City-States in MesopotamiaChapter 2 Section 1

Key Terms Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia City-state Dynasty

Cultural diffusion Polytheism Empire Hammurabi

Geography of the Fertile Crescent Best farming in

southwest Asia Fertile Crescent-

curved shape and richness of land

Mesopotamia- means between two rivers

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Environmental challenges Sumerians 4500bc Advantage- Good soil Three disadvantages

Unpredictable flooding

No natural barriers for protection (defenseless)

Sumer limited resources

Solving problems through organization Provide water

Dug irrigation ditches Allowed for surplus

Defense Built wall of mud bricks

Traded grain, cloth, tools Received stone, wood

metal Leaders organized

construction

Sumerians Create City-States 3000 BC built many

cities Surrounded by fields

of grains Cities had own

rulers and governments

City-State-Each city and surrounding land it controlled

Priests and Rulers Share Control Ziggurat was like city

hall Sumerian priests

started standing armies

Leaders of army became rulers

Passed down to son Dynasty-series of

rulers from a single family

Spread of Cities 2500 BC

Long distance trading Cities all over fertile

crescent Syria, Turkey,

northern Iraq Cultural diffusion new

ideas spread from one culture to another

Sumerian Culture Polytheism- belief

in many gods Enlil god of storms

and air Believed gods did

human things Fall in love Have children Quarreled

Sumerian Culture Gods could strike at

any time Tried to appease the

gods Sacrificed animals

Death went to “land of no return” Between earths

crust and the sea Dismal place

Sumerian Society Top- Kings, landholders

and priests Next-Wealthy

merchants Majority- the people

who worked with their hands

Slaves Sumerian women could

work and join the priesthood

Sumerian Science and Technology Invented the wheel,

sail and plow Arithmetic and

geometry Based on 60 (minutes,

hours) circle 360 Architecture- Arches,

columns, ramps Cuneiform-system of

writing

First Empire Builders 3000-2000

Sumerians defeated

New rulers adopted their culture

Sargon of Akkad Defeated Sumer,

adopted their culture Sargon’s conquest

spread Sumerian culture

Empire-brings together several people, nations under one ruler

Sargon’s Dynasty lasted 200 years

Babylonian Empire Amorites in 2000 BC

defeat Sumerians Capital at Babylon Hammurabi’s code

Single uniform code of laws

Engraved in stone Place throughout the

empire Had 282 laws

Babylonian Empire Included family relations Crimes Laws related to property Protected women and

children from unfair treatment

Eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth

If thief not caught government paid the victim

Government had a responsibility to the people

Babylonia Empire Hammurabi’s

Code Different

punishments for rich and poor

Different for men and women

To bring about rule and righteousness