THE FERTILE CRESCENT…the Cradle of Civilization

THE FERTILE CRESCENT… WHERE IS IT?

You are here.Fertile Crescent is here.

THE FERTILE CRESCENT… WHERE IS IT?

MESOPOTAMIA… Greek: “The land between rivers”

THE FERTILE CRESCENT

The Fertile Crescent: Crescent-shaped region of fertile land in the

otherwise dry and arid Middle East where the earliest civilizations thrived.

Mesopotamia: Fertile strip of land between and around the Tigris

and Euphrates Rivers in modern day Iraq Greek: “Land between rivers”

Civilization: A centralized society with developed forms of

religion, ways of governing, and learning In Mesopotamia around 3500 BC, villages are

thriving due to agriculture and are growing into larger cities

HOW COULD EACH OF THE FOLLOWING HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION? Working Together?

When people cooperate, they can get more done

Ex: farming

Division of Labor? When people specialize on

certain tasks, they can do those tasks better

Ex: teachers

Technology? Technology: the skills or

knowledge to make products or meet goals

Inventions of tools or processes help us solve problems and be more successful.

Ex: irrigation or the wheel

Religion? Brings people together

Government? Helps to accomplish large tasks Promotes order and protects the

people and their property

Trade? Helps people to exchange

abundant resources for other resources that they may want/need

Promotes wealth

Social Classes? Establishes roles and

expectations of members of society

HOW DO EACH OF THE FOLLOWING PLAY A ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF AMERICA?

Working Together?

Division of Labor?

Technology?

Religion?

Government?

Trade?

Social Classes?

THESE ARE THE 7 PILLARS OF CIVILIZATION

TECHNOLOGY IN SUMER

Irrigation Channeling water from rivers to fields

Dikes/Levies Controlling floods

Wheel Moving goods

Monarchy Government Organizing large groups under one efficient ruler

Writing Cuneiform Invented to keep trade records

THE CIVILIZATION OF SUMER

Begins with the growth of City-States These Cities were alternately rivals and

partners in the growth of Sumerian civilization Uruk Ur Kish Nippur Etc… Video

GROWTH OF CIVILIZATION

Farming leads to Villages Villages lead to cities and city-states

Cities required: GOVERNMENT to make laws and decisions and promote

order DIVISION OF LABOR to utilize the work force in benefit of

the city TRADE to exchange plentiful goods for other goods that

you need SOCIAL CLASSES to define the roles of the people for the

good of the city TAXES to pay for the support and defense of the city ARMIES to protect from and/or attack rival cities RELIGION to explain the world

Ziggurats

SOCIAL CLASSES IN SUMER

1. Nobleso Included the King, Priests, and other leaderso The King and the Priests were thought to have a direct link

to the godso Women could be Priests or nobleso This group held most of the wealth

2. Merchants and Skilled Workerso Doctors, bricklayers, scribeso Specialized workerso Often engaged in trade with one another to complete tasks

3. Unskilled Workers and Slaveso Most Slaves were prisoners of waro Slavery wasn’t always a permanent

condition

MESOPOTAMIAN EMPIRES

As city-states continued warring, empires began to form Akkadian Empire

First Mesopotamian Empire Sargon I

Emerged from the city-state of Kish to conquer much of Mesopotamia Tore down walls and boundaries of other city-states

First government to have a standing army Babylonian Empire

Emerged in southern Mesopotamia Hammurabi the Lawgiver

Reformed tax code and system of laws

Assyrian Empire Emerged in northern Mesopotamia Interested in controlling trade routes

MESOPOTAMIAN EMPIRES

POWERWRITE – 2-3 SENTENCES

In your notes:

****Choose one law or rule that you have to follow that you think is unfair and briefly explain why you think it’s unfair.

For discussion:

****Even if the law or rule is unfair, can you think of why it is NECESSARY?

CODE OF HAMMURABI

282 laws covering much of Babylonian life Compiled by Hammurabi Thought to have originated around 1772 B.C. Contributed to stability in the Babylonian

Empire

ISRAELITES

Abram Born in the Sumerian City of Ur Believed in one God

Monotheism – belief in one God Almost all others believed in

multiple gods Abram made a covenant, or

agreement, with his God Abram promised to be faithful to

his God Abram became Abraham God led him and his family to the

land of Canaan

ISRAELITES

Judaism Monotheistic religion that grew among the Israelites Christianity and Islam emerge from the same tradition The Ten Commandments

Given to Moses from God as a set of rules for the Jewish people

The Jewish people built the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah These kingdoms were conquered by the Babylonians and

the Assyrians Eventually the region was conquered by the Romans

Jews revolted against Roman rule Romans changed the name of the region to Palestine and forced the

Jews out Diaspora: people settled far from their ancestral homelands

PHOENICIANS Loose union of city-states north of

Israel Not many natural resources, so

they turned into great traders Developed advanced sailing

technology Developed trading colonies

throughout the Mediterranean Sea Developed an alphabet

This alphabet spreadthroughout Europe throughtrade

LYDIANS

Introduced coined money

First coins were bean sized mixtures of gold and silver

Allowed the money economy to form Set prices Economic stability No more barter