Transcript Unit 1 Chapters 2-4

Chapter 2 Notes
Western Asia and Egypt
Questions we will answer
• How did geography affect the civilizations in
Mesopotamia?
• How did the Akkadian Empire begin?
• What were the contributions of each of the
societies in Mesopotamia?
Voices from the Past
• “ Ur is destroyed, bitter is its lament. The
country’s blood now fills its holes like hot
bronze in a mould. Bodies dissolve like fat in
the sun. Our temple is destroyed, the gods
have abandoned us, like migrating birds.
Smoke lies on our city like a shroud.”
• Constant conflict marked early civilization in
Mesopotamia.
• Fighting over land and water
The Impact of Geography
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Mesopotamia= the land between the rivers.
The Tigris and the Euphrates.
Part of the fertile crescent.
Due to the resources and availability of water,
Mesopotamia was able to sustain early
civilizations.
• Little rain in the area, but the overflowing of
the rivers provided fertile land.
Impact of Geography
• The rivers flood Irrigation systems control
water supply abundance of crops
produced people are able to create
civilizations.
The people of Mesopotamia
• Three general areas in Mesopotamia
– Assyria
– Akkad
– Sumer
• Review:
– What role did geography play in the development
of Mesopotamian civilization?
– The land was fertile due to the flooding of the
rivers. This allowed civilizations to develop.
City states of Ancient Mesopotamia
• Origins of Sumerians is still a mystery
• Developed a number of independent citystates, the basic units of Sumerian civilization.
• Cities were surrounded by walls six miles long,
with defense towers every 30 feet.
• Plenty of mud to build with, mud bricks
• Using the mud bricks they created the arch
and the dome and built some of the largest
brick buildings in the world.
Gods, Goddesses, and Rulers
• Most prominent building in a Sumerian city was the temple
dedicated to the chief god or goddess of the city.
• Often built atop a massive stepped tower called a ziggurat.
• Temples were the center of the city and the gods and
goddesses “owned the cities”
• Theocracy- a government by divine authority
• Kings were seen as divine in origin and derived their power
from the gods.
• The army, the government and the priests and priestesses
all aided the King.
• Review: Why were the city-states considered theocracies?
– Sumerians believed gods and goddesses ruled the cities
Economy and Society
• Economy based chiefly on farming and trade.
• 3 major social groups: Nobles, commoners, and
slaves
• Nobles: royal and priestly officials and their
families
• Commoners: farmers, merchants, fishers and
craftspeople (90 % of the population)
• Slaves: belonged to palace officials and worked in
building projects
Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia
• Akkadians- to the North
– Semitic people
– 2340 B.C :Sargon, leader of
the Akkadians, overran the
Sumerian city-states and
set up the first empire in
world history.
– Easy to invade Sumer
because of the flat land
and location.
• Empire- large political
unit or state, usually
under a single leader
• Attacks from neighbors
eventually caused the
Akkadian empire to fall.
• 1792 b.c, another empire
comes to control:
Babylon, a city-state
south of Akkad
• Hammurabi comes to
power, gaining control of
Sumer and Akkad.
• After his death, weak
kings were unable to keep
his empire together.
The Code of Hammurabi
• Laws under Hammurabi
give a great insight into
life in Mesopotamia.
• Based on a system of
strict justice.
• Punishments were harsh,
and depended on social
class.
• Principle of retaliation
was a fundamental part
of this system of justice.
• The code took seriously
the duties of public
officials. If they did not
find the robbers, or
murders etc. they had
punishment.
• Consumer protection
laws, held builders
responsible for structures
they created.
The Code of Hammurabi
• Largest category focused
on marriage and family.
• Parents arranged
marriages
• Society was patriarchaldominated by men.
• The code showed women
had far fewer rights then
men in their marriage.
• Woman’s place was in the
home. If she failed to
complete her duties, her
husband could legally
divorce her.
• Women “neglecting her
house and humiliating her
husband” could be
drowned.
• Father controlled kids.
• Review: How does
society work under the
code of Hammurabi?
The importance of Religion
• The harsh climate and
• According to Sumerians,
weather of
human beings were
Mesopotamia, made
created to do manual
them believe the world
labor that the gods
was controlled by
were unwilling to do
supernatural forces.
themselves.
• The gods and goddesses • Review: what role did
permeated all aspects
the physical
of the universe.
environment play in the
way Mesopotamians
• 3,000 gods and
viewed the world?
goddesses- polytheistic
The Creativity of the Sumerians
• Credited with inventing
the oldest writing system,
cuneiform, which dates
from about 3000 b.c.
• Scribes kept records for
Sumerian society, and it
was one of the most
important positions.
• Scribes were usually
wealthy men, who
attended a tough school
from sun up to sun down.
• The Epic of Gilgameshstory passed down
because of cuneiform.
• Sumerian Technology:
the wagon wheel, the
sundial, bronze, number
system based on 60. 60
minutes in an hour,
thanks to the Sumerians.
Review
• Write a paragraph (5 sentences) explaining
how the Sumerians, Akkadians and
Babylonians have impacted the course of
human history.
• What did their societies develop that we still
use today? Think technology, government and
economics.
Hammurabi’s Code
• The most complete
law from
Mesopotamia
• Punishments could
be extremely
severe.
• Let’s look at some
examples
22
• If a man has committed highway robbery and
has been caught, that man should be put to
death.
25
• If fire broke out in a free man’s house and a
free man, who went to extinguish it, cast his
eye on the goods of the owner of the house
and has appropriated the goods of the owner
of the house, that free man shall be thrown
into that fire.
196
• If a free man has destroyed the eye of a
member of the aristocracy, they shall destroy
his eye.