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.