Transcript Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia
From City-States to Gilgamesh
Essential Questions
• How did environment affect the early
Mesopotamian civilizations, including
culture and technology?
• How did the Mesopotamian system of citystates affect technology, culture, and
modern Middle East relations ?
• How do city-states relate to Civilization?
Mesopotamia
• Land between
the rivers
(Tigris and
Euphrates)
• “Fertile
Crescent”
• Modern day
Iraq
• Sumer – *1st
Civilization
The Rise of City-States
• City-state = a city with political and economic control
over the surrounding area
• Huh?
• In English = small like a city but has own government,
military, economy, and identity (not part of a state or
country)
• Eridu, Ur, Uruk
Building of city-states
• Walled cities (made of
mud brick)
– Why mud brick?
• Close to water
• Euphrates flooded
– Explanation
• Angry gods
• How do you
appease
them?
Ziggurats
• Physical, economic,
political, and spiritual center
of city-state
• Top of ziggurat was a
temple
• Gods and Goddesses in
complete control
– Allowed mortals power
(kingship was divine
(theocracy = gov’t by divine
authority)
– Uruk dedicated to Ishtar
Accomodated Farming
• Economy based chiefly on
farming until…
• Trade and industry
develop…leads to
• Development of technology
such as…
• Wheel (Wheeled carts for
easier transportation) and…
• Advanced weapons which
leads to…
• Warfare and competition
Slavery
• Very common in ancient world
(agriculture-based societies)
• NOT racially based
• In Sumer slaves 1 of 3 social classes
– Nobles (kings, priests, priestesses)
– Commoners