Transcript Presentation

Today’s Discussion Questions
3-1 (Part 1)
1. Where is Mesopotamia located?
2. What was the Fertile Crescent?
3. Why were the Tigris & Euphrates so important to
Mesopotamia’s development?
4. When did farming settlements appear in Mesopotamia?
5. Why was the flooding both a blessing and curse?
6. How did farmers adapt to the flooding of the rivers?
7. When did cities develop in Mesopotamia?
The Fertile Crescent
 Mesopotamia is located
between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers
 The valley between the
Tigris and the Euphrates
River was known as the
land "between the rivers"
in Greek
 The Fertile Crescent is an
arc of land from the
Mediterranean Sea to
the Persian Gulf called
the Fertile Crescent .
“Land Between the Rivers”
 Importance of Rivers:
 Provided water and food.
 Provided an easy way to
travel and trade.
The Rise of a Civilization
 Hunters-gatherer groups
first settled Mesopotamia
more than 12,000 years
ago.
 They were initially
nomadic.
 Over time these people
learned to plant crops and
grow food.
 This allowed them to
settle down in permanent
residences.
Farming & Cities
 The 1st farming
settlements formed in
Mesopotamia around
7000 BC.
 They grew wheat, barley,
and other grain.
 Livestock, birds, and fish
were also sources of
food.
 Plentiful flood led to
population growth and
villages formed.
 Eventually, the villages
would grow into the
world’s 1st civilization.
Farming & Cities
 Although Mesopotamia
had fertile soil, farming
was not easy.
 They received little rain.
 Every year, the Tigris and
Euphrates would flood.
 This proved to be both a
blessing and a curse.
“A Blessing & Curse”
 Floods were frequent and
unpredictable but it left
behind a rich substance
called silt.
 Silt is mixture of rich soil and
tiny rocks which made the
soil more suitable for farming.
 Farmers learned to control
the rivers with channels
and dams
 They developed irrigation to
water their crops
Food Surpluses
 Irrigation increased the
 This became known as
amount of food farmers
were able to grow.
 As a result, farmers could
produce a surplus, or
more than what was
needed.
 Fewer people needed to
farm.
 This allowed people to
develop different jobs.
division of labor (job
specialization)
 Over time,
Mesopotamian
settlements grew in size
and complexity.
 They gradually
developed into cities
between 4000-3000 BC.
End of Part I
Assignment:
 Complete Vocabulary Builder Section 1
Handout in class
 Read Section 1 of chapter 3 (pgs. 64-68)
independently.
3-2 The Rise of Sumer
1. Where was the city-state of Sumer located?
2. Describe the economy of Sumer.
3. When was the wheel invented? How did it change
transportation?
4. List and describe the Social Class System in Sumer.
5. Describe the early religion of Sumerians.
6. List the achievements made by the people of Sumer.
Sumer
 Located in the
southern region of
Mesopotamia
 Many early cities formed
there.
Economy in Sumer
 The economy was based on
farming and trade
 The people of Mesopotamia were
known for their metalwork,
woolen textiles, and pottery
 Copper, tin, and timber were
imported goods exchanged for
dried fish, wool, wheat, and
metal goods
 Around 3000 B.C. the
invention of the wheel was
created making
transportation of good easier
and quicker
Sumerian City-States
 Had their own
governments
 Often fought each other
 Built walls around
themselves for
protection
Social Classes
 3 Classes
 Upper: kings, priests,
and government officials
 Middle: artisans,
merchants, fishers, and
farmers
 Lower: Slaves
 Majority of the
population were farmers
Religion
 Polytheistic- a belief in many gods
 Each city-state had a ziggurat, or grand temple, to
honor gods
 Gods and Goddesses had supernatural powers
and controlled nature
 Looked to religion for questions about life, death, good
and evil
 Believed in divine order
Buildings/Structures
 The most famous and
important building in the
Sumerian city was the
temple dedicated to the gods
and goddesses of the city.
 The temple was called a
ziggurat and was built atop a
massive stepped tower
 Housing were built by sun-
dried bricks
A small portion of buildings
were made by stone or wood
Achievements of a skilled people
 Writing system called
cuneiform
 Number system based
on 60
 First wheeled vehicles
 Irrigation systems
 Sailboat
 12 month calendar
End of Part II
3-3/3-4 (Part I)
 What form of written communication was used before
the invention of cuneiform?
 What is the most famous work of Sumerian literature?
 What did their healing drugs consist of?
 Why did Sumerian city-states become weak?
 Who was Sargon?
 Why did Sargon’s empire finally fall?
 Who was Hammurabi?
 What parts of life did Hammurabi’s Code cover?
3-3 The Arts of Sumer
 Sumerians are credited




with inventing the first
written language.
Before cuneiform,
Sumerians used
pictographs.
Pictographs are picture
symbols.
Each pictograph
represented an object,
such as a tree or an animal.
Eventually they began to
combine pictographs to
form ideographs.
Cuneiform
 In cuneiform, symbols
can also represent
syllables, or basic parts
of words.
 As a result, Sumerian
writers could combine
symbols to express more
complex ideas.
Scribes
 Sumerians first used
cuneiform to keep
records.
 A scribe, or writer, would
be hired to keep track of
the items people traded.
 Government officials and
temples hired scribes as
well.
 Becoming a scribe was a
way to move up in
society.
Early Literature
 Sumerian students went
to school to learn basic
reading and writing.
 As education improved,
Sumerians eventually
began writing works on
history, law, grammar,
and math.
 They also created
literature.
 The most famous epic
is “The Epic of
Gilgamesh”.
Other Technical Advances
 Wheel, Plow, & Irrigation
 They also made significant




advances in medicine.
They used ingredients from
animals, plants, and minerals
to produce healing drugs.
We call that herbal medicine
today.
Items used in these medicines
included: milk, turtle shells, figs,
and salt.
They even cataloged their
knowledge, listing treatments
according to symptoms and body
parts.
Architecture & Art
 Sumerians were skilled in





the art of building
(architecture)
They were the first people
in Mesopotamia to build
large temples called
ziggurats.
Sculptors produced many
artistic works:
Rare ivory/golden objects
Gold & Silver Jewelry
adorned with gems
Cylinder Seals were their
most famous works of art.
Section 4:
Invasion of the Fertile Crescent
 Various peoples invaded the
Fertile Crescent.
 A series of kings conquered the
lands between the rivers.
 The city-states grew weaker
due to constant fighting
making them vulnerable to
outside invaders.
 Akkadians from Northern
Mesopotamia become a
constant threat
Sargon
 King of Akkad
 Conquered all of
Mesopotamia by 2340BC
building the 1st empire.
 Begins his reign in 2334 BC.
 His empire lasted for more
than 200 years
 Eventually foreign attacks
drained the empire’s
strength.
 By 2000 BC, Ur lay in ruins
giving rise to other powerful
groups such as Babylon
Hammurabi
 King of Babylon from 1792 BC –
1750 BC
 First king of the Babylonian
Empire
 Conquered cities in the north and
south and created the Babylonian
Empire
 Best known for his law code, or
collection of laws
 Codes covered crimes, farming,
family, business, and even
marriage. (All parts of life!)
Invasion of Mesopotamia
Continues
 Hammurabi ruled for 42 years until his death causing
Babylon’s power to decline.
 Faced with constant invasion, the empire came to an
end.
Hammurabi’s Code: Fair or Cruel?
 If any one break a hole into a house (break in to steal),
he shall be put to death before that hole and be buried.
 If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the
elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he
shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death.
 If a son strike his father, his hands shall be cut off.
 If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than
he, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in
public
Hammurabi’s Code
 If during a quarrel one man strike another and wound
him, then he shall swear, "I did not injure him
wittingly," and pay the physicians.
 If a man strike a free-born woman so that she lose her
unborn child, he shall pay ten shekels for her loss and
if the woman die, his child shall be put to death.
Homework: Changing the Code
 Choose one of the laws taken from Hammurabi’s Code
that you considered to be “unfair”.
 Rewrite the law in a way that you feel is more
acceptable or fair to the people of Babylon.
Hammurabi’s Code: Fair or Cruel?
 If any one break a hole into a house (break in to steal), he




shall be put to death before that hole and be buried.
If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders,
and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a
capital offense charged, be put to death.
If a son strike his father, his hands shall be cut off.
If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than he, he
shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public
If during a quarrel one man strike another and wound him,
then he shall swear, "I did not injure him wittingly," and pay
the physicians.
 If a man strike a free-born woman so that she lose her
unborn child, he shall pay ten shekels for her loss and if the
woman die, his child shall be put to death.
3-3/3-4 (Part II)
 What two advantages did the Hittite soldiers have over
their opponents?
 Who was Nebuchadnezzar?
 What were the main achievements of the Phoenicians?
 List in order the peoples who ruled Mesopotamia.
Hittites
 Several other
 The Hittites built an
empire in Asia Minor
civilizations developed
(Turkey)
around Mesopotamia
after the Babylonians.
 Two military
advantages were: Iron Armies battled for
weapons & Use of the
control of the fertile land
chariot.
passing control of the
region from one empire
to another.
 The next group was the
Hittites.
Assyrians
 From Northern
Mesopotamia
 Briefly gained control of
Babylon but was soon
overrun by invaders.
 Nearly 300 years later, in
900 BC they recaptured
nearly all of the Fertile
Crescent
 Key to success:
 Strong army
 Use of iron weapons
Chaldeans
 From the Syrian Desert
 Attacked the Assyrians
and destroyed their
empire in 612 BC.
 Nebuchadnezzar was
the Chaldeans’ most
famous king.
 Known for rebuilding
Babylon and the
“Hanging Gardens”
Phoenicians
 From the Western portion of the Fertile Crescent
(Lebanon today)
 Phoenicians had little resources other than cedar so
they had to trade and import outside materials.
 Because of their vast cedar, they were able to create
some of the finest ships of that time.
 They became excellent sailors.
 As they sailed along the Mediterranean, they set up
many new colonies along the trade routes.
 Their greatest achievement was the development
of one of the world’s first alphabets.
 It is the basis of the English language today.
Rulers of Mesopotamia
 Fertile Crescent:
 Hittites
 Assyrians
 Chaldeans
 Phoenicians
End of Chapter 3
Remainder of class do…
Work on the Study-Guide if you are
not finished
Study for tomorrow’s Map Quiz