Amorites

Hammurabi

Successful generalDefeated Sumerians and

Akkad around 1760 B.C.E

Helped his people conquer Mesopotamia

A famous Babylonian Monarch

Created one of the first empires by uniting Mesopotamia under one ruler

Hammurabi

Improved the irrigation process of his empire

Strongly encouraged astronomy, mathematics, and literature

The Code of Hammurabi

Was created by Hammurabi

Code of Hammurabi

First known code of laws in ancient civilizationsUsed to keep order in the empire

Contained the concepts of “an eye for an eye” or “lex talionis”Established rules for common issues

The Code of Hammurabi

Created standards for behavior

Created punishments

They were posted in the cities’ temple

Written in cuneiformHammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi

282 total laws

Written around 1786 B.C.E

Carved in forty-nine columns of stone tablets called stele

The Code of Hammurabi

Addressed topics such as civil, commercial, family, and criminal laws

Some laws showed favoring towards higher social classes

“If a man strikes the cheek of a freeman who is superior in rank to himself, he shall be beaten with 60 stripes with a whip of ox-hide in the assembly”

Impact of Ideas

Many later documents used ideas from the Code of Hammurabi

When the Kassites conquered Babylon and controlled Mesopotamia they still used Hammurabi’s Code

Established the authority of the government for Babylon and other societies

Impact of Ideas

Some historians suggest that many aspects of the Bible include borrowed ideas from Hammurabi’s Code

The 10 Commandments

Levitical Law contains the concept of an eye for an eye

The laws of Melchizedek (the land that the Bible said God told Abraham to live on)

Culture

Spoke language related to Hebrew

Wrote on clay tablets

Cuneiform writing

Culture

Elaborate palaces and temple buildings

Art and architecture were influenced by other Mesopotamian cultures

Culture

Worshiped Sumerian gods

Told Sumerian myths and tales

Created a new god they worshipped

Marduk

The Epic of Gilgamesh was created and contributed to religion

Social Institutions

Split up into 2 groups: traders and workersSociety of farmers, free citizens, and

merchantsPriests served gods and cared for the welfare

of his subjects.

Social Institutions

Monarchy

Became more powerful

Used power to collect taxes and make a strong army

Strong central government needed a set of laws to keep order(Hammurabi's Code)

Social Institutions

Instead of city-states they created one big kingdom

Their most famous king was Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi set up the rules for each social class.

Government

Based on Sumerian civilization

Relied on sun god: Marduk

Ruler was Hammurabi

Hammurabi’s Code gave empire order

Economy

Traded with Canaan and Anatolia Reflected art and agriculture Traded cloth for gold

Human Environment Interactions

Kingdoms

• Division into kingdoms replaced city-states of Sumerians

• Kings chose the land people were given and which land would be dedicated to farming

Human Environment Interaction

Farmland

Grew wheat and barelyCreated better

irrigation systemsDomesticating animalsCreating better roads

and improving wheels led to population growth

Cooperation and Conflict

Sumerians fell and Mesopotamia went in a conflicted era

Amorites traveled into Mesopotamia, and recreated their civilization but with improvements

Cooperation and Conflict

The fall of the Amorites was called the Dark Age

Kassites took over and the language of the Amorites faded into the south of Mesopotamia

Location

the Amorites lived in Canaan and in the Eastern part of the fertile crescent

http://www.jesuswalk.com/joshua/images/amorite-map.gif

Social Classes

2 forms of slaves – (Wardu)- Debtors working for freedom- Prisoners of War/ women + children sold to pay a debt

Slaves were occasionally sold to pay labors

Social Classes cont.

2 forms of free citizens- Higher (Anilu)- Lower (Mushkenu)

Military + civil services are under free citizens

Nobles and rulers are the final rung

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16653/16653-h/img/23.jpg

Geography

In the Western part of Mesopotamianow known as Arabia

Hot and dry climate in the summer; cold and wet in winter

Fertile land, major waterways to help with trade

Also the Mountain range Jebel BishiriBuilt around the Euphrates

Technology/ Inventions

Centralized government

A new God (Marduk)

Established the 1st dynasty

1st written code of laws

Cooperation and Conflict

Nebuchadnezzar led a revival in 1000 BCEAgum I took over Babylon after the Hittite ruleSamsu-ditanna was the last kingTraded with every city-state in the Euphrates

river valley

Governmental ideas

1st set of written lawsHad one central city-state, BabylonDivisions of kingdoms eliminated city- statesDevelopment of personal ownership/ private

propertyPriests didn’t control the economy anymore

Social Institutions

Religion- Worshipped the Moon god(Sin) + Amurru- Amurru is possibly where they got the name

Amorites - Believed in an after life - Believed their king was a god

Government - Scribes kept track of everything- Hereditary Monarchy

Social Institutions Cont.

Schools (Tablet School)- Children began school at age 8 or 9- Had schools for scribes- Took 12 years- Mostly boy students- Senior students helped the

teacher/expert

Cultural development

Bronze began to be used

Passed on stories orallyex.) “Epic of Gilgamesh”

Looked at monarch as a god Religion was part of their everyday culture

Individuals

Hammurabi:- Wrote the 1st code of laws- Very one gender sided- Created a man based society- Women became slaves and household objects- Changed laws everywhere

EconomicsWas controlled by priest

Changed hands with Hammurabi’s rule

Trade thrived in this area because:- Large cities- Their geographical location (rivers)

http://www.bible-history.com/sketches/ancient/nebuchadnezzar-inscription.jpg

Impact of Ideas

Freed certain people from taxes

Switched from independent city-states to kingdoms made up of city-states

Changes in the economic system - control shifted from religious leaders to

king/government

Fun Facts!

Famous for Hammurabi’s CodeHittites conquered the Amorites then left,

then the Kassites came and occupied the territory

First to inhabit Canaan + Babylonia areaEstablished first Babylonian dynastyJebel Bishiri – Syria named after the Amorites

Introduction

•Amorites were also known as the Old Babylonians who were mountainous people and warriors

•The Amorites ruled the empire from 1900-1600 B.C.E known as the Old Babylonian Period

•They were a group of Semites that gained control of Mesopotamia after the fall of the last Sumerian dynasty

Location• In the fertile crescent

•Occupied the area west of the Euphrates River

•Babylon was the capitol of the Amorite Empire

•The area the Amorites occupied included the cities:

Location cont.

•Occupied modern-day Syria

•Northern area was composed of hills and plains

•It was fertile because of rivers flowing down from the mountains

•Southern area had marshy areas and desolate plains

LanguageLanguage

•Amorites used the Akkadian language as their spoken language

•Used cuneiform for many of their documents

•Used the Sumerian language as their religious language

Religion

• Polytheistic

• They adopted the Sumerian religion

• Main god was Marduk which is the only god that they imported

• Did not care about life after death

• Focused mainly on life itself

Important Individuals

•Hammurabi: the sixth ruler of Babylonia, who created the first set of written laws

•Gilgamesh: legendary king discovers the secret of floods and defies the gods

•Samsu-Ditana: last king of the First Babylonian Dynasty

Social Classes

•Social Pyramid:

•Noblemen

•Commoners

•Women

•Slaves

•New kings came to rule:

•Many people were freed

•New societies

• Hammurabi’s Code

• The famous Venus Tablets of Ammis aduqa

• The Epic of Gilgamesh• Gilgamesh searched for immortality

• Learned from the only man who survived a great flood

created by the gods

• Gilgamesh also conquered the demon, Huwawa, who lived in

the cedar forest

• Gilgamesh wanted Cedar Wood and encountered the

Huwawa and killed it

WritingWriting

TechnologyTechnology

Adopted many of the Sumerians’ technological advancements:

•Wheel

•Boat/Ships

•Metallurgy

•Irrigation Systems

MathematicsMathematics

•Helped with trade and records

•Developed multiplication and exponents

•Tablets recovered including signs of:•Fractions•Algebra•Quadratic Equations•Cubic Equations•Pythagorean Theorem

Arts/ArchitectureArts/Architecture

•Had an abundance of mudbrick

•Built temples supported by buttresses

•Use of brick led to the early development of pilaster and column

•Walls were brilliantly colored and plated with zinc or gold

•Assyrians adopted later on

Wars

•Always prepared for wars

•Wars rarely occurred

•War against Gibeon:

•5 kings of Amorite marched together to attack Gibeon

•Felt threatened by Gibeon’s wealth, power, and

military status

•They attacked Gibeon

•Gibeon survived b/c of King Joshua’s cunning plots

and tactics

Government

• Established a bureaucracy: a system of government

• Were first to have a set of laws which was Hammurabi’s Code

• Hammurabi’s Code was written around 1792-1750 B.C.E.

Effect on Mesopotamia

•Changed city-states into kingdoms

•Men, cattle, and land ceased to belong to the gods or the temples and kings

•Brought lasting repercussions in its political, social and economic structure

Bibliography

www.angelfire.com/va3/violingirl/amorites.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoritehttp://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/AMORITES.HTM

http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch01.htmhttp://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/

world_cultures/middle_east/amorites.aspx http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/AMORITES.HTMhttp://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/

b1hammurabi.htmhttp://www.lawbuzz.com/ourlaws/hammurabi/

religion.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi

Sources

“Amorites.” Amorite. Wikipedia. November 5, 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorites>

“Geography.” Geography. The British Museum. November 4, 2008 <http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/geography/home_set.html>

“Mathematics.” Babylonia. Wikipedia. November 13, 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonians#Mathematics>

“Old Babylonian Period.” Babylonia. Wikipedia. November 4, 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonians#Old_Babylonian_period>

“Technology.” Babylonia. Wikipedia. November 8, 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonians#Technology>

The Amorites. November 11, 2008 <http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/AMORITES.HTM>

Bibliography

"Amorites." High Beam Encylopedia. 2008. 10 Nov. 2008 http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1e1-amorites.html.  "Amorites." Phoencia.org. 2008. Phoencia Enclylopedia. 9 Nov. 2008 http://phoenicia.org/amorites.html.  "The Amorites, Phoenicians, and Hebrews." 10 Nov. 2008 http://www.egyptorigins.org/amorites.htm.  "The Amorites." World History Center. History World International. 10 Nov. 2008 http://history-world.org/amorites.htm.  "Ancient Babylonia Geography." Bible History. 10 Nov. 2008 http://www.bible-history.com/babylonia/babyloniageography.htm.  "Ancient Hodgepodge." Fun Trivia. 10 Nov. 2008 http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/ancient-hodgepodge-149254.html.  Hooker, Richard. "Mesopotamia." 1996. World Civilizations. 10 Nov. 2008.