The Revolving Door of Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia means:

Mesopotamia means: “land between two rivers”

Civilization developed between The Euphrates and Tigris Rivers

By 3000 B.C. a number of civilizations established by the Sumerians

Map of Mesopotamia

Role of the EnvironmentRivers provided the basics for

exsistance• Water• Food • Sanitation

Role of the EnvironmentProblems with living hear a river

valley?- Destroyed by frequent floods that

ravaged entire cities- Communication amongst the various

isolated cities was very difficult

Invention of WritingOrigins of Writing probably go

back to te ninth millennium B.C.4th millennium – realized that

drawing tokens was easier than making tokens

Result was the development of cuneiform:

- “wedge-shaped”- Pictographic system

Cuneiform

Sumerian InventionsWagon wheelPotter’s wheel (shape containers) Number system12 month calendarMetal plowSailSome of the earliest known mapsNew architecture

Sumer, 3200-2350 B.C.

Sumerian Society Sumer was different from all other

earlier civilizations◦Advanced cities ◦Specialized workers ◦Complex institutions◦ record keeping ◦Advanced technologyDeveloped city-statesFood surplus > increased population >

expanded trade > expansion of Sumerian society

Sumer SocietyPolytheistic - believed in many

gods Wrote myths (Epic of Gilgamesh)

◦Priests and kings were at the top◦Slaves were at the bottom

Women probably couldn’t attend school but had many other rights

Advances in mathematics◦Number system based on 60 (60

seconds = 1 minute)

From Sumerians to BabyloniansThe Sumerians city-states

eventually fell to foreign invaders (2000 B.C.)

The Akkadians:◦Semites – nomaidc people from the

Arabian Peninsula that migrated to Mesopotamia

◦Sargon I (2300-2200 B.C.E.) unites all Mesopotamia (created first empire)

◦Under Sargon I- Akkadians adopted Sumerian religion and

farming

Sargon’s Empire

Babylonian EmpireLocated in modern day SyriaConquered many parts of old

Sumer (including Babylon)Hammurabi –created a law code

with harsh punishments Borrowed heavily from Sumerian

cultureAfter Hammurabi’s death

Babylon declined

Hammurabi of Babylon, 1792-1750 B.C.E

HittitesA strong army with chariotsConquered Babylon in 1595

B.C.E.Borrowed from Mesopotamian

and Egyptian cultureHad a law code less harsh than

Hammurabi’sLasted until about 1200 B.C.E

AssyriansStarted to gain strength about

900 B.C.EPowerful army Treated conquered people cruellyLarge empire with good roadsCollapsed about 612 B.C.E

ChaldeansDefeated the Assyrians in about

612 B.C.EDescended from Hammurabi’s

BabyloniansAt its height during the rule of

Nebuchadnezzar (605-562B.C.E) ◦Spent a lot of money on Babylon◦Built Hanging Gardens

Empire collapsed in 539B.C.Wafter being defeated by Persians

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

PersiansCyrus (conquered from the Nile

to the IndusDarius I (son is Xerxes)

◦Administered the empire using satrups (governors)

◦Tolerant of those who were conquered

◦Increased trade and build roads◦Lost to the Greeks in 480 B.C.E