Transcript Sections II and III

Section II: Mesopotamia and Sumer
(Pages 32-36)
Section III: Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia
(Pages 37-41)



These sections are about:
How the geography of
Mesopotamia affected the
development of farming
settlements and the Sumerians.
How a surplus of food supplies
led to the growth of cities.
The accomplishments of the
Babylonians, Persians, and
Phoenicians.



This area is in the
Middle East today
(Iraq): between
the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers
Why do you think
people settled in
Mesopotamia?
Maybe first – why
do you think people
have settled in the
Barrington High
School area?



These two rivers flooded
most years and brought
rich, fertile soils to the
area…
…although there were not
many other useful
resources for them
(metal, precious stones,
trees, etc…).
Since it was a good place
to farm, some of the first
civilizations started here.
One of these civilizations: Mesopotamia





Good land for crops and
animals.
It didn’t rain much, but
they dug irrigation
ditches.
About 4000 BC, they
developed a plow – and
people could then work a
lot faster and easier.
This is another example
of a culture specializing
in their skills and
lifestyles.
The Fertile Crescent was
actually a home to many
different cultures:
including Assyria, Akkad,
and Sumer
The Sumerians






Had a lot of city-states
(the biggest was Ur:
20,000 people).
Each city state was a
theocracy (a government
ruled by a priest) who
could command an army,
collect taxes, assign
people labor, etc…
The center of each city
had a ziggurat (tall tower
for the priests)
Many of these priests
ended up becoming kings.
Some of these kings ended
up becoming warrior kinds
of kings.
Why would they have
changed from “priests” to
warrior leaders?
Sumerian writing…





Started out as pictographs –
usually done on clay (they had
a lot of clay)
This eventually turned into
cuneiform (on clay tablets).
They used this wedge shaped
writing for about 3000 years.
Used for recording business,
myths, poems, laws, …
One famous cuneiform story is
“The Epic of Gilgamesh”
Mesopotamians were bright:
Invented








the plow
pottery
cuneiform
THE WHEEL (in Sumer about
3100 BC)
used sails for boats
masters at record keeping
(used scribes to copy
information and keep
records)
invented a math system
(based on 60 – still for clocks
and… anything else?)
contributed ideas that helped
make domes, vaults, and
brick molds
Sumerians also practiced polytheism
(they worshiped many gods and goddesses)



About 3000 total
Each city may
have even had
some of their
own special
ones.
They usually had
a pretty set
social structure
Sumer was not the only
place in Mesopotamia…




… and eventually they lost some
of their power and were
conquered (some of their culture
became part of other Empire’s
cultures though).
Another group: The Akkadian
Empire: led by Sargon – a superb
military leader.
Sargon’s dynasty ruled for about
200 years - during this time
Sumer and Akkad blended into
more of one culture.
And, because their culture was
doing well – people were able to
do more leisure time things:
sculpture, carving, writing and
poetry…
Babylonia
and Assyria



Babylonia became a village
about 2000 BC and an
empire by 17100 BC
Their outstanding leader
(Hammurabi) helped them
become known for their
wealth, entertainment, and
gardens.
But he’s best known for
writing down all the laws
into one “document”
This document is called:
The Code of Hammurabi:
Did 2 things:
1.
2.



Helped make sure everyone
knew what the laws were.
Helped unify all the people who
made up the Babylonian
culture.
Has 282 specific laws about
marriage, land rights, business
dealings, family relations, and
crime and punishment.
Some were complicated and
even unfair (different
punishments for different
people)…
…but usually the punishment fit
the deed.
Examples from “The Code of Hammurabi”
15: If any one take a male or female slave of the court, or a male or female slave of a freed man, outside the city gates [to escape], he shall be
put to death.
16: If any one receive into his house a runaway male or female slave of the court, or of a freedman, and does not bring it out at the public
proclamation of the [police], the master of the house shall be put to death.
53: If any one be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition, and does not so keep it; if then the dam break and all the fields be flooded, then
shall he in whose dam the break occurred be sold for money, and the money shall replace the [grain] which he has caused to be ruined.
54: If he be not able to replace the [grain], then he and his possessions shall be divided among the farmers whose corn he has flooded.
108: If a [woman wine-seller] does not accept [grain] according to gross weight in payment of drink, but takes money, and the price of the drink
is less than that of the corn, she shall be convicted and thrown into the water. (1)
1010: If conspirators meet in the house of a [woman wine-seller], and these conspirators are not captured and delivered to the court, the [wineseller] shall be put to death.
110: If a "sister of a god“ [nun] open a tavern, or enter a tavern to drink, then shall this woman be burned to death.
1210: If a man's wife be surprised [having intercourse] with another man, both shall be tied and thrown into the water, but the husband may
pardon his wife and the king his slaves.
130: If a man violate the wife (betrothed or child-wife) of another man, who has never known a man, and still lives in her father's house, and
sleep with her and be surprised [caught], this man shall be put to death, but the wife is blameless.
131: If a man bring a charge against [his] wife, but she is not surprised with another man, she must take an oath and then may return to her
house.
132: If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she shall jump into the river
for [the sake of her] husband. (2)
138: If a man wishes to separate from his wife who has borne him no children, he shall give her the amount of her purchase money and the
dowry which she brought from her father's house, and let her go.
141: If a man's wife, who lives in his house, wishes to leave it, plunges into debt [to go into business], tries to ruin her house, neglects her
husband, and is judicially convicted: if her husband offer her release, she may go on her way, and he gives her nothing as a gift of release. If her
husband does not wish to release her, and if he take another wife, she shall remain as servant in her husband's house.
142: If a woman quarrel with her husband, and say: "You are not congenial to me," the reasons for her prejudice must be presented. If she is
guiltless, and there is no fault on her part, but he leaves and neglects her, then no guilt attaches to this woman, she shall take her dowry and go
back to her father's house. (3)
143: If she is not innocent, but leaves her husband, and ruins her house, neglecting her husband, this woman shall be cast into the water.
1105: If a son strike his father, his hands shall be [cut] off. (4)
1106: If a [noble-]man put out the eye of another [noble-]man, his eye shall be put out. (5)
1107: If he break another [noble-]man's bone, his bone shall be broken.
1108: If he put out the eye of a [commoner], or break the bone of a [commoner], he shall pay one [silver] mina.
11010: If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
200: If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.
201: If he knock out the teeth of a [commoner], he shall pay one-third of a [silver] mina.
http://www.ushistory.org/civ/4c.asp
The Persian Empire




…contributed a lot to
Mesopotamia.
Cyrus the Great built many
roads (improving travel and
communication).
Cyrus also governed
through kindness and
cooperation (his army
wouldn’t steal or destroy
places they conquered).
Also: common weights and
measures and the use of
coins in trade
The Phoenicians were around at the same time
(but in a different place)





They were the greatest sailors
of the time (so – also traders –
minerals, wood, a purple dye).
They also set up many
colonies around the
Mediterranean.
Their greatest achievement
was a new alphabet – which
spread throughout the region.
They also simplified cuneiform
from 1000 symbols to 22.
Each symbol stood for a
different sound. The Greeks
later added more symbols and
eventually it turns into what
our English alphabet is based
on.