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Mesopotamia:The Cradle of Civilization


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Earliest Civilization: theFertile Crescent

earliest of all civilizations permanent settlements

Mesopotamia Greek forbetween the rivers Tigris River and Euphrates River

present day Iraq

Lasted for approximately 3000 years

Its peoples were the first to

irrigate fieldsdevise a system of writing

develop mathematics

invent the wheelwork with metal

devise a written law code


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Geographic Conditions

Little rainfall

Hot and dry climate

Wind and rain storms muddy river valleys in winter

catastrophic flooding in spring

Arid soil containing little minerals

No stone or timber resources

h h li i


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Then why live inMesopotamia?

NATURAL LEVEES: embankments produced by build-up of sediment

over thousands of years of flooding


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Natural Levee

create a high and safe flood plain

make irrigation and canal construction easy

provide protection

the surrounding swamps were full of fish &waterfowl

reeds provided food for sheep / goats

reeds also were used as building resources


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Sumerian Civilization

The first Sumerian cities emerged insouthern Mesopotamia around 3200B.C.

Nomadic herders settled in the

Southern part of Mesopotamia andgradually changed the farming wayof life

They built dams and dikes to keep

the rivers from flooding their fields.

The farming villages emerged alongthe river and grew into 12 city-states


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Worshiped many gods.

Believed gods controlledevery aspect of life.

Saw afterlife as a grimplace. Everybody wouldgo into darkness and eat

dust.

To keep the gods happy,each city built aziggurat, or pyramidtemple.

Each state had distinct

social hierarchy, orsystem of ranks.

Most people were peasantfarmers.

Women had legal rights;

some engaged in tradeand owned property.

City-states with hereditary

rulers.

Ruler led army in war andenforced laws.

Complex government withscribes to collect taxes

and keep records.

RELIGIONSOCIAL

STRUCTUREGOVERNMENT


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The CuneiformWorld

Mesopotamian Trade


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Mesopotamian Trade System

The two rivers provided a way to shipgoods

The wheel and the sail improvedtransportation system

Marketplace were present inMesopotamian cities
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vcGhvdG9idWNrZXQuY29tL2ltYWdlcy9lbmxpbA==


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Religion

Polytheistic

over 3600 gods and demigods Kingship created by gods

kings power was divinelyordained

Gods lived on the distantmountaintops

Each city was ruled by adifferent god

Kings and priests acted asinterpreters they told the people what the

god wanted them to do

by examining the liver orlungs of a slain sheep

Ishtar, goddess offertility, war, sex

Enki, god ofwater, life,mediation

Enlil supreme god of air

Shamash sun god andgiver of law
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Ishtar_vase_Louvre_AO17000-detail.jpghttp://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vcGhvdG9idWNrZXQuY29tL2ltYWdlcy9lbmxpbA==http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vcGhvdG9idWNrZXQuY29tL2ltYWdlcy9lbmxpbA==http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Copia_de_Enki.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Ishtar_vase_Louvre_AO17000-detail.jpg


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Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic

Enki

Innana

Anthropomorphic GodsEnki - the god of rain

Marduk - principal god of Babylon

Ashur - god of the Assyrian

empire

Gula (in Sumerian) or Shamash

(in Akkadian) - sun god and godof justice

Ishtar - goddess of war

Ereshkigal- goddess of the

underworld

Nabu- god of writing

Ninurta- Sumerian god of war andgod of heroes

Ikur- god of storms

Pazuzu - an evil god who broughtdiseases which had no known cure


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Ziggurats

Temples dedicated to the god

of the city

Made of layers of mud bricksin the shape of a pyramid On platforms due to constant

flooding

Temple on top gods home beautifully decorated a room for offerings of food

and goods

Temples evolved to ziggurats a stack of 1-7 platforms

decreasing in size frombottom to top

Famous ziggurat was Tower ofBabel over 100m above ground and

91m base

Ziggurat of Ur -2000BCE


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Ziggurat at Ur

Temple

Mountain of

the Gods


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The Royal Standard of Ur


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Mesopotamian Harp


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Board Game From Ur


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Sophisticated Metallurgy

Skillsat Ur


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Political structure - earlyform of democracy

Frequent wars led to theemergence of warriors asleaders

Eventually rise of monarchy

Followed leadership of god ofthe city interpreted by a council of

leading citizens or priests orleader of the city - king

Government


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SumeriansSouthern Mesopotamia 3500-2000 BCE

Irrigated fields and produced 3 maincrops barley, dates and sesame seeds built canals, dikes, dams and drainage systems

developed cuneiform writing

invented the wheel Abundance of food = increase of population First city of the world Developed a trade system with bartering

mainly barley but also wool and cloth for stone,metals, timber, copper, pearls and ivory

Individuals could only rent land from priests controlled land on behalf of gods most of profits of trade went to temple

The Sumerians were not successful in unitinglower Mesopotamia

Ruins of Babylon inpresent day Baghdad

Sumerian city of Lagash


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Sargon of Akkad:The Worlds First Empire [Akkadians]


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AkkadiansAkkad- northern Mesopotamia 2340 2180 BCE

Leader Sargon the Great unified lower Mesopotamia after conquering Sumerians in 2331 BCE

Established capital at Akkad

Spread Mesopotamian culture

Akkadians conquered by invading barbarians by 2200 BCE

Bronze head of Sargon


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The Babylonian Empires

B b l i


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Babylonians1830-1500 BCE

KING HAMMURABI

Conquered Akkad and Assyria Built

walls to protect the city canals and dikes to improve crops

Economy based on agriculture andwool

Individuals could own land Artisans and merchants could keep

most profits and even formed guilds

Grain used as the medium ofexchange emergence ofcurrency:

shekel = 180 grains of barley; mina = 60 shekels

Mina was eventually represented by

metals - one of first uses of money still based on grain

Hammurabis Legacy law code

Babylonians reunited Mesopotamia in

1830 BCE

central location dominated trade andsecured control

YET AGAIN, Mesopotamia was not

unified for long

Code of Hammurabi


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Code of Hammurabi1800 BCE

To enforce his rule, Hammurabi collected all the lawsof Babylon in a code that would apply everywhere

First and most extensive law code from the ancientworld

Code of 282 laws inscribed on a stone pillar placed inthe public hall for all to see

Set of divinely inspired laws; as well as societal laws

Punishments were designed to fit the crimes aspeople must be responsible for own actions

Origin of eye for an eye If a son struck his father, sons hand would be cut off

Consequences for crimes depended on rank in society Poor = hand off, nobles = pay a fine

Hammurabi receiving law codefrom sun god Shamash


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Hammurabis Code


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Hammurabi, the Judge

A i


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City ofAssur- became importanttrading and political centre

After Hammurabis death,Babylon fell apart and kings ofAssur controlled more of

surrounding area and came todominate

Made conquered lands pay taxes food, animals, metals or timber

Rule by fear first to have a permanent army

made up of professional soldiersestimated 200 000 men

Iron changed lifestyles inMesopotamia

replaced wooden wheels andapplied to horse drawn chariotsSuperior weapons

States began to revoltAssyrian Empire collapsedby late 7th century BCE

By 539 BCE, Mesopotamia was

part of the vast Persian EmpireLed by Cyrus the GreatPersian Empire dominated for800 years until Alexander theGreat

Assyrians

1100 -612 BCE


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Development

Of

WRITING


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Development of Writing

Clickhere to see thedevelopment of writingfrom pictograms to

cuneiform

Pictograms: picture to show meaning

Ideograms: signs to represent words / ideas

Phonetics: signs to represent sounds

*Phonetics are the basis of most writing systems
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/story/sto_set.htmlhttp://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/story/sto_set.html


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Writing - 3500 BCE Allowed

transmission of knowledge

the codification of laws records to facilitate trade/farming

CUNEIFORMmeaning wedgeshaped Wet clay tablets with the point of a

reed

dried in the sun to make a tablet

Scribes only could read and write served as priests

record keepers accountants

Spread to Persia and Egypt vehicle for the growth and spread

and exchange of ideas among

cultures


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Cuneiform Writing


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Deciphering Cuneiform


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Schools were established:

Only few people (particularly the boys) weretrained to write cuneiform

They were sons of upper-class professionals(priest, temple and palce officials, armyofficers, sea captains and other scribes)

The students who learned the art could workas scribes for the temple, the royal court orwealthy merchants


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Sumerian Scribes

Tablet House

Gil h Th Fi t E i P


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Gilgamesh - The First Epic Poem Over 4000 thousand

years old, written on 12

clay tablets

Epic battle betweenEnkidu -wild man, good

heart and Gilgameshcontrolling king

The two became friendsand had adventures

Made the gods angry sothey killed EnkiduGilgamesh wanders the

underworld in grief

Why important?Earliest known author Sin-leqi-unninniMentions great flood similar to story of

Noahs Ark


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Royal Tombsof Ur

Excavated from 1922 to 1934

Extravagant jewelry of gold,cups of gold and silver, bowls ofalabaster, and extraordinaryobjects of art and culture

Jewellery fromRoyal Tombs of Ur3000 BC

Great Death Pit mass grave containing

the bodies of 6 guardsand 68 servants

drank poison toaccompany the kingsand queens in theafterlife


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Mathematics and Science

Mesopotamia, specifically Babylon used amathematical system based on sixty

Some parts of the base-sixty system still remaintoday

360 degrees in a circle 60 seconds in a minute 60 minutes in 1 hour

Calendar based on cycles of the moon number of days between the appearance of two newmoons was set as a month

12 cycles made up a year


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Babylonian Math

They drew upmultiplicationand division

tables andmakingcalculationsusing geometry


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Babylonian Numbers


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Legacies of Mesopotamia

Codified laws

Ziggurats placesof worship

Cuneiform writing Irrigation

Metal working,

tools

Trade networks

Transportation the wheel

Mathematics andcalendar

Prosperous livingbased on large scaleagriculture

Documents

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