Transcript MESOPOTAMIA - Central Bears Geography and World History

MESOPOTAMIA
“FERTILE CRESENT”
LAND BETWEEN THE
RIVERS
Mesopotamia
Overview and Objectives
•Learn about the ancient achievements of the early
people in this region.
•Learn about the geography of the land and how the
people used it.
•Discuss the law codes of the early civilizations and
compare them to our own.
•Understand a brief timeline of history and
development of this area.
The Birth of Civilization in Western
Asia
• Cities vs. Villages
• Earliest cities emerge in
Mesopotamia
• Importance of
cooperation in irrigation
• Militarism produced
rulers
• The role of religion
The Birth of Civilization (cont.)
• Standing in awe of the
divine
• Religion organized
society
• Temples were complex
institutions
• Mesopotamia was
“civilized” by 3200
B.C.E.
Sumer- one of the earliest citystates
•City-states were the first form of civilization
•Walled city
•Temple in the center (Ziggurat)
•Each usually had its own god-king
•Often fought against other city states
•City inside the wall, farming outside
• Large city-state
• Death Pits- royalty
buried with precious
goods and members
of household
• Discovered 2,500 of
these graves in the
1920’s
• 1 tomb uncovered
with 6 males and 68
female servants- all
dressed up for the big
day!
UR
Ziggurats
• Built up to 7
platforms
• Not tombs
• Not
pyramids
* Nineveh
Assyrian
Region
Akkad
Region
Israel
Sinai
Peninsula
Babylon
Persia
Sumer Achievements
Wedge shaped writing – Cuneiform
Invented the wheel 3700 BC
Created early math systems (base 60 system)
Created a system of complex sewers and flushable toilets
Plow
Polytheism – the worship of many gods
Cuneiform
• When a city was
conquered, it was
pillaged and set on
fire
• Positive side
effect- burned the
cuneiform clay to
preserve it far
longer
Ancient Sumer (3200-2000 BC)
• Southwestern territory
of the Valley
• Independent cities
conquered by “Sargon
of Akkad” around 2300
BCE
• Unpredictable Weather
Conditions and floods
• Evolution of view of the
Sumerian gods
Sumer
•3500 B.C.
•Tigris and Euphrates
•All-knowing priests
•Ziggurat
•Cuneiform
Old Babylonia (2000-1600 BCE)
• Invasion of Semitic language
groups like the Amorites
• Amorites created
Babylonian Empire
• Most famous Babylonian
ruler = Hammurabi
• Hammurabi’s Code of Law
-- “An Eye for an eye”
-- “Let the Buyer Beware”
• Procedures in Amorite trials
• First written laws
Old Babylonia (cont.)
• Some sense of justice
• Some sense of a
“welfare state”
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• Introduction of personal
religion
• Major mathematical
achievements
• Babylonian social life
Famous Rulers
Gilgamesh – King of Ur/God-King, hero/warrior
Sargon – First king to unite city-states into one
Kingdom
Hammurabi – First king of Babylonian Empire; built
the city of Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II – rules Babylon and makes it a
great empire and the city of Babylon the most
remarkable city of its time
Many others – too many to name!
Civilizations of Mesopotamia
Chaldeans
Amorites
Sumer
Akkadians
Assyrians
Babylonian Empire
3500-
2340-
1800 B.C
125 B.C.
King Sargon tried to unite
The kingdom
18001530 B.C.
Hammarabi
Babylon is Capital
1170612 B.C.
dramatic growth in
science and mathematics
North of Babylon
612539 B.C.
Nebuchadnezzar II
Babylon became largest city
“The Dark Age” (1600-1300 BCE)
• Reasons for the fall of the
Babylonians (Amorites)
• Horse-drawn chariots
challenge traditional oxdrawn chariots
• Invasion of the Hittites
• Prestige of Iron weapons
and implements
• Assimilation of previous
cultural accomplishments
The Assyrian Empire
(1300-612 BCE)
• Semitic language group
settling in the north
Tigris area as early as
3000 BCE
• Became skilled in
chariot warfare and
began to conquer
neighbors
• Reign of Sennacherib
(705-681 BCE)
The Assyrian Empire (cont.)
• The Assyrian capital
city: Nineveh
• Palace Library
• Assyrians known for
brutality in warfare
--only Mesopotamian
civilization to submit to
a queen
• Brutality of Assyrian art
The Assyrian Empire (cont.)
• Assyrian brutality produced
hatred and rebellions
among subjugated peoples
• Sophisticated and effective
military organization
--invented concept of a
corps of engineers
• The defeat of the Assyrians
and the destruction of
Nineveh
New Babylonia (612-539 BCE)
• Medes and Chaldeans
(Babylonians) defeat
the Assyrians in 612
BCE
• Most famous
Babylonian ruler was
Nebuchadnezzar II
New Babylonia (cont.)
• The ancient city of
Babylon (very impressive)
• The Ishtar Gate
• The Hanging Gardens
• Babylonian astronomical
achievements
• Babylonian court
astronomers and their
diaries
GATE OF ISHTAR
in Babylon
*Built by King
Nebuchadrezzar
*Only purple gate in city
*Honored the Goddess of
Love and fertility
*Saddam Hussein
recreated it with hopes to
become the next Babylon
Kingdom
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• One of many
spectacular building
projects by him
• Tiered structure
• For his foreign wife
because she missed
her forested homeland
• Belshazzar was
defeated by the
Persians in 539 BCE
The Persian Empire (539 BCE on)
• Far-sighted Diplomats who
allowed subjects to
practice native customs
and religions—Cyrus the
Great allowed the Jews to
return to Jerusalem
• Persians gave the Ancient
Near East political unity
and cultural diversity
• The rule of Cyrus the Great
The Persian Empire (cont.)
• Later Rulers: Darius and son
Xerxes were not as well
liked
• Efficient administration of a
huge empire (Satraps)
• Persian Road system
• Aramaic language
• Wealthy and Distant Royal
Absolutism
• Early Persian Religion
• Introduction of
Zoroastrianism (circa 600
BCE)
•Satraps
•Well-Built
Roads
•Coinage
•Diverse
Languages
The Phoenicians
• Set up a trading Empire
• Settled city states around the
Mediterranean Sea (Carthage in N. Africa
will become enemy of Rome)
• Became excellent navigators
• Became wealthy through trade
• Invented alphabet
• Created blue dye (used for clothing of
royalty)
• Expert glass blowers
Review
What is a City-State.
A walled City, with a God-King,their own govt. and a
Ziggurat temple in the center.
Another name for Mesopotamia.
Fertile Crescent
What term is used to describe the organization of
people into communities with specialized workers,
organization, and writing?
Civilization
Review
What is retribution?
Revenge, returning a wrong for wrong, “an eye
for an eye”
What is a Ziggurat?
A temple in the center of a City State to worship
the Gods.
Review
What is cuneiform?
Wedge shaped early writing system.
What does Mesopotamia mean?
Land between the Tigris & Euphrates
Where is it located on today’s map?
Middle East _ Modern day Iraq