Transcript Unit 2 - River Mill Academy

Unit 2
DAY 8: MESOPOTAMIA, FERTILE CRESCENT
River Civilizations Map
 Identify the following ‘first civilizations’ on your map
1.
Mesopotamia
2.
Egypt
3.
India
4.
China



Which is the oldest civilization?
Why did these civs develop in these specific areas?
When did these civilizations begin? (years)
Geography
 Fertile Crescent
Region of land in S/W Asia, curves
between Mediterranean Sea and Persian
Gulf
 Fertile, rich soil found between Tigris and
Euphrates
 “Mesopotamia” mean ‘between the
rivers’ in Greek
 5500 BC, people were farming in area
 Grew wheat, barley
 Region received little rain, and faced
floods when it did
 Methods to control water: irrigation

Sumer
 Large cities around 3000 BC
Structures made of mud bricks
 Center of city = pyramid temple called a ziggurat
 Over time, each city controlled surrounding land
 Called a city-state (political unit)
 Each formed own gov’t and fought over
land/water
 Religion/Government
 Polytheism (worship many gods)
 Each city-state protected by a god
 War chiefs ruled as kings
 Kings formed dynasties

Sumerian Culture
 Writing
Cuneiform
 Epic of Gilgamesh
 Math/Science
 Math system based on # 60 (this is where our hr comes from)
 Geometry used for building/irrigation systems—sewers!
 Invented wheel (pottery/vehicles), plow, and used bronze,
had medical knowledge (surgery!)
 Trade
 Did not have trees, metal, so they traded for them
 Social structure: hierarchy
 Men in politics, women at home mostly

Empires in Mesopotamia
 Sargon I (from Akkad), 2330 BC



1st ruler to create permanent army
Conquered Sumer and northern
Mesopotamia, adopt culture
Empire lasted 140 years, helped spread
Sumerian culture
 Babylonian Empire (1792 BC)


King Hammurabi—battles, schools, trade,
culture
Hammurabi’s Code—1st codified laws
(written down)
More Mesopotamian Empires
 Hittite (Nomadic warriors, 1595 BC)




Sacked Babylon, after Hammurabi’s death
Used cuneiform and law code
First people in region to master ironworking
Strong force until 1200 BC
 Assyrians (900 BC)




Empire included Meso, Asia Minor, and Egypt
Powerful military
 Chariots, cavalry, iron weapons, siege warfare, battering rams
Roads connected empire
Library in Nineveh (over 200,000 cuneiform tablets)
More Meso Empires
 Chaldeans (612 BC)




New Babylon Empire, led by Nebuchadnezzar II
 Fought Jews, Egyptians, captured Jerusalem
Hanging Gardens
Calendar based on phases of moon
Defeated by Persians in 539 BC
 Phoenicians (strongest at 800 BC)


Small empire, wealthy trading society
 Farming difficult, resources limited
 Became expert sailors, colonies along trade routes
Alphabet, more flexible than cuneiform (22 letters,
consonants)
Phoenician Alphabet
Crash Course: Mesopotamia
 https://youtu.be/sohXPx_XZ6Y