AUGUST 25, 2015

What do you know about Mesopotamia, if anything? Think about it and be ready to share anything you know.

CHAPTER 1-3MESOPOTAMIA

MAIN IDEA & WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Main Idea: The earliest civilization in Asia arose in

Mesopotamia and organized into city-states.

Why It Matters Now: The development of this civilization reflects a

pattern that has occurred repeatedly throughout history.

GEOGRAPHY OF THE FERTILE CRESCENT

Desert climate between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea

Within the dry region lies an arc of land that provides some of the best farming in Southwest Asia – known as the Fertile Crescent

Eastern part:Tigris and

Euphrates Rivers flow to Persian Gulf

Between them lies a plainMesopotamia

– means “land between the rivers” in Greek

Rivers flooded once a year As the water receded, it left a thick bed of

mud called silt Where farmers could plant and harvest

enormous quantities of wheat and barley Allowed villagers to grow

People started to settle and farm in southern Mesopotamia – known as Sumer

Swampy lands produced good soil

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES

1) Flooding was unpredictableSun dried out the mudLand became a desert

2) Small regionSize of MassachusettsLived in little hutsNo natural barriers for protection

3) The natural resources of Sumer were extremely limited

CREATING SOLUTIONS

1) Dug irrigation – ditches that carried river water to their fields and allowed them to produce a surplus of crops

2) For defense, they built city walls with mud bricks

3) Sumerians traded with the peoples of the mountains and desert for the products they lacked

These activities required: 1) Organization 2) Cooperation 3) Leadership

Created a need for laws to settle disputes over how land and water would be distributed

Beginning of organized government

SUMERIANS CREATE CITY-STATES

Sumerians: First groups of people to form a civilization Built a number of cities, surrounded by fields Cities shared same culture But, they developed their own governments

Each city and the surrounding land it controlled formed a city-state Functioned much like an independent country

CITY-STATE OF SUMER: UR

THE POWER OF PRIESTS

Earliest governments were controlled by the temple priests

Farmers believed the success of crops depended upon the blessings of the gods The priests acted as the go-between with the

gods Ziggurat was a city hall

Managed irrigationsystem

Demanded cropsfor taxes

MONARCHS TAKE CONTROL

War: Priests did not lead the city The men chose a tough fighter who could

command the city’s soldiers Some military leaders became full-time

rulers, or monarchs Passed power onto their sons, who passed it on

to their own heir The series of rulers from a single family is known

as a dynasty

THE SPREAD OF CITIES

City-states grew prosperous from the surplus food produced on their farms Increased long-distance trade

As trade expanded: Sumerians came into contact with others Ideas spread New cities were arising Ideas were absorbed

Process of a new idea or a product spreading from one culture to another is called cultural diffusion

A RELIGION OF MANY GODS

Believed that many different gods controlled the various forces in nature – known as polytheism

Sumerians believed: Their gods were immortal and all-powerful Humans were nothing but servants They needed to keep the gods happy They had to offer rich sacrifices

Sumerians worked hard to earn the gods’ protections in this life

Expected little help from the gods after death Believed the souls of dead went to the “land

of no return” where no joy awaited any souls Epic of Gilgamesh – one of the

earliest works of literature in the world Legendary king, Gilgamesh, of

Mesopotamia whose adventures were detailed

LIFE IN SUMERIAN SOCIETY

With civilization came great differences between groups in society, the beginning of social classes 1) Priests and kings 2) Wealthy merchants 3) Ordinary Sumerian people – field workers and

shop workers 4) Slaves

Affected life of both men and women Women could:

pursue most occupations hold property in their own name join lower ranks of priesthood

Women could not: attend schools where upper-class boys learned

to read and write

SUMERIAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Invented: wheel, sail, plow First to use bronze Developed first system of writing, cuneiform Developed number system in base 60

Time (60 seconds = 1 minute) Geometry (360 degrees of a circle)

Used all resources available Permanently influenced Mesopotamian

civilization

SARGON OF AKKAD

Defeated city-state in Sumer Led his army from Akkad

North of Sumer Adopted most aspects of Sumerian

culture Conquests spread culture even further Created the first empire – which brings

together several peoples, nations, or previously independent states under the control of one ruler

BABYLONIAN EMPIRE

Nomadic warriors, known as Amorites invaded Mesopotamia in 2000 B.C.

Overwhelmed the Sumerians and established their capital at Babylon on the Euphrates River

Reached its peak during the reign of Hammurabi – who is known best for the code of laws he put together

TODAY’S ASSIGNMENT:

Using the notes, please complete worksheet 1-3 on the back of the note packet. When you are finished, please turn it in to my tray and find something else to do quietly until everyone finishes.