Amorites Hammurabi Successful general Defeated Sumerians and Akkad

Amorites

Hammurabi Successful general Defeated Sumerians and Akkad around 1760 B. C. E Helped his people conquer Mesopotamia A famous Babylonian Monarch Created one of the first empires by uniting Mesopotamia under one ruler

Hammurabi Improved the irrigation process of his empire Strongly encouraged astronomy, mathematics, and literature

The Code of Hammurabi Was created by Hammurabi First known code of laws in ancient civilizations Used to keep order in the empire Contained the concepts of “an eye for an eye” or “lex talionis” Established rules for common issues Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi Created standards for behavior Created punishments They were posted in the cities’ temple Written in cuneiform Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi 282 total laws Written around 1786 B. C. E Carved in forty-nine columns of stone tablets called stele

The Code of Hammurabi Addressed topics such as civil, commercial, family, and criminal laws Some laws showed favoring towards higher social classes “If a man strikes the cheek of a freeman who is superior in rank to himself, he shall be beaten with 60 stripes with a whip of ox-hide in the assembly”

Impact of Ideas Many later documents used ideas from the Code of Hammurabi When the Kassites conquered Babylon and controlled Mesopotamia they still used Hammurabi’s Code Established the authority of the government for Babylon and other societies

Impact of Ideas Some historians suggest that many aspects of the Bible include borrowed ideas from Hammurabi’s Code The 10 Commandments Levitical The Law contains the concept of an eye for an eye laws of Melchizedek (the land that the Bible said God told Abraham to live on)

Culture Spoke language related to Hebrew Wrote on clay tablets Cuneiform writing

Culture Elaborate palaces and temple buildings Art and architecture were influenced by other Mesopotamian cultures

Culture Worshiped Sumerian gods Told Sumerian myths and tales Created a new god they worshipped Marduk The Epic of Gilgamesh was created and contributed to religion

Social Institutions Split up into 2 groups: traders and workers Society of farmers, free citizens, and merchants Priests served gods and cared for the welfare of his subjects.

Social Institutions Monarchy Became more powerful Used power to collect taxes and make a strong army Strong central government needed a set of laws to keep order(Hammurabi's Code)

Social Institutions Instead of city-states they created one big kingdom Their most famous king was Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi set up the rules for each social class.

Government Based on Sumerian civilization Relied on sun god: Marduk Ruler was Hammurabi’s Code gave empire order

Economy Traded with Canaan and Anatolia Reflected art and agriculture Traded cloth for gold

Human Environment Interactions Kingdoms • Division into kingdoms replaced city-states of Sumerians • Kings chose the land people were given and which land would be dedicated to farming

Human Environment Interaction Farmland Grew wheat and barely Created better irrigation systems Domesticating animals Creating better roads and improving wheels led to population growth

Cooperation and Conflict Sumerians fell and Mesopotamia went in a conflicted era Amorites traveled into Mesopotamia, and recreated their civilization but with improvements

Cooperation and Conflict The fall of the Amorites was called the Dark Age Kassites took over and the language of the Amorites faded into the south of Mesopotamia

Location the Amorites lived in Canaan and in the Eastern part of the fertile crescent http: //www. jesuswalk. com/joshua/images/amorite-map. gif

Social Classes 2 forms of slaves – (Wardu) - Debtors working for freedom Prisoners of War/ women + children sold to pay a debt Slaves were occasionally sold to pay labors

Social Classes cont. 2 forms of free citizens - Higher (Anilu) Lower (Mushkenu) Military + civil services are under free citizens Nobles and rulers are the final rung http: //www. gutenberg. org/files/16653 -h/img/23. jpg

Geography In the Western part of Mesopotamia now known as Arabia Hot and dry climate in the summer; cold and wet in winter Fertile land, major waterways to help with trade Also the Mountain range Jebel Bishiri Built around the Euphrates

Technology/ Inventions Centralized government A new God (Marduk) Established the 1 st dynasty 1 st written code of laws

Cooperation and Conflict Nebuchadnezzar led a revival in 1000 BCE Agum I took over Babylon after the Hittite rule Samsu-ditanna was the last king Traded with every city-state in the Euphrates river valley

Governmental ideas 1 st set of written laws Had one central city-state, Babylon Divisions of kingdoms eliminated city- states Development of personal ownership/ private property Priests didn’t control the economy anymore

Social Institutions Religion - Worshipped the Moon god(Sin) + Amurru is possibly where they got the name Amorites Believed in an after life Believed their king was a god Government - Scribes kept track of everything Hereditary Monarchy

Social Institutions Cont. Schools (Tablet School) - Children began school at age 8 or 9 Had schools for scribes Took 12 years Mostly boy students Senior students helped the teacher/expert

Cultural development Bronze began to be used Passed on stories orally ex. ) “Epic of Gilgamesh” Looked at monarch as a god Religion was part of their everyday culture

Individuals Hammurabi: - Wrote the 1 st code of laws Very one gender sided Created a man based society Women became slaves and household objects Changed laws everywhere

Economics Was controlled by priest Changed hands with Hammurabi’s rule Trade thrived in this area because: - Large cities Their geographical location (rivers) http: //www. biblehistory. com/sketches/ancient/nebuchadnezzarinscription. jpg

Impact of Ideas Freed certain people from taxes Switched from independent city-states to kingdoms made up of city-states Changes in the economic system - control shifted from religious leaders to king/government

Fun Facts! Famous for Hammurabi’s Code Hittites conquered the Amorites then left, then the Kassites came and occupied the territory First to inhabit Canaan + Babylonia area Established first Babylonian dynasty Jebel Bishiri – Syria named after the Amorites

Introduction • Amorites were also known as the Old Babylonians who were mountainous people and warriors • The Amorites ruled the empire from 1900 -1600 B. C. E known as the Old Babylonian Period • They were a group of Semites that gained control of Mesopotamia after the fall of the last Sumerian dynasty

Location • In the fertile crescent • Occupied the area west of the Euphrates River • Babylon was the capitol of the Amorite Empire • The area the Amorites occupied included the cities: • Mari • Rapiqum • Sippar • Babylon • Eshunna • Malgium • Nippur • Uruk • Larsa • Lagash • Ur • Eridu

Location cont. • Occupied modern-day Syria • Northern area was composed of hills and plains • It was fertile because of rivers flowing down from the mountains • Southern area had marshy areas and desolate plains

Language • Amorites used the Akkadian language as their spoken language • Used cuneiform for many of their documents • Used the Sumerian language as their religious language

Religion • Polytheistic • They adopted the Sumerian religion • Main god was Marduk which is the only god that they imported • Did not care about life after death • Focused mainly on life itself

Important Individuals • Hammurabi: the sixth ruler of Babylonia, who created the first set of written laws • Gilgamesh: legendary king discovers the secret of floods and defies the gods • Samsu-Ditana: last king of the First Babylonian Dynasty

Social Classes Noblemen • Social Pyramid: • Noblemen Commoners • Commoners • Women • Slaves • New kings came to rule: • Many people were freed • New societies Women Slaves

Writing • Hammurabi’s Code • The famous Venus Tablets of Ammis aduqa • The Epic of Gilgamesh • Gilgamesh searched for immortality • Learned from the only man who survived a great flood created by the gods • Gilgamesh also conquered the demon, Huwawa, who lived in the cedar forest • Gilgamesh wanted Cedar Wood and encountered the Huwawa and killed it

Technology Adopted many of the Sumerians’ technological advancements: • Wheel • Boat/Ships • Metallurgy • Irrigation Systems

Mathematics • Helped with trade and records • Developed multiplication and exponents • Tablets recovered including signs of: • Fractions • Algebra • Quadratic Equations • Cubic Equations • Pythagorean Theorem

Arts/Architecture • Had an abundance of mudbrick • Built temples supported by buttresses • Use of brick led to the early development of pilaster and column • Walls were brilliantly colored and plated with zinc or gold • Assyrians adopted later on

Wars • Always prepared for wars • Wars rarely occurred • War against Gibeon: • 5 kings of Amorite marched together to attack Gibeon • Felt threatened by Gibeon’s wealth, power, and military status • They attacked Gibeon • Gibeon survived b/c of King Joshua’s cunning plots and tactics

Government • Established a bureaucracy: a system of government • Were first to have a set of laws which was Hammurabi’s Code • Hammurabi’s Code was written around 1792 -1750 B. C. E.

Effect on Mesopotamia • Changed city-states into kingdoms • Men, cattle, and land ceased to belong to the gods or the temples and kings • Brought lasting repercussions in its political, social and economic structure

Bibliography www. angelfire. com/va 3/violingirl/amorites. html http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Amorite http: //www. wsu. edu/~dee/MESO/AMORITES. HTM http: //www. fsmitha. com/h 1/ch 01. htm http: //www. britishmuseum. org/explore/world_cultures/ middle_east/amorites. aspx http: //www. wsu. edu/~dee/MESO/AMORITES. HTM http: //www. hyperhistory. net/apwh/bios/b 1 hammurabi. ht m http: //www. lawbuzz. com/ourlaws/hammurabi/religion. ht m http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hammurabi

Sources “Amorites. ” Amorite. Wikipedia. November 5, 2008 <http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Amorites> “Geography. ” Geography. The British Museum. November 4, 2008 <http: //www. mesopotamia. co. uk/geography/home_set. html> “Mathematics. ” Babylonia. Wikipedia. November 13, 2008 <http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Babylonians#Mathematics> “Old Babylonian Period. ” Babylonia. Wikipedia. November 4, 2008 <http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Babylonians#Old_Babylonia n_period> “Technology. ” Babylonia. Wikipedia. November 8, 2008 <http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Babylonians#Technology> The Amorites. November 11, 2008 <http: //www. wsu. edu/~dee/MESO/AMORITES. HTM>

Bibliography "Amorites. " High Beam Encylopedia. 2008. 10 Nov. 2008 http: //www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1 e 1 -amorites. html. "Amorites. " Phoencia. org. 2008. Phoencia Enclylopedia. 9 Nov. 2008 http: //phoenicia. org/amorites. html. "The Amorites, Phoenicians, and Hebrews. " 10 Nov. 2008 http: //www. egyptorigins. org/amorites. htm. "The Amorites. " World History Center. History World International. 10 Nov. 2008 http: //history-world. org/amorites. htm. "Ancient Babylonia Geography. " Bible History. 10 Nov. 2008 http: //www. biblehistory. com/babyloniageography. htm. "Ancient Hodgepodge. " Fun Trivia. 10 Nov. 2008 http: //www. funtrivia. com/en/subtopics/ancient-hodgepodge-149254. html. Hooker, Richard. "Mesopotamia. " 1996. World Civilizations. 10 Nov. 2008.