Transcript Mesopotamia - World history

• Complex Institutions – describe their
government, religion and economy
• Record Keeping – Name and describe their
record keeping system
• The rest of the characteristics can be bulleted
points
The Fertile Crescent /
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
SCAAR
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Sumerians
Akkadians
Babylonians
Geography of the Fertile Crescent
• Area of land in the
middle of a desert
climate
• Lies between the
TIGRIS and
EUPHRATES RIVERS
• “Mesopotamia”
means “land
between the rivers”
in Greek
Environmental Factors
• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers deposit a
rich mud called SILT that allows
farmers to harvest large quantities of
wheat and barley
• Area has ENVIRONMENTAL
CHALLENGES:
– Flooding of rivers was unpredictable
– Sumer was a small region with no natural
barriers for protection
– Limited natural resources
SOLUTIONS
• Irrigation ditches
• City walls for
defense
• Traded with the
peoples of the
mountains for the
things they lacked
• Cooperation,
organization, and
leadership were
required to
accomplish these
tasks
Specialized Workers
• Priests
• Rulers (Kings) – at 1st chosen for war time
only, then became full-time monarchs,
establishing dynasty.
• Merchants
• Artisans
• Scribes
• Farmers
• Slaves
Complex Institutions
• Law system to govern the people.
• Governments controlled by temple Priests.
• Polytheism – believed in many gods – Enlil was
most powerful.
• Schools for upper-class boys.
• Akkadians created 1st empire.
• Hammurabi’s Code - Babylonians led by
Hammurabi who created a uniform code of laws to
unify the people. 1st to be written down and
applied to everyone, but differentiated between
classes and sexes.
Advanced Cities
• Built walled cities.
• City-states – city and surrounding land.
• Uruk, Kish, Lagash, Umma and Ur.
Advanced Technology
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Irrigation ditches to water fields.
Walled temples with ziggurat at the center.
Invented the wheel, plow, sail.
1st to use bronze
Sciences – astronomy, chemical substances, studied
disease.
• Arithmetic and geometry.
• Number system based on 60 (60 seconds=1 min.
and 360 degrees in circle)
• Mud bricks and mortar, arches, columns, ramps.
Record Keeping
• 1st writing system in history – Cuneiform.
• Taxes in the form of crops.
• Epic of Gilgamesh – epic poem about the
adventures of King Gilgamesh.
• Maps.