• The period in prehistory when people shifted from food gathering to food producing

• The process of changing plants or animals to make them more useful to humans

• Domestication involves changing the plants to make them more useful.

• What was the Neolithic Revolution?

• Domestication

• What is the difference between domestication of plants and simply planting seeds?

THE FERTILE CRESCENT

Aswan Dam Draining of the Marshes

The Area Today is Iraq and Syria

Mesopotamia• What does the

word Mesopotamia mean?

• What is the Fertile Crescent?

• What present day country makes up Mesopotamia?

• When and how were the farming settlements established in Mesopotamia

• define silt •

Land between two rivers Tigris and Euphrates

A large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. Crops grow well here because the land is fertile and there is water nearby.

Iraq

Plentiful food led to population growth, and villages formed. They grew crops and stored food for times of need.

A mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks. The fertile silt made the land ideal for farming.

5

• define surplus

• define division of labor

• How did surplus lead to division of labor in early civilizations?

• Having more of a product than is needed

• The type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job is called a division of labor.

• Having people available to work on different jobs meant that society could accomplish more.

6

During: TuesdayReading handout

An Advanced Society

In southern Mesopotamia, a people known as the Sumerians (soo-MER-ee-unz) developed the world’s first civilization. No one knows where they came from or when they moved into the region. However, by 3000 BC, several hundred thousand Sumerians had settled in Mesopotamia, in a land they called Sumer (SOO-muhr). There they created an advanced society.

The City-States of SumerMost people in Sumer were farmers. They lived mainly in

rural, or countryside, areas. The centers of Sumerian society, however, were the urban, or city, areas. The first cities in Sumer had about 10,000 residents. Over time, the cities grew. Historians think that by 2000 BC, some of Sumer’s cities had more than 100,000 residents.

As a result, the basic political unit of Sumer combined the two parts. This unit was called a city-state. A city-state consisted of a city and all the countryside around it. The amount of countryside controlled by each city-state depended on its military strength. Stronger city-states controlled larger areas.

 City-states in Sumer fought each other to gain more

farmland. As a result of these conflicts, the city-states built up strong armies. Sumerians also built strong, thick walls around their cities for protection.

Individual city-states gained and lost power over time. By 3500 BC, a city-state known as Kish had become quite powerful. Over the next 1,000 years, the city-states of Uruk and Ur fought for dominance.

Sumerian Social OrderBecause of their status, priests occupied a high

level in Sumer’s social hierarchy, the division of society by rank or class. In fact, priests were just below kings. The kings of Sumer claimed that they had been chosen by the gods to rule.

Below the priests were Sumer’s skilled craftspeople, merchants, and traders. Trade had a great impact on Sumerian society. Traders traveled to faraway places and exchanged grain for gold, silver, copper, lumber, and precious stones.

    Below traders, farmers and laborers made up

the large working class. Slaves were at the bottom of the social order.

Sumerian ReligionThe Sumerians practiced polytheism, the worship of many

gods. Among the gods they worshipped were Enlil, the lord of the air; Enki, god of wisdom; and Inanna, goddess of love and war. The sun and moon were represented by the gods Utu and Nanna. Each city-state considered one god to be its special protector.

The Sumerians believed that their gods had enormous powers. Gods could bring a good harvest or a disastrous flood. They could bring illness, or they could bring good health and wealth. The Sumerians believed that success in every area of life depended on pleasing the gods. Every Sumerian had a duty to serve and to worship the gods.

Priests, people who performed religious ceremonies, had great status in Sumer. People relied on them to help gain the gods’ favor. Priests interpreted the wishes of the gods and made offerings to them. These offerings were made in temples, special buildings where priests performed their religious ceremonies.

During : Wednesday

• Summary• Directions: Circle two words from each line on

the Magnet Summary. On the back of the Magnet Summary develop a 7 to 10 sentence summary including the words you have circled.

During: Tuesday• Magnet Summary- Rise of Sumer• Directions:• For each paragraph choose four words that you feel are most important• Write the words in the space provided • Paragraph 1- _________________ _________________ _________________ ________________ Paragraph 2- _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ Paragraph 3- _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ Paragraph 4-_________________ __________________ __________________ _________________ Paragraph 5-_________________ __________________ __________________ _________________

Paragraph 6- _________________ _________________ _________________ ________________ Paragraph 7- _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ Paragraph 8- _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ Paragraph 9-_________________ __________________ __________________ _________________ Paragraph 10-_________________ __________________ __________________ _________________

Paragraph 11- _________________ _________________ __________________ _________________

• City-state

• Impact

• Rural

• urban

A city and all the countryside around it.

Effect, result

Countryside

city

13

Vocabulary

Vocabulary-

• Social hierarchy

• Priest

• Polytheism

• The division of society by rank or class.

• People who performed religious ceremonies.

• The worship of many gods.

Vocabulary

• Cuneiform

• Scribes

• Pictographs

• epics

• The world’s first system of writing that used a stylus to make wedge shaped symbols on clay tablets.

• Writer

• Picture symbols

• Long poems that tell the stories of heros.

Vocabulary- Friday• Trade

network

• Commodities

• Import

• export

• A system of people in different lands who trade goods back and forth.

• Trade goods

• Goods brought in from other regions.

• Items sent to other regions for trade.

Mesopotamian Trade• Atlas pages 11 &12 • Trade routes draw in RED.• Cities along trade route circle in YELLOW

• 1) The Sumerians traded with places as far away as __________ and ___________.

• 2) What commodities did the people in the Fertile Crescent export?

• 3) What commodities did the people in the Fertile Crescent import?

• 4) Where were the two types of camels imported from?

Cyprus

*Enkomi

Asia Minor

MediterraneanSea

Red Sea

Persian Gulf

Asia

ArabianDesert

Sinai Peninsula

PuntKush/Nubia

*Kyrene

Tigris RiverEuphrates

River*Timna

*Ugarit*Byblos

WesternDesert

*Mari

*Ebla

*Susa*Ur

Ashur*

SyrianDesert

*Kanesh

Nile

Akhetaton*

*Thebes

Buhen* NubianDesert

*Elephantine

SinaiDesert

*Akshak

Zagros Mountains

Taurus Mountains

Dilmur

Sumerian Civilization Information Rotation Directions: Complete the graphic organizer using the information provided Rotate information to the next group when time is up

Social Order

Religion

Technical Advancements

Math/Science

Writing

Architecture

Art

• One of the Sumerians’ most important developments was the wheel. They were the first people to build wheeled vehicles, including carts and wagons. Using the wheel, Sumerians invented a device that spins clay as a craftsperson shapes it into bowls. This device is called a potter’s wheel.

•     The plow was another important Sumerian invention. Pulled by oxen, plows broke through the hard clay soil of Sumer to prepare it for planting. This technique greatly increased farm production. The Sumerians also invented a clock that used falling water to measure time.

•     Sumerian advances improved daily life in many ways. Sumerians built sewers under city streets. They learned to use bronze to make stronger tools and weapons. They even produced makeup and glass jewelry

• Another area in which Sumerians excelled was math. In fact, they developed a math system based on the number 60. Based on this system, they divided a circle into 360 degrees. Dividing a year into 12 months—a factor of 60—was another Sumerian idea. Sumerians also calculated the areas of rectangles and triangles.

•     Sumerian scholars studied science, too. They wrote long lists to record their study of the natural world. These tablets included the names of thousands of animals, plants, and minerals.

•     The Sumerians also made advances in medicine. They used ingredients from animals, plants, and minerals to produce healing drugs. Items used in these medicines included milk, turtle shells, figs, and salt. The Sumerians even catalogued their medical knowledge, listing treatments according to symptoms and body parts.

• The Sumerians’ skills in the fields of art, metalwork, and architecture—the science of building—are well known to us. The ruins of great buildings and fine works of art have provided us wonderful examples of the Sumerians’ creativity.

• Most Sumerian rulers lived in large palaces. Other rich Sumerians had two-story homes with as many as a dozen rooms. Most people, however, lived in smaller, one-story houses. These homes had six or seven rooms arranged around a small courtyard. Large and small houses stood side by side along the narrow, unpaved streets of the city. Bricks made of mud were the houses’ main building blocks.

•     City centers were dominated by their temples, the largest and most impressive buildings in Sumer. A ziggurat, a pyramid-shaped temple tower, rose above each city. Outdoor staircases led to a platform and a shrine at the top. Some architects added columns to make the temples more attractive.

• Sumerian sculptors produced many fine works. Among them are the statues of gods created for temples. Sumerian artists also sculpted small objects out of ivory and rare woods. Sumerian pottery is known more for its quantity than quality. Potters turned out many items, but few were works of beauty.

•     Jewelry was a popular item in Sumer. The jewelers of the region made many beautiful works out of imported gold, silver, and gems. Earrings and other items found in the region show that Sumerian jewelers knew advanced methods for putting gold pieces together.

•     Cylinder seals are perhaps Sumer’s most famous works of art. These small objects were stone cylinders engraved with designs. When rolled over clay, the designs would leave behind their imprint. Each seal left its own distinct imprint. As a result, a person could show ownership of a container by rolling a cylinder over the container’s wet clay surface. People could also use cylinder seals to “sign” documents or to decorate other clay objects.

• Some seals showed battle scenes. Others displayed worship rituals. Some were highly decorative, with hundreds of carefully cut gems. They required great skill to make.

 •    

  The Sumerians also enjoyed music. Kings and temples hired musicians to play on special occasions. Sumerian musicians played reed pipes, drums, tambourines, and stringed instruments called lyres. Children learned songs in school. People sang hymns to gods and kings. Music and dance provided entertainment in marketplaces and homes.Some seals showed battle scenes. Others displayed worship rituals. Some were highly decorative, with hundreds of carefully cut gems. They required great skill to make.     The Sumerians also enjoyed music. Kings and temples hired musicians to play on special occasions. Sumerian musicians played reed pipes, drums, tambourines, and stringed instruments called lyres. Children learned songs in school. People sang hymns to gods and kings. Music and dance provided entertainment in marketplaces and homes.

GILGAMESH I• Epic poem first written down

around 2000 BC– Part of oral tradition for at

least 1000 years before it was written down

• Hero is legendary king of the city-state of Uruk– Began career as good ruler– But turned into a tyrant– Gods decide to punish him

for his prideGilgamesh

Vocabulary

• Architecture

• ziggurat

• The science of building.

• A pyramid - shaped temple tower.

Accomplishments-Achievements

Sumerian Achievement Commercial

• Directions:• • You and a partner will develop a 20-30 second commercial trying to sell

one achievement of the Sumerians• • Include:• 1. Achievement Name• 2. Picture- Hand Drawn• 3. 20-30 second sales pitch- Why is it the best achievement on

the market.• 4. Explain what it is used for• 5. Explain why someone should buy it

What were city-states,

and how did they get along

with each other?

• The basic political unit consisting of a city and the land around it.

• City-states were not always peaceful and fought each other for enough farmland to produce food .

• Failure to win the battle resulted in slavery

The City Center of the city-state included the ziggurat.

Temples served civic and religious purposes

Daily sacrifices and rituals

Storage of surplus grain and other foods

Dwelling of priests and priestesses

Locale where craftsmen and artisans could practice their trades

Ziggurats: Temples to the Gods

Background

• As civilizations developed along rivers, their societies and governments became more advanced. Religion became a main characteristic of these ancient cultures. Kings claimed to rule with the approval of the gods, and ordinary people wore charms and performed rituals to avoid bad luck.

What is it and what was its purpose?

THEOCRACY:Kings: Servants of the Gods

The powerful gods communicated their desires to humanity through the medium of a powerful priestly class or king who serves as the intermediary between the gods and the citizens of the city-state.

- Government of the gods/priest class - Ruler may be divine himself, or chosen by the god/gods - Each city had its own gods

This style of government is called a theocracy. A theocracy gives political decisions a religious authority, such as a priest. Restate and illustrate…..

How was King Sargon

able to build the

first empire?

He built a permanent army and used it to defeat all the city-states of Sumer.

Sargon was emperor, or ruler of his empire, for more than 50 years. However, the empire lasted only a century after his death. Later rulers could not keep the empire safe from invaders. Hostile tribes from the east raided and captured Akkad. A century of chaos followed

STILL MORE ON SARGON THE GREAT

• According to legend, he was a poor orphan adopted by a gardener, who found him in a basket near the Euphrates River. He was not Sumerian. He was from a region outside of Mesopotamia called Akkad.

• Not a harsh ruler by Mesopotamian standards, because he respected and adopted Sumerian culture and civilization.

Change in the Fertile Crescent

• People from the neighboring region of Akkad later conquered Sumer and the rest of the area around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Once conquered, city-states were simply cities. Their kings were removed from power and the winner ruled all!

• After the Akkadian Empire fell, two groups struggle for control of the Fertile Crescent. Babylonians and Assyrians became the major powers in the region.

Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire

Rise of Babylon• Although Ur rose to glory after the death of Sargon, repeated

foreign attacks drained its strength. By 2000 BC, Ur lay in ruins. With Ur’s power gone, several waves of invaders battled to gain control of Mesopotamia

The Rise of Babylon• Babylon was home to one such group. That city was located

on the Euphrates River near what is today Baghdad, Iraq. Babylon had once been a Sumerian town. By 1800 BC, however, it was home to a powerful government of its own. In 1792 BC, Hammurabi (ham-uh-RAHB-ee) became Babylon’s king. He would become the city’s greatest monarch (MAH-nark), a ruler of a kingdom or empire.

• Absolute power: King can do whatever he wants!

• Divine right: gods have chosen who they want the king to be

• So king really was THE BOSS. • A government run by a single ruler and his

small group of religious advisors is called a THEOCRACY

Rise of Hammurabi• Hammurabi was a brilliant war leader. His armies

fought many battles to expand his power. Eventually, he brought all of Mesopotamia into his empire, called the Babylonian Empire, after his capital.

• Hammurabi’s skills were not limited to the battlefield, though. He was also an able ruler who could govern a huge empire. He oversaw many building and irrigation projects and improved Babylon’s tax collection system to help pay for them. He also brought much prosperity through increased trade. Hammurabi, however, is most famous for his code of laws.

• Shekel: bronze coin in Babylon

HAMMURABI

• Several Sumerian city-states seem to have some sort of rudimentary law code by 2300 BC– But the man credited

with implementing the first uniform law code was the Babylonian king Hammurabi

• Applied to almost all of Mesopotamia

Who was King Nebuchadnezzar? Identify one of his

greatest achievements.

• The most famous Chaldean king.

• Rebuilt Babylon

Examine the photo. What do you think this is?

• The carving on the top shows Hammurabi standing before Shamask, the god of justice, who is seated.

• Below is a list of the gods’ names and saying they had given Hammurabi the right to rule.

• At the bottom are the 282 laws. Yep, 282 of them. Not kidding.

Hammurabi’s Code

• Hammurabi’s Code was a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life. There were laws on everything including trade, loans, theft, marriage, injury, and murder. It contained some ideas that are still found in laws today. Specific crimes brought specific penalties. However, social class did matter. For instance, injuring a rich man brought a greater penalty than injuring a poor man.

Accountability….?

• Hammurabi’s Code was important not only for how thorough it was, but also because it was written down for all to see.

• People all over the empire could read exactly what was against the law.

• There were men whose job was to read the laws to citizens who could not do so for themselves. (the first lawyers? Maybe…)

After Hammurabi…

• Hammurabi ruled for 42 years. During his reign, Babylon became the most important city in Mesopotamia.

• However, after his death, Babylonian power declined. The kings that followed faced invasions from people Hammurabi had conquered.

• Lack of a strong, organized leader= EPIC FAIL. Before long, the Babylonian Empire came to an end.

From Hammurabi’s Code:

“Hammurabi, the protecting king am I…That the strong might not injure the weak, in order to protect the windows and orphans….I set up these my precious words, written upon my memorial stone, before the image of me , as a king of righteousness…”

• According to Hammurabi, what was his purpose for having written these laws?

“By my command of Shamash, the great god and judge of heaven and earth, let the righteousness go forth in the land…..Let no destruction befall my monument…let my name be ever repeated; let the oppressed who has a case at law, come and stand before this my image as king of righteousness; let him read the inscription, and understand my precious words…..”

• Who commanded Hammurabi to create this monument?

“In future time, through all coming generations, let the king who may be in the land, observe the words of righteousness which I have written on my monument; let him not alter the law of the land which I have given you…..”

“If this ruler does not esteem my words, if he destroys the law which I have given , ……may the great god of heaven and earth…inflict a curse …upon his family, his land, his warriors, his subjects, and his troops.”

• What does Hammurabi say will happen to future kings if they disobey these laws?

Examples from Hammurabi’s Code LAW 129: If a son has struck his father, his hand shall be cut

off.LAW 48: If a man has borrowed money to plant his field and

a storm has flooded his field or carried away the crop…in that year he does not have to pay his creditor.

LAW 21: If a man has broken through the wall to rob a house, they shall put him to death and shall hang him in the wall which he has made.

LAW 196: If a man has knocked out the eye of a free man, his eye shall be knocked out.

LAW 199: If a man knocked out the eye of a slave…he shall pay half his value.

Primary Source Analysis Questions

1. What can we use from this to argue that Hammurabi’s Code was just?

2. How can Hammurabi have two different punishments for same crime?

3. Is justice absolute? Is a just punishment in 1800BCE just today?

Mesopotamia Review

Mesopotam

ia

Fold your paper like this

fold overlap

Mesopotamia

Divide top (Yellow) section into 5 sections. Use a ruler!

Add the following headings.

Cut on arrow (colored lines) until you reach the fold. Don’t cut the bottom section

GEOGRAPHY

SOCIAL and RELIGION

ACHIEVEMENTS

GOVERNMENT

ECONOMICS and TRADE

Add to the Geography Tab inside

• Landforms-canals were man made• Climate-warm, little rain, dry• Rivers- Tigris and Euphrates• Farmlands fertile and water was near by• Canals built to control river’s flow

Add to the Social and Religion Tab

• Division of labor• Social hierarchy

• Belief in many gods (polytheism)

• Priest role as go between people and god.

• Priest divides surplus

Add to Achievement Tab• Writing (pictograph to cuneiform) pics to symbols.• Architecture (ziggurat)• Cylinder seals signed names• Jewelry• Wheel• Epic

• 60min, 60 sec.• Math• Calendar• Babylonians made excellent textiles(cloth)

• Laws by Hammurabi • Chariots• Phoenician alphabet• Music• Dance• Weapons of iron (before bronze)• Kept records• Nebuchadnezzar’s hanging garden• Astronomy• Plow like tractor

Add to Government Tab• City-state • Fought each other for enough land to grow crops.• City-state protected inhabitants• Assyrians warlike –used chariots and fire• Phoenicians better at trading than war• Invasions by different group changed culture

• Monarchy and democracy• Sargon had first permanent army• Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar built up Babylon

Add to Economics and Trade

• First farmers• Developed specialized jobs• Traded with other cities• Phoenicians traded all over the Mediterranean

Sea• Phoenicians used cedar wood for boat

building.

What is it and what was its purpose? (IT IS NOT CUNEIFORM)