MesopotamiaCRADLE OF CIVILIZATION

Fertile Crescent

• Greek translation of Mesopotamia is “between two rivers”

• Located in between the Tigris and Euphrates River

• Land was excellent for irrigation because of its fertility.

• Stretches from Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea

Physical Features of Mesopotamia

• Lack of rainfall

• Hot and dry climate

• Windstorms cause river valleys to be muddy during winter

• Catastrophic flooding of Tigris and Euphrates

• No stone nor timber

So why known as Fertile Crescent?

• Natural levees made it possible for early civilizations to thrive

• Natural Levee: Embankments produced by buildup

of sediment over thousands of years of flooding

• Natural levees provided:

• Protection from enemies

• Swamps provided fish and birds

• Safety from floods

• Provided silt

• Fertile sediments produced by rivers

• Reeds from swamps provide food to livestock

• Reeds were also used for construction

Political status of Mesopotamia

• From 3000 BCE to 439 BCE many empires rose and fell

• Most of their achievements impact on the technology we have today

• The Four Civilization are

• Sumer

• Akkad

• Assyria

• Babylonia

Sumer

• 3000 BCE to 2000 BCE • (Existed since before 3000 but not considered civilization then)

• The First Civilization to exist

• Southernmost of the other civilizations

• Formed multiple city-states• A small independent country that consists of a one city and its surround territories

• Most famous of them were Ur and Uruk

Sumer’s Religion and Form of Government

• Sumer’s city-states ruled as theocracies• Kings served as both government and religious rulers

• Their religion was polytheistic• Around 3,000 gods

• Kingship was created by gods and kings are divinely ordained

• Kings and Priests acted as interpreters of the gods

• Each city-state worshipped and was ‘ruled’ by a different god

Enlil

Ziggurats

• Ziggurats- Temples dedicated to the god of the city

• Created by Mudbricks in the shape of many tiers

• 1-7 flat platforms stacked on top of each other

• The Temple was located on the top.

• Served as god’s home

• Offering of food and goods dedicated to the god.

• Most famous of them was the Tower of Babel

Cuneiform• Cuneiform: Sumerian system of writing

• Symbols

• Each symbol had a particular meaning

• Written by Scribes• Scribes: Trained individuals who knew how to read and

write documents and stories

• Upper class

• Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWppk7-Mti4

Sumerian inventions

• Wagon wheel

• Archs

• Potter’s wheel

• Sundial

• 12 month calendar

• Metal plow

Akkad• 2300 BCE to 2100 BCE

• Unified lower Mesopotamia under the leadership of Sargon the Great

• He established the capital of Akkad

• First Mesopotamian empire

• Fell quickly because the King of conquered Akkad and over time the empire collapsed to the Amorites

Babylon

• 1792 BCE to 1595 BCE

• Babylon was a city-state in Mesopotamia who began to rise in power when King Hammurabi took the throne.

• King Hammurabi conquered all of Mesopotamia and many lands from a country known as Assyria.

• Hammurabi was most famous for his strict laws known as “Hammurabi’s Code”

Hammurabi’s Code• Strict laws

• Harsh punishments against criminals or law breakers

• Famous for “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” laws• If a son struck his father, son’s hand would be cut off

• Government assumed authority and responsible to protect its citizens

• People now had laws to follow to protect their rights, which decreased the amount of violence among the citizens.

Hammurabi’s Code

• Laws seen as divine and societal laws

• According to Babylonian belief, Shamash, god of justice and equity, gave laws to Hammurabi.

• Consequences depended on rank of society as well.

Assyria• 1365 BCE – 612 BCE

• Based in the city of Assur

• Unified all of Mesopotamia through conquest and fear over their citizens and enemies

• Kings had absolute power and their society was well organized

• Known to have most effective military force with the development of iron• Started to use chariots and used iron wheels instead of wood.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pa54hWROpQ

Neo-Babylon

• Assyria is conquered by the Medes and Chaldeans

• The Chaldeans become known as the Babylonians

• Ruled from 612 BCE to 538 BCE

• Nabopolassar became the first king of Babylon.

• Nebuchadnezzar II rules Babylon from 605 BCE to 562 BCE.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest and projects• Captured the Kingdom of Israel (will discuss later on) and caused the Diaspora or

what is also known as the Babylonian Exile.

• Built double walls to protect Babylon

• Ishtar Gates

• Hanging Gardens

• Dedicated to his wife

Fall of Babylon

• In 539 BCE the Babylonian Empire fell to the hands of the Persian Empire ley by Cyrus the Great