Transcript File - Mrs. Miller-FALA

Mesopotamian
City-States
The earliest
civilizations
Mesopotamia - The Land
Between Two Rivers
Mesopotamia-where the first cities began to grow.
Mesopotamia means: Land between two rivers. Tigris River and
the Euphrates River.
Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East, and surrounded
by desert. Civilizations arose in Mesopotamia because the soil
between the two rivers was very fertile.
Mesopotamia was
located in the
Middle East.
Mesopotamia
was located in
what is now the
country of Iraq.
Mesopotamia was part of a larger region called the Fertile Crescent.
This area, that stretched from the eastern edge of the Mediterranean
Sea down to the Persian Gulf, had fertile soil and was where many
civilizations started. The shape is somewhat similar to a crescent
The Cradle of Civilization
Mesopotamia is called the cradle of civilization because the
first civilizations began there, about 5,500 years ago in 3500
B.C.
Many city-states formed along the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers in Mesopotamia. Each had individual:
-Government and Rulers
-Laws
-Religion
Sumer became one of the most powerful, and most
influential. Developed writing, and codified law,
aggressively expanded their territory
As they expanded their culture diffused throughout the
region and created more cultural homogeneity.
City-States Formed Along the Rivers
Sumerian Religion
Sumerians were
polytheistic.
Anthropomorphic
deities which
reflected their
environment and
societies.
The picture above shows a ziggurat.
Ziggurats were temples used to worship the
pantheon of gods and demonstrate the divine
nature of the ruler. Ziggurats were built in
the center of the city. They had steps which
‘gods descended to the Earth’
Sumerian
CitiesTechnologies
Burned oil lamps for light Gained metallurgy (iron
making) from the Hittites.
Used to improve farming tools Sumerians plumbing- Clay pipes
that were buried underground
and for military purposes
carried their waste away.
Inventions like plumbing
wouldn't come around for another
thousand years in other parts of
the world!
A Sumerian City
Sumerian city
streets were so
narrow that you
could hardly get a
cart through them.
Sumerian houses
faced away from
crowded streets.
Instead, they faced
onto courtyards
where families ate
and children played.
Narrow Streets
Courtyard Area
Warfare
As populations grew,
resources were stressed and
material wealth increasedled to warfare
Metallurgy was developed
by the Hittites of Northern
Mesopotamia, making
warfare more deadly and
effective
Built city walls, began to
train specialized soldiers.
Civilizations with the most
technology had the highest
populations and success in
expanding their territory.
Gender and Slavery in Sumer
• Began to be viewed as
“property” along with
cattle and goods
• Half of all women
were slaves by
Akkadian times
• Who was enslaved and
why?
• How was slavery
viable during this
period?
• Sumerian women were
allowed to be
priestesses, highly
respected position.
• Were able to “bear
witness” in legal cases
• Once Sumer was
overtaken by Babylon,
women lost nearly all
rights. Value was
solely in procreation
Sumerian Writing
Scribes used a sharp point called a stylus to etch words
into clay tablets.
- This form of writing is called Cuneiform. Pictographic
writing system, later replaced by Phoenician alphabet
The Downfall of the Sumerians
Each of the Sumerian city-states
began fighting each other.
Conflict over access to resources
like land and water when
populations grew.
Constantly warfare weakened the
city-states
By 1759 BCE, Sumer was
conquered by another group of
people - the Babylonians, who
were from the north.
Sumerian advancements were
inherited and improved upon
Sumerians
Writing first began in Sumerian
cities.
The first schools were set up in
Sumer over 4,000 years ago.
-Sumerian schools taught boys
the new invention of writing.
Graduates worked as scribes
Sumer is the region in
red where the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers meet.
Sumerian Mythology
Sumerian Pantheon included:
High God- Enlil, son of An and Ki (Sky and Earth)
He rapes the goddess Ninlil (air godess) which
produces Nanna, the moon god
Inanna- Godess of warfare, female fertility, sex/love
Enki- God of freshwater, male fertility and
knowledge (Anthropomorphism)
ziggurat
Gods
Other divine beings
• Kings and Queens
were considered
divine
• Humans were thought
to be made as servants
to gods and godessesjustified absolute rule
of Nobility and
servitude of peasantry
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Prayer to Ishtar- Goddess of fertility:
Gracious Ishtar, who rules over the
universe,
Heroic Ishtar, who creates humankind,
who walks before the cattle, who loves
the shepherd...
Without you the river will not open
the river which brings us life will not be
closed,
without you the canal will not open,
the canal from which the scattered
drink
will not be closed...
Where you cast your glance, the dead
awaken, the sick arise;
Epic Of Gilgamesh
• Earliest example of creative literature
• Tells us about the culture and society of Sumer, other
surviving writings focus on taxes, grain stores ect.
• Social reconstruction through creative writing- what can
the Epic of Gilgamesh tell us about the human condition in
Sumer?
• Read in separate groups: Chapter1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6&7
• Using evidence from the text, create 4 reconstructive
theories inferring what Sumerian life would have been life
• Character values, religion, social class/ structure,
occupation, grief, ritual, environment, ect.
• Then compare your social reconstruction with other groups
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http://courses.missouristate.edu/josephhughes/katabasis/rea