Ancient Civilizations:Mesopotamia

Geography & Environment

“the land between the rivers…”

• On which continent was Mesopotamia located?

• Asia; in what is modern day Iraq, Syria & Turkey

The Geography

• On which rivers did the ancient Mesopotamians settle?

• Between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers; in an area known as the Fertile Crescent

The Geography

• Flooding provided rich soil for farming

The Geography

• Three Environmental Challenges:

• Unpredictable flooding• No natural barriers for

protection• Limited natural resources Predict how Mesopotamians

overcame each of these challenges…

The Geography

Early Mesopotamian Kingdoms

Mesopotamian Cultures

• Mesopotamia did NOT represent a unified kingdom, instead it was made up of a series of kingdoms that occupied a specific geographical space

• Sumer (c. 3500 – 2300 BC)• Akkad (c. 2300 -2200 BC)• Babylonia (1790-1590 BC)• Assyria (1360-620 BC)• Neo-Babylonia (629-540 BC)

Mesopotamian Cultures

The first civilization

Sumer 3500 – 2300 BCE

• Geography:• Located at the

southern end of Mesopotamia

• Near the mouths of the Tigris & Euphrates

Sumerian Geography

Sumerian Geography

• City-state: • A city + its surrounding lands• Independent political units that

competed for trade & boundaries

• i.e. Uruk, Kish, Ur, Lagash

• Same culture, BUT each had its own:

• Ruler, special god, and army

Sumerian Geography

Sumerian Religion & Government

• Polytheism:• The worship of more than one

god• Believed gods were immortal &

all powerful; humans were to serve the gods

• Ziggurat:• Centralized

temples where sacrifices and offerings were made to the gods

• Animals, food, wine, etc.

Sumerian Religion & Government

• City-states were ruled by priest- kings who were viewed as powerful agents of the gods

• Theocracy – gov’t based on religious authority

Sumerian Religion & Government

Sumerian Religion & Government• Despite their religious

practices, Sumerians had little, if any, belief in an afterlife

• Believed that the souls of the dead went to the “land of no return”

Sumerian Economy• Economy based on farming &

trade• Traded with places as far away

as Egypt and India• At first barter only• Used barley for

money, then switched to coins

Sumerian Culture & Knowledge• Developed a form

of written language known as cuneiform

• Wedge shapes scratched into clay tablets

Sumerian Culture & Knowledge• Invention of the wheel (3000

BC)

Sumerian Culture & Knowledge• Other notable contributions:• System of irrigation• Invention of the sail & plow• The usage of bronze• Development of a number

system based on 60• Architecture: arches, columns,

ramps

Kings/PriestsLandholdersWealthy

Merchants

Field Laborers & Artisans

Slaves

Sumerian Society

Sumerian Society

• Most Sumerians worked with their hands in fields and workshops

• Houses were made of mud brick and clay

Sumerian Society• Roles of Men/Women:• Men could sell wife/kids into

slavery to pay off debt• But women could obtain a

divorce and buy/sell property• Scribe Schools: Edubbas• For rich boys only

Babylonia

The first system of justice

1790 – 1590 BCE

The Babylonian Empire• In 1792 BC a new empire took

control of Mesopotamia • Babylonia• Reached its

height during the reign of King Hammurabi

The Babylonian Empire

• Hammurabi’s Code:• 1st known code of law• Stressed responsible

behavior• Capital punishment

• “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”

• Punishments based on SOCIAL CLASS

• Laws focused on ALL aspects of society

The Babylonian Empire