Babylonian Empires

To the north of the Sumerian city-states were the Akkadians.

Akkadians spoke a Semitic language

Around 2340 B.C. Sargon their leader conquered the Sumerian city-states and established the first empire.

The Akkadian and Babylonian Empires

The Akkadian Empire would fall around 2100 B.C., due to increased attacks from its neighbours.

Independent city-states fought for control until 1792 B.C. when Hammurabi, the sixth king of the Amorite Dynasty came to power in Babylon.

He gained control over the cities of Sumer and Akkad, creating a new Babylonian Empire.

Hammurabi’s Empire

BUILDING EMPIRES IS A

CONSTANT FEATURE

OF HISTORY. WHAT MIGHT

HAVE MOTIVATED SARGON TO

CREATE THE FIRST EMPIRE?

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

THAT WITH THE MOTIVATIONS

FOR THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND

THE ATTEMPT BY THE NAZIS TO

BUILD AN EMPIRE.

Discussion Question.

The Code of Hammurabi

One of Hammurabi’s greatest achievements was the creation of a single unified legal code.

The Code of Hammurabi was based on strict justice and penalties were severe.

It dealt with criminal, commercial, legislative, and public law covering just about every aspect of people’s lives.

The Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi is one of the world’s most important early systems of law.

It calls for harsh punishments against criminals.

The principle of retaliation (“an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”) is fundamental in Hammurabi’s code.

Hammurabi’s Code

Punishments varied according to social status.

A crime committed against a noble brought a harsher punishment than the same crime committed against a commoner.

Hammurabi’s code punished public officials who failed in their duties or were corrupt.

It also had what we would call consumer protection provisions, for example, holding builders responsible for the quality of their work.

Hammurabi’s Code

If a building collapsed and killed someone, the

builder was executed. Damages had to be

paid to people injured.

The largest group of laws in the code covered

marriage and the family.

Parents arranged marriages, and the bride

and groom had to sign a marriage contract to

be officially married.

Hammurabi’s Code

Hammurabi’s code expresses the patriarchal

nature of Mesopotamian society.

Women had fewer privileges and rights than

men.

The code also enforced obedience of children

to parents.

A father could cut off the hand of a son who

had hit him, for example.

HAMMURABI’S CODE WAS APPLIED

DIFFERENTLY TO DIFFERENT CLASSES

OF PEOPLE. WHERE IN CANADIAN

LAW IS THIS PRACTICE FORBIDDEN?

GIVE REASONS FOR WHY THE

UNEQUAL APPLICATION OF THE

LAW IS UNJUST. IF YOU THINK IT IS

JUST, EXPLAIN WHY.

Discussion Question