MesopotamiaMesopotamia________________________________The Cradle of CivilizationThe Cradle of Civilization

Reasons Permanent Homes & Villages Complex Society Sprung –Up = City States & Kingship Birthplace of Writing, Astronomy, Written Law & THE WHEEL

LegacyWe are the inheritors of all this

and much moreLater civilizations would borrow heavily from the Mesopotamians,

taking their ideas and building upon them

““The Land Between the The Land Between the Rivers”Rivers”

• The Greek word Meso means middle and Potamus means river

• Fertile Crescent• The “Cradle of

Civilizaton” • Site of the world’s

first permanent farming villages

• The Crossroads

Babylonian Map of the World

Geographical Geographical ChallengesChallenges

• Mountains to the North (Zagros) and to the East (Taurus)

• Southern Flood Plain– Drought in Summer– Floods in Winter/Spring– Few natural resources – (minerals or forests)– Abundant fish and waterfowl– Fertile soil for farming (once irrigation began)

• Northern lands– More reliable rainfall produces better farmland– Forests for building, and hunting

• Sumerians (Sumer)

• Assyrians (Assyria)

• Babylonians (Babylon)

• Chaldeans (Chaldea)

And if you really want to be picky about it there are many other groups of people who are considered

part of the Mesopotamian Civilization (Hittites, Kassites, Persians etc.)

The 4 Peoples of The 4 Peoples of MesopotamiaMesopotamia

Law & GovernmentLaw & Government• Theocracy – a form of government where people are ruled by religious officials

• In Early Sumer, citizens elected an assembly to run the government

• Kings called Lugals were created by the assembly for strong leadership during conflict with other city-states

• Sumerian Laws – by Ur-Nammu

• Babylonian Laws – by Hammurabi (“Hammurabi’s Code”)

King Sargon the Great of Sumer (2340-2305

BCE)