Transcript Mesopotamia: the rise of civilization

Everyone is gifted….but some people
never open the package.
• How did humans advance during the Paleolithic era?
Neanderthal Man:
250,000-30,000 years
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Advanced stone tools
Used clothing
Buried dead
Lived in caves
cave art ? (2012)
CroMagnon / modern Man: 35,000- present time
• Sewing
needles,
buttons
• Snug boots;
hooded
parkas, pants
w/ leggings
• Fish hooks &
harpoons
• Bows and
arrows
• Flint tools and
weapons
• Lamps /
animal fat
What makes “a way of life” a civilization?
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Writing system
Several cities
Organized economy
Specialization of jobs
Social classes
Legal code
Religion
Art and architecture
Central government
Cuneiform tablet
The Assyrian capital at Nineveh
Sir Henry Rawlinson
The Behistun Rock
Cuneiform tablets
Mesopotamia: the rise of civilization
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Why are the discoveries of Jarmo and Jericho a problem for historians?
How was Mesopotamia transformed around 3000 BC?
Marshland and swamps…
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How did Mesopotamia get its name
Religion was the central force:
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Explained the workings of nature
Eased the fear of death
Justified rules and morality
United people in a common view
Bolstered the authority of rulers
Promoted creativity in art, literature and
science
How did Mesopotamians define the purpose of man’s existence?
• What were the
functions of a
temple priest?
(administrator)
Why did a mood of uncertainty and anxiety pervade the
Mesopotamian psyche?
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Frequent floods and droughts
Windstorms
Invasions
The gods were unpredictable
The Standard of Ur
• King Gudea of
Lagash
C. 2150 bc
• The inscription
describes a temple
dedicated to the
goddess Geshtinanna
• How did King Sargon
earn a place in our
history books?
Third Dynasty of Ur…Ur-Nammu, 2113-2096 BC
The ancient Sumerians were very smart people:
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Cuneiform
Law codes
Literature
Schools
Numbering system
Kiln-dried bricks & pottery
Lunar calendar
Potter’s wheel
The wheel
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The wheelbarrow
Sailboats
Bronze tools and weapons
The plow
Frying pans
Razors
Cosmetic sets
Shepherd’s pipes
harps
Why were King Hammurabi’s law
codes obeyed?