Transcript Journey Across Time

Mesopotamian Civilization
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• Civilization in Mesopotamia began in the
valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers.
• Sumerians invented writing and made
other important contributions to later
peoples.
• Sumerian city-states lost power when
they were conquered by outsiders.
Mesopotamian Civilization
Mesopotamia’s Civilization
• Civilizations are complex societies with
cities, governments, art, religion, class
divisions, and a writing system.
• Rivers were important because they
made for good farming conditions.
• They also made it easy for people to
travel and trade.
• Governments were formed because
someone had to make plans and
decisions for the common good. (pages 17–20)
Mesopotamian Civilization
Mesopotamia’s Civilization (cont.)
• Mesopotamia is a flat plain bounded by
the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• Floods in Mesopotamia were frequent
and unpredictable.
• Farmers learned to control the rivers
with dams and channels.
• They also used the rivers to irrigate, or
water, their crops.
(pages 17–20)
Mesopotamian Civilization
Mesopotamia’s Civilization (cont.)
• Many cities formed in a southern region
of Mesopotamia known as Sumer.
• Sumerian cities were city-states, with
their own governments.
• Sumerian cities often fought each other.
• To protect themselves, the city-states
built walls around themselves.
(pages 17–20)
Mesopotamian Civilization
Mesopotamia’s Civilization (cont.)
• Sumerians believed in many gods.
• Each citystate had a
ziggurat, or
grand
temple, to
honor the
gods.
(pages 17–20)
Mesopotamian Civilization
Mesopotamia’s Civilization (cont.)
• Most Sumerians were farmers, but some
were artisans, or skilled workers.
• Others were merchants and traders.
• Sumerian city-states had three classes.
• The upper class consisted of kings,
priests, and government officials.
• The middle class consisted of artisans,
merchants, fishers, and farmers.
(pages 17–20)
Mesopotamian Civilization
Mesopotamia’s Civilization (cont.)
• The lower class consisted of slaves.
(pages 17–20)
Mesopotamian Civilization
A Skilled People
• Mesopotamia has been called the cradle
of civilization because of the influence of
Sumerian ideas on other
areas.
• Writing helps people keep
records and pass on ideas.
• Sumerians developed a
writing system called
cuneiform.
• Only a few people, called
scribes, learned to write.
(pages 20–21)
Mesopotamian Civilization
Sargon and Hammurabi
• Sargon, the king of the Akkadians,
conquered all of Mesopotamia and set
up the world’s first empire.
• An empire is a group of many different
lands under one ruler.
• After Sargon, another group of people
became powerful.
• They built the city of Babylon on the
Euphrates River.
(page 23)
Mesopotamian Civilization
Sargon and Hammurabi (cont.)
• The Babylonian king, Hammurabi,
conquered lands north and south of
Babylon to create the Babylonian Empire.
• The Code of Hammurabi was a
collection of laws covering crimes,
farming, business activities, and
marriage and family.
• Many punishments in the code were
cruel, but the code was an important
step in the development of a justice
system.
(page 23)
The First Empires
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• Assyria’s military power and well
organized government helped it build a
vast empire in Mesopotamia by 650 B.C.
• The Chaldean Empire built important
landmarks in Babylon and developed
the first calendar with a seven-day
week.
The First Empires
The Assyrians
• The Assyrian empire arose about 1,000
years after the rule of Hammurabi.
• The Assyrian army was the first large
army to use iron weapons.
• Their weapons were stronger than those
of copper and tin.
(pages 27–28)
The First Empires
The Assyrians (cont.)
• They fought with spears, daggers, bows
and arrows, chariots and soldiers on
horseback.
(pages 27–28)
The First Empires
The Assyrians (cont.)
• The capital of the Assyrian empire was
Nineveh.
• The empire was divided into provinces,
which are political districts.
• Each province was governed by an
official who collected taxes and
enforced laws.
(pages 27–28)
The First Empires
The Assyrians (cont.)
• The Assyrians built large temples and
palaces, with statues and wall carvings.
• One of the first libraries was in Nineveh
and held 25,000 tablets of stories and
songs.
• People began to rebel because of
Assyria’s cruel treatment.
• The Chaldeans rebelled and took
control of Nineveh in 612 B.C.
(pages 27–28)
The First Empires
The Chaldeans
• Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the
Chaldeans.
• The Chaldeans, who were descendents
of Babylonians, rebuilt Babylon.
• The city became the center of the
Chaldeans’ empire.
• The city was surrounded by a huge wall.
Inside the wall were palaces, temples,
and a huge ziggurat.
(pages 29–30)
The First Empires
The Chaldeans (cont.)
• Nebechadnezzar ordered the Hanging
Gardens to be built for his wife, who
missed her green, mountainous
homeland.
• The Hanging
Gardens were
one of the
Seven
Wonders of the
Ancient World.
(pages 29–30)
The First Empires
The Chaldeans (cont.)
• The Chaldeans were merchants,
artisans, and traders.
• Babylon was on a
major trade route
and profited from
trade.
(pages 29–30)
The First Empires
Why was the Assyrian army a
powerful fighting force?
It had a well-organized army with
advanced weapons.
The First Civilizations
Review Main Ideas
Section 2 Mesopotamian Civilization
Where were the first civilizations in
Mesopotamia?
in the valleys of the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers
The First Civilizations
Review Main Ideas
Section 3 The First Empires
What helped Assyria build an
empire in Mesopotamia?
its military power and well organized
government
The First Civilizations
Review Main Ideas
Section 3 The First Empires
What scientific advancement did
the Chaldeans make?
They mapped the stars, planets,
and phases of the moon; created
the sundial; and used the seven-day
week.
Click the map to view an interactive version.
Hammurabi Reigned c. 1792–1750 B.C