Transcript Mesopotamia: the rise of civilization

Everyone is gifted….but some people
never open the package.
Neanderthal Man:
250,000-30,000 years
• Cooperated through
language
• Advanced stone tools
• Used fire for cooking
and protection
• Wore 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
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Why are the discoveries of Jarmo, Jericho and Catal Huyuk of interest to
historians?
Ancient Jericho
What makes “a way of life” a civilization?
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Writing system
Organized economy
Specialization of labor
Social classes
Legal code
Advanced art
Central government
Several cities with monumental architecture
***Religion – the central force in primary civilizations
Marshland and swamps…
Mesopotamia: the rise of civilization
The Assyrian capital at Nineveh
Ashurbanipal
King of Assyria
(669-631 BCE)
Cuneiform tablet – symbol writing on clay tablets with a reed stylus
Sir Henry Rawlinson
The Behistun Rock
Cuneiform tablets
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How did Mesopotamia get its name
How was Mesopotamia transformed around 3000 BC?
• Each city was
the property of
a specific deity.
• Temple priests
interpreted the
will of the gods
and acted as
stewards of a
city's deity.
• The ruler of the
city – a priestking often was
visited and
instructed by
the community's
god.
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?
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?