Chapter 3

Mesopotamia

Earliest Known Civilization• Civilization – a time when people progressed

culturally, began to live in cities

• Began in Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia

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SumerIrrigation

Used river water to make canals to irrigate crops

Area known as the “Fertile Crescent”

City-States

Each Sumerian city was its own state

With its own God and Government

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City-States City surrounded by wall of brick w/

Bronze gates

City Center – Upper Class houses Behind Upper Class – Middle Class Further Out – Lower Class

City-States Upper Class –

priests and merchants

Middle ClassGovt officials, shopkeepers,

artisans

Artisans – Skilled Workers

Lower ClassFarmers, unskilled workers,

fishermen

Religious & Family Life

At center of each city was a TEMPLE or a “Zigguart”

“Mountain of God”

Only priests could enter

Great stairway led to the top

Religious & Family Life

Around ziggurat were courts

Center of Sumerian life

Artisans worked there, children went to school, etc.

Ziggurat Only priests could know the will of God Priests were very powerful All land owned by city's God

Priests controlled and administered the land in God's name

They also ran schools Schools were for sons of the rich Poorer boys worked in fields, trade

Religion Believed all forces

of nature were alivewind, rain, flood

Viewed these forces as Gods

More than 3,000 Sumerian Gods

Cuneiform – Sumerian language At first, used pictures to represent

objects Later, to represent ideas Still later, to represent syllables

Scribe – writer When student graduated from school,

became a scribe Worked for: temples, palaces,

government, or army

“The Sumerians believed that at first there were only male Gods. Then female gods appeared. The male gods found they had to work very hard to please the female gods. The male gods decided that they needed servants to do their work. So from the mud of the rivers, they made humans who would be their servants. The Sumerians believed that they were on Earth only to serve the Gods. If the Gods were unhappy with them, their crops would not grow and they would not live a happy life. Therefore, the goal of each Sumerian was to please the Gods.”

What was the purpose of a zigguart?

What was the center of Sumerian life?