Transcript Land of Firsts_14x

The Land of Firsts
• G - eography
• R - eligion
• A - cheivements
• P - olitical
• E - conomy
• S – ocial Class
Important City-States
SUMER SIMILARITIES
AKKAD
Located in
Located in
Located in
the south Mesopotamia the north
Spoke
Sumerian
Practiced
similar
farming &
business
methods
Spoke
Akkadian
• War between these 2 city-states over
land & water occurred frequently.
• For protection, these city-states had a
mud brick wall that surrounded the city.
Religion
• Mesopotamians were polytheistic –
belief (worship) of many gods
“Poly” = many
“theism” = belief in god(s)
• They believed gods were responsible for
the well being of people and fertility
of the land.
Anu – god of heavens
Enlil – god of wind
Enki – god of water
Ninhursag – mother of gods
• Each day priests
would offer food,
drink and incense
to the gods.
Mesopotamians
believed their city
would have peace &
prosperity if the gods
were pleased. The
main goal was to
keep the gods happy.
• Temples were
created to honor
the gods. The
largest & most
impressive
temples were
the ziggurats.
Structured to resemble a stair way to
the heavens.
• Mesopotamians
believed they
connected the
heavens and
the earth.
Reaching heights of 290 ft., ziggurats consisted of a
series of stacked rectangular platforms that formed a
huge pyramid.
Ziggurat - UR
Government
Religion & government were
closely linked.
• Sumerians believed kings were chosen
by the gods to carry out the gods’
wishes.
• Divine kingship – right to rule was
god given. Rule could be passed down
from father to son.
Social Class
• King
• Priests
• Scribes
• Merchants &
Artisans
• Farmers
• Slaves
Writing
• Writing was a giant leap in the
development of civilizations.
• Inventors:
• Purpose:
Sumerians
track business
dealings
• Scribe:
professional writer
• 1st writing system: Cuneiform
Scribes would press a reed into a wet clay tablet
leaving wedge-shaped markings.
Once dried, it became a permanent record.
Achievements
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sailboat
Writing (cuneiform)
Chariot
Wheel
Plow
Stylus
Levees/dams
• The most significant advancement
would be the world’s 1st Empire!
Sargon (Akkadian ruler)
United all of the city-states under
one rule.
The use of writing, religion & technology
allowed the Mesopotamian civilization to
advance.
Even though Sumerian civilizations
declined, their contributions helped
other civilizations to advance.
Cuneiform, Ziggurats and the wheel
were borrowed/adapted
by other people.
Can you think how these contributions
have impacted our
civilization (US) today?