Download - Mesopotamia and Egypt
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia andand
EgyptEgypt
Ancient Mesopotamia Ancient Mesopotamia TimelineTimeline
• 3000-2200 B.C.-Emergence of Sumerian Cities
• 1800-1550 B.C.-Babylonian Kingdom
• 1780 B.C.-Code of Hammurabi
• 1000-586 B.C.-The Hebrews
• 559-500 B.C.-Height of Persian Power
MesopotamianMesopotamian GeographyGeography
• Mesopotamian located at Eastern end of Fertile Cresent
• Tigris and Euphrates flood often creating rich soil for crops
• Developed ditches for irrigation
• Open plane made area vulnerable to attack
Mesopotamia’s City Mesopotamia’s City StatesStates
• Surrounded by walls built of mud brick
• Temples most important building usually in center
• Sumerians state based on a theocracy (lead by divine authority)
• Economy based on farming, trade, and manufacturing.
• 3 classes: Nobles, commoners, and slaves.
EmpiresEmpires ofof MesopotamiaMesopotamia
• 2340 B.C. Akkadians led by Sargoin who sets up worlds first empire
• 1792 B.C. Babylonians led by Hammurabi take power.
Code of HammurabiCode of Hammurabi
• Collection of laws for strict justice (eye for an eye)
• Penalties depend on social class
• Reflected a patriarchal society
Mesopotamian ReligionMesopotamian Religion
• Polytheistic
(over 3000 gods)
• Humans their to serve gods
Sumerian’s CreationSumerian’s Creation
• Created cuneiform writing (wedge shaped)
• Used for record keeping, teaching, and law
• Gilgamesh-literature teaching of moral lesson
• Other inventions: wagon wheel, numbers system (60), advancements in engineering and astronomy
EgyptiansEgyptians
Egyptian GeographyEgyptian Geography
• Civilization based around annual flooding of the Nile River (Over 4,000 miles)
• Used Geographic barriers to protect them from invasion
Egyptian ReligionEgyptian Religion
• Polytheistic• Land gods / Sun Gods• Sun God was the lead
god (Re or Atum)• Pharaoh referred to as
sun of Re
Egyptian HistoryEgyptian History
• Divided into 3 major periods: Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms
• Begins with Menes around 3100 B.C.
Old KingdomOld Kingdom
• 2700-2200 B.C.• Rulers become
known as pharaohs• Absolute power • Take advice from
family and Vizer• Pyramids built during
this period, as well as mummification.
Middle KingdomMiddle Kingdom
• 2050-1652 B.C. (Golden Age)
• Pharaohs now portrayed as shepherds of the people.
• Middle kingdom ended by invasion of Hysksos of Western Asia.
New KingdomNew Kingdom
• 1567-1085 B.C.• Period which Egypt
created an empire• Pharaoh’s very
wealthy• First female ruler
comes during this time (Hatshepsut)
New Kingdom ContinuedNew Kingdom Continued
• Akhenaton-tries to make Egyptians monotheistic (starts the decline of the Egyptian Empire
• Tutankhamen-restores the old gods later
• Ramses II (The Great) 1279-1213 B.C. regains some of the empire but again would later collapse.
• Cleopatra VII tries again later to restore empire but falls to the Romans.
Society and Daily LifeSociety and Daily Life
• Classes of society• Ruling Class-
Pharaohs, nobles, and high priest
• Merchants and priest• Peasants were
laborers for the upper classes
MarriageMarriage
• Married young (arranged marriages)
• Man the master: women took care of household including children’s education
• Marriages could end in divorce with compensation for women
• Women could be merchants, priests, and even pharaohs
Writing and EducationWriting and Education• Writing emerged around
3000 B.C. in Egypt• Hieroglyphics/Hieratic Script• Made advances in art,
architecture, geometry, and medicine
• Due to mummification learned a great deal about human anatomy
• First to use splints, bandages, and compresses
Other Great CivilizationsOther Great Civilizations
• Hittites-pastoral nomadic group known for use iron
• Phoenicians-lived along the Mediterranean Coast
• Known for ships, seafaring skills, and trading abilities
• Also known for 22 letter alphabet later used by Greeks and Romans.
CivilizationsCivilizations
• Israelites-(1200-1000 B.C.) main contribution religion of Judaism.
• Assyrians-known for military prowess and use of iron weapons, disciplined army and calvary.
• Persians-created an enormous empire. Set up their own complex gov. structure.