Chapter 1, Section 2 Mesopotamian Civilization. Mesopotamias Civilization Over thousands of years, some of the early farming villages developed into civilizations.

Chapter 1, Section 2

Mesopotamian Civilization

Mesopotamia’s Civilization

• Over thousands of years, some of the early farming villages developed into civilizations.

• The first civilizations arose in river valleys:– Good farming conditions– Easier to get from place to place– Easier to trade goods & ideas

Mesopotamia’s Civilization

• As cities took shape, so did the need for organization. – Someone had to make plans/decisions about common concerns– Formed governments– Leaders took charge of food, supplies & building projects– Made laws to keep order– Assembled armies to fend off enemies

Mesopotamia’s Civilization

• With fewer worries about meeting their basic needs, people had more time to think about other things.

• They developed religions & arts, ways of writing and calendars to tell time.

• Early civilizations had a class structure– People held different places in society depending on what work

they did & how much wealth or power they had

The Rise of Sumer

• The earliest know civilization formed in what is now southern Iraq.

• It was a flat plain between the Tigris & Euphrates River.

• It was called Mesopotamia.

The Rise of Sumer• Mesopotamia lay in the eastern part of the fertile

crescent.

• This was a curving strip of land that extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

• It had a hot, dry climate.

• In the spring the rivers flooded leaving rich, fertile soil behind

The Rise of Sumer• In the spring the rivers flooded leaving rich, fertile soil

for farming.

• The flooding was very unpredictable leaving the farmers to believe they needed their gods to bless their farming efforts.

• Over time they learned to build dams & channels to control the seasoned floods.

The Rise of Sumer

• They also built walls, waterways & ditches to bring water to their fields (irrigation).

• Irrigation allowed them to grow plenty of food & support a large population.

• By 3000 B.C. many cities had formed in southern Mesopotamia in a region known as Sumer.

City-States• Sumerian cities were isolated

from each other by geography.

• Each Sumerian city & the land around it became a separate city-state.

• It had its own government & was not part of any larger unit.

City-States• Sumerian city-states often

went to war with one another.

• They fought to gain glory & to control more territory.

• Each city surrounded itself with a wall for protection.

• Stone & wood were scarce so they used river mud as their main building material.

City-States

• They mixed the mud with crushed reeds, formed bricks & left them in the sun to dry.

• The bricks were waterproof and used for walls in homes, temples & other buildings.

Gods & Rulers• The Sumerians believed in many

gods.

• Each was thought to have power over a natural force or a human activity.

• They tried hard to please the gods & would build a grand temple called a ziggurat to the chief god.

• Ziggurat means “mountain of god” or “hill of heaven”

Gods & Rulers• The ziggurat dominated

the city.

• At the top was a shrine – a special place on the top where only priests & priestesses could enter.

• The priests & priestesses controlled much of the land.

Gods & Rulers

• Later, kings ran the government, led armies, & organized building projects.

• The first kings were probably war heroes & their position became hereditary.

Life in Sumer• Sumerian kings lived in large palaces.

• Most people in Sumer farmed & lived in mud-brick houses.

• Some were artisans who made pottery, metal products or cloth.

• Others worked as merchants or traders.

Life in Sumer• People in Sumer were divided into 3 social classes.

– 1. Upper Class: kings, priests & government officials

– 2. Middle Class: artisans, merchants, farmers, fishers

– 3. Lower Class: enslaved people who worked on farms or in temples.

Life in Sumer

• The Sumerian left a lasting mark on world history.

• Their ideas & inventions were improved upon by other people.

• As a result, Mesopotamia has been called the “cradle of civilization.”

Why Was Writing Important?• The Sumerians greatest

invention was writing.

• This is important because it helps people communicate & pass on their ideas to others.

• They developed writing to keep track of business deals & other events.

Why Was Writing Important?

• Their writing was called cuneiform.

• It consisted of hundreds of wedge shaped marks cut into damp clay tablets with a sharp-ended reed.

• Archaeologist have found thousands of these cuneiform tablets.

Why Was Writing Important?

• Usually only boys from wealthy families learned to write.

• They became known as scribes.

• Scribes held honored positions in society, often going to become judges & political leaders.

Sumerian Literature

• The Sumerians also produced works of literature.

• The world’s oldest known story comes from Sumer.

• It is called the Epic of Gilgamesh.

• An epic is a long poem that tells the story of a hero.

Science & Math• Sumerians also invented the wagon wheel to help carry

people & goods from place to place.

• Other inventions included the plow & sailboat.

• They first used geometry to put up buildings.

Science & Math

• They created a number system based on 60 (60-minute hour, 60-second minute and 360-degree circle).

• They also recorded the position of the planets & stars and developed a 12-month calendar based on the cycle of the moon.

Sargon & Hammurabi• Over time, conflicts weakened

Sumer’s city-states.

• They became vulnerable to attacks by outside groups such as the Akkadians from northern Mesopotamia.

• The king of the Akkadians was named Sargon.

• He conquered all of Mesopotamia in 2340 B.C.

Sargon & Hammurabi

• He set up the world’s first empire.

• Sargon’s empire lasted for more than 200 years.

• In the 1800s B.C. a new group of people became powerful in Mesopotamia.

• They built the city of Babylon on the Euphrates River & it quickly became a center for trade.

Sargon & Hammurabi

• In 1792 B.C., the Babylonian king, Hammurabi began conquering cities to the north & south creating the Babylonian Empire.

• Hammurabi is best known for his laws or collection of laws.

• He took what he believed were the best laws from each city-state & put them into one code.

Sargon & Hammurabi• The code covered crimes, farming and business activities,

and marriage & family.

• Many punishments in the Code of Hammurabi were cruel, his laws mark an important step toward a fair system of justice.