Mesopotamia
- 1. CHAPTER 2 EARLY RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS SECTION 1 City-States in Mesopotamia SECTION 2 Pyramids on the Nile SECTION 3 Planned Cities on the Indus SECTION 4 River Dynasties in China
- 2. SECTION 1 EARLY RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
- 3. THE FERTILE CRESCENT Fertile: Capable of producing Crescent:
- 5. GEOGRAPHY OF FERTILE CRESCENT Fertile Crescent: curved shape and richness of the land. Mesopotamia, the land that is facing the Mediterranean Sea meaning “land between the rivers” The rivers in Mesopotamia are the Tigris and the Euphrates.The rivers created soil called silt, which made it easier for farmers to grow produce on.
- 6. 3 DISADVANTAGES People started to settle down in Mesopotamia as early as early as 3000BC, however, this area also had several disadvantages. 1. Unpredictable flooding + sometimes no rain 2. No natural barriers for protection 3. Limited natural resources in the area
- 7. 3 SOLUTIONS 1. Create irrigation ditches in order to control water supply for farming and drinking. 2. Create brick walls around the city for defense. 3.Trade with civilizations nearby for natural resources that you cannot find in Mesopotamia (such as stone, wood and metal).
- 9. CITY-STATES Kind of like countries/Europe. The Sumerians were the first to develop what is known as a city-state. Within Sumer, there were several cities, and each city operated as its own independent organization. URUK, LAGASH
- 10. PRIESTSThe earliest governments were controlled by the temple priests. They would pray at the largest building at the center of the city, the Ziggurat. The Ziggurat would also serve as a type of city hall. This pattern continues for centuries
- 11. MILITARY LEADERS However, the priests were not always in charge. When there was a war, the people chose as a leader tough fighter who could command the city soldiers. Often the military leaders would pass their power on to their sons, this is known as a Dynasty.
- 12. CULTURAL DIFFUSION Cultural diffusion is the process by which a new idea or a product spreads from one culture to another. As the various cities in Sumeria became more prosperous, trade increased, which also increased cultural diffusion.
- 13. RELIGION The Sumerians were polytheistic: this means they believed in many different gods and goddesses. For the Sumerians the strongest god was Enil, the god of storms and air. There were also demon gods that protected humans from other demons. The Gods of Sumeria was similar to the gods of the Romans and Greeks (Quarter 3), and had very humanlike personalities: they would get involved with humans’ personal affairs, have children, fall in love, and so on.
- 14. Humans were at complete disposal of the Gods. If the gods became angry, they could swiftly kill many people. Humans believed that sacrifices were necessary to keep the gods happy. They believed that life after death was gloomy- that people were sent to a “land of no return”. How does this compare to most modern religions?
- 15. 2000-3000 BC THE VARIOUS CITY STATES ARE CONSTANTLY AT WAR As a result, the weakened city states could no longer ward off attacks from other civilizations. Around 2350BC, a conqueror named Sargon defeated the city-states of Sumer. Sargon adopted most of Sumerian culture and created the world’s first empire. An Empire brings together several peoples, nations, or previously independent states under the control of one ruler. FUTURE EMPIRES
- 16. AKKADIAN EMPIRE
- 17. BABYLONIAN EMPIRE Nomadic warriors from west of the Euphrates (called Amorites) took over of the region around 2000BC. They call Babylon, a city on the Euphrates, the new capital. During the Babylonian Empires rule, Hammurabi would be in charge of the empires peak (1792BC) Nomadic
- 19. HAMMURABI'S CODE One of the most prominent leaders of the Babylonian Empire, Hammurabi, is most well known for the set of laws that he created. There were 282 laws total, engraved on stone and made public. The punishments differed depending on ones social class and gender.
- 20. EXAMPLE LAWS BY HAMMURABI • If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death. • If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. (An eye for an eye) • If he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken.
- 21. HAMMURABI ASSIGNMENT You will be provided with all of Hammurabi's Codes. Task: Read through the list of codes set by Hammurabi. Explain in a 5 paragraph structure why these codes would not be applicable to todays society. Your answer must include at least three specific examples from the codes themselves. Format: 5 paragraph essay. Introduction, Point 1, Point 2, Point 3, Conclusion (word count: 500-900 words) DUE: August 30th by 11:59PM