Chapter 3

Mesopotamia Section IV: Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent

Section Focus

• New conquerors moved into region

and introduced new skills and ideas.

• War and violence is still a major

aspect in region.

• Contributions still influence

civilization today.

Babylon Conquers Mesopotamia

• City-state of Babylon (Baghdad) was located on Euphrates.

• Babylon’s monarch, Hammurabi, united all of Mesopotamia:

– Unified religion

– Improved irrigation

– Reformed Economics

– Reformed law system

Babylon Conquers Mesopotamia

Hammurabi’s Code • Hammurabi’s government was

based on a strict code of law.

• Laws were written down

on a stele so all people

would know laws.

Hammurabi’s Code • Courts and judges used to

determine guilt.

• Punishments included fines,

death, or torture.

• Covered everything

in daily life.

• What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and kills the owner?

• If a builder builds a house for a man and does not build it well, and the house collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house, the builder shall be put to death.

Hammurabi’s Code

• What should be done when a "sister of god" (nun) enters the wine shop for a drink?

• If a "sister of god" (nun) who opens a wine shop or enters a wine shop for a drink, they shall burn that woman.

Hammurabi’s Code

• What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?

• If a son strikes his father, they shall cut off his hand.

Hammurabi’s Code

• What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?

• If a man is in debt and is unable to pay his creditors, he shall sell his wife, son, or daughter, or bind them over to service. For three years they shall work in the houses of their purchaser or master; in the fourth year they shall be given their freedom.

Hammurabi’s Code

• What should be done about a wife who ignores her duties or disrespects her husband?

• If the woman has not been careful but has played around, neglected her house, and insulted her husband, they shall bind that woman and throw her into the river.

Hammurabi’s Code

Hammurabi’s Code • How is the truth determined

when one man brings an accusation against another?

• If one accuses another, the accused will go to the river and leap into it. If he sinks and drowns in the river, his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes unhurt, then the accuser shall be put to death, while the other shall take possession of the accuser’s house.

Babylon Conquers Mesopotamia

Invasions of Mesopotamia

• Hammurabi died and region

fell into chaos.

• Many groups fought to control

land and power:

– Hittites: ironworking and chariot

– Assyrians: government and warfare

– Chaldeans: agriculture, education

The Phoenicians

• Other Mesopotamian groups grew

under new stability.

• The Phoenicians settled in area full of cedar trees.

• Developed purple

dye and built boats

for trade and

exploration.

The Phoenicians

• Phoenicians grew

wealthy and began

colonies (Carthage)

in the Mediterranean.

• Invented new

alphabet and spread

Mesopotamian culture.

The Phoenicians

The Hebrews

• Originally dispersed desert

nomads.

• Began the religion of Judaism;

the first monotheistic religion.

• After the Exodus the Hebrews

began a kingdom called Israel.

The Hebrews

The Hebrews

• Jewish have strong beliefs in God,

education, justice, and obedience.

• Scriptures of Judaism are

recorded in the Torah

(Old Testament).

• Jewish ideas and ethics

influenced other cultures, in

Europe and the Americas.

Outside Invasions

• War and violence remained

part of culture and society.

• Many other groups

invaded and changed

region throughout history.

• Area eventually came

under the control of the

Persian Empire.