Transcript Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia

Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia
World History
The Impact of Geography
 Mesopotamia: The land between the rivers
 Tigris and Euphrates
 The Fertile Crescent: Larger area (from Med. Sea to the Persian
Gulf)
 Impact: Rivers deposited silt when they flooded in late Spring
 Eventually the people learn to control the water with irrigation and
drainage
Fertile Crescent
Akkadia and Sumeria
The Sumerians
 By 3000 BC there were a number of independent cities
in Southern Mesopotamia which developed into citystates
 The centerpiece of each of these cities was the temple which
was built on massive stepped tower called a Ziggurat
 Government
 Theocracies: monarchies by divine authority
Ziggurat
Empires in Mesopotamia
 Eventually these city states fell into conflict with each other and
outside forces
 2340 BC The Akkadians and their leader Sargon conquered
the region and set up the worlds first Empire (fell in 2100 BC)
 1792 BC Hammurabi (leader of the Babylonians gained
control of Akad and Sumer
 Hammurabi’s Code? (eye for an eye)
 Patriarchal society
Religion and Creativity
 Religion: Polytheistic (3000 or more gods usually associated
with nature
 Creativity:
 Writing (Cuneiform) to pass down knowledge and record
events
 The Epic of Gilgamesh (immortality for gods only)
 Technology Bronze (copper and tin), wagon wheel, potters
wheel, sundial
Assyrians and Persians
A Mighty Military Machine
 850 BC, the Assyrians advanced from the northern part of
Mesopotamia
 Open area, Little protection
 Relied on military strength for defense from outside attack
 Assyrian Empire stretched from north and east of the Tigris
river to Egypt
 Development of Weapons
 Armor, Weapons, Organization
Assyrian Rule
 650 BC
 Height of rule
 Fell by 612 BC
 Organization of conquered
areas into empire
 Divided into regions
 Assyrians choose rulers
 Taxes and Tribute
Assyrian Culture
 Assyrian Kings were great
builders, not just destroyers
 Nineveh
 Capital city
 Ashurbanipal
 Great warrior
 Could read many languages
 Library
 25,000 clay tablets
Nebuchadnezzar
 Chaldean King of Babylon
(604-562BC)
 Restoration of Babylon
 Euphrates through the city
 Walls
 4 Horse Chariot could ride on top
 Hanging gardens of
Babylon
 Made for homesick wife
 75 feet above the ground
 Hydraulic pumps
 Babylon fell after
Nebuchadnezzar's death to the
Persian Empire
Rise of the Persian Empire
(559 BC -330 BC)
 Cyrus
 Ruled from 559-530 BC
 Military genius, but great Administrator
 Method of governing
 Kindness to conquered people
 Religiously tolerant (opposite of the Assyrians)
 Darius (522-486 BC)
 Created an effective style of administration
 Empire reached its greatest extent
 Return to toleration and Cyrus’ style of rule
Provinces and Royal Road
 Darius was a great warrior, but
his genius was governing
 20 provinces
 Darius still ruled with absolute
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power
Royal Road
“Interstate 95”
Ran across the Persian
empire
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 Satraps (gov’s)
 Kings eyes and ears
1,677 mile long
111 posts (Rest Stations)
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 Tax collectors
Messenger
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15 miles apart
7 days
Increased trade and
communication
throughout the empire