Mesopotamia (4)
Download as PPT, PDF9 likes2,360 views
Mesopotamia was well-suited for the rise of early civilizations due to its fertile geography between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Sumer emerged as the first civilization in Mesopotamia around 3,000 BC, with cities organized around temples, ziggurats, and walls. Sumer developed systems of irrigation and government to manage seasonal flooding. Writing, science, and culture flourished in the independent city-states until they were conquered by successive empires like Akkad and Babylon, which adopted aspects of Sumerian civilization while ruling through military dominance and administration.
Mesopotamia (4)
- 1. Mesopotamia
- 4. Geography??? • Farming began in southern Mesopotamia in 5500 BC • Flat, swampy region • The Tigris and Euphrates rivers often flooded during the spring • The floods left a very fertile mud, called silt – this made the soil very rich
- 5. Geographic Challenges • Little rain • Water from rainfall and snowmelt • Rivers overflow without warning • Rivers dry up
- 6. Methods of Controlling Water • developed methods to control water (i.e., basins, canals, dikes) • projects required organization!!! • complex government formed
- 7. Sumer: The Cities of Sumer • First civilization • 3,000 BC • mud brick buildings • Temples in the center • ziggurats rose to the sky • Walls surrounded the city • city-state - a political unit with its own government
- 8. Sumer: Religion and Government • polytheistic • The gods controlled nature • Each City-State had their own personal god The City’s Center Enlil Rain Storm
- 9. Sumerian priests • Priests held high status and governed the city- states • City-states battled for dominance • War chiefs began to rule as kings • Many of the city- states’ kings formed dynasties • A dynasty is a series of rulers from one family
- 10. Sumerian Culture: Writing • Cuneiform – Sumerian writing • Wedge-shaped symbols on clay tablets • first used to keep business accounts and other records • Epic of Gilgamesh • Scribes created written documents – this required years of schooling, but allowed one to move up in social class
- 11. Sumer: Scientific advancement • The Wheel • The Plow • Used bronze to make stronger weapons • Medical knowledge, and performed basic surgeries
- 12. Sumer: The Arts • Sumerian architecture: arches, ramps, and columns • Sumerian Sculpture: statues with large, wide-open eyes, as well as small objects carved out of ivory • cylinder seals
- 13. Empires in Mesopotamia • Frequent warfare weakened Sumer’s city- states. • Each new invader adapted parts of Sumerian culture into its own society Empires in Mesopotamia
- 14. Sargon’s Akkadian Empire • 2330 BCE • Sargon I – first to create a permanent army • Conquered all of Sumer and northern Mesopotamia • Akkad was the world’s first empire
- 15. Continued… • Used cuneiform as the main language for religion and literature • Kept the power of the priesthood • Empire lasted for 140 years • spread Sumerian culture • Tribes from the east invaded and captured Akkad
- 16. The Babylonian Empire • The Amorites settled in Babylon on the Eurphrates, near modern Baghdad, Iraq • Hammurabi became king of Babylon in 1792 BCE • He was a great warrior and UNITED all of Mesopotamia in what is known as the Babylonian Empire
- 17. Hammurabi • Great administrator • Managed buildings and projects • Improved the tax collection system • Increased trade • Honored old Sumerian gods • Allowed priests to retain their power • Schools continued to teach the Sumerian language and cuneiform writing
- 18. Hammurabi’s Code • Code of laws • 282 laws dealing with everything from trade and theft to injury and murder
- 19. Decline of Babylon • After Hammurabi’s death, Babylonian power declined • Less than 200 years later, the empire had fallen