Chapter 3 MESOPOTAMIA AND THE FERTILE CRESCENT CAUSE

Chapter 3 MESOPOTAMIA AND THE FERTILE CRESCENT

CAUSE EFFECT Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flood frequently Crops can die and homes get destroyed, make fertile soil Fertile Soil Produce more food More food Healthier people, population growth, surplus Surplus More business and trade, less farming Less people farming More specialized jobs More jobs Increased technology, expansion of society Expanded society Need government Government, culture, trade, etc. CIVILIZATION! PRE-AP NOTES

SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHY OF THE FERTILE CRESCENT People settled near water so crops could grow One region that was ideal for settlement sat between 2 major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates This area of rich soil was called…. The Fertile

WHAT IS THE LAND BETWEEN THE RIVERS? Mesopotamia is Greek for “between 2 rivers” Mesopotamia lies between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers It has 2 parts: -the North is a plateau bordered by mountains - the South is a flat plain Mesopotamia is part of a larger area called the Fertile Crescent, which has VERY rich soil

HOW DID THE FIRST CIVILIZATION RISE? H-G groups first settled in Mesopotamia 12, 000 years ago The floods of the Tigris and Euphrates brought silt, a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks which the land great for farming 1 st farming settlements formed in 7000 BC Plentiful Food Populatio n Growth Village Formation Rise of Civilizatio n

WHAT MAKES A CIVILIZATION? To be a civilization, a society must have the following: Central government Cities Division of labor Social levels (hierarchy) Trade Advanced farms Use of metal tools Writing system Religious system Calendar

WHAT WAS MESOPOTAMIAN FARMING LIKE? Received very little rain and flooding of the rivers could be dangerous Farmers needed to control the rivers’ flow Used irrigation, a way of supplying water to an area of land Dug basins and canals that brought water to the fields and built up river banks to hold back floods

HOW DID IRRIGATION AFFECT THE CIVILIZATION? Irrigation increased the amount of food farmers grew and provided water for domesticated animals Produced a food surplus, or more than they needed Fewer people needed to farm because there was so much food

HOW DID IRRIGATION AFFECT THE CIVILIZATION? People were more free to do other jobs Division of labor formed (arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job) Society could accomplish more tasks such as building and construction Consequently, we need rules and structure to complete tasks We need a government!!

HOW DID CITIES FORM? Settlements grew in size and complexity Cities began to appear between 4000 and 3000 BC Society in Mesopotamia is still mostly based on farming, but cities became the political, religious, cultural, and economic centers of civilization

SECTION 2: THE RISE OF SUMER Sumer was the world’s first official civilization Settled in Mesopotamia and created an advanced society

WHAT WERE THE CITY-STATES OF SUMER LIKE? Most people were farmers who lived in rural, or countryside areas Sumer had urban, or city areas as well that were the centers of their civilizations and had over 100, 000 people living there by 2000 BC Rural Urban

WHAT WERE THE CITY-STATES OF SUMER LIKE (CONT) Sumerian cities soon became city-states, which consisted of the city and the countryside around it City-states fought each other to get more farmland They had strong armies and walls to protect their land Kish, Uruk, Ur were examples of very strong city-states

HOW DID THE AKKADIAN EMPIRE RISE? Lived north of the Sumerian city-states and were peaceful in the beginning 2300 BC- Sargon built a new capital called Akkad and had a permanent army He defeated all the city-states of Sumer and conquered northern Mesopotamia He established the world’s 1 st empire, land with different territories and people under single rule

HOW DID THE AKKADIAN EMPIRE FALL? Sargon ruled for 50 more years After his death, the empire only lasted a century more because it was invaded by outsiders Chaos followed for 100 more years The Sumerian city-state of Ur eventually became the more powerful and rebuilt stability in the region Sumer’s #1 again!

HOW DID RELIGION SHAPE SUMERIAN SOCIETY? Religion played a role almost all aspects of life The Sumerians practiced polytheism, the worship of MANY gods -Examples of gods: Enlil, Enki, Inanna, Utu, Nanna, Shamash (sun god shown below!) Each city-state had a special god as their protector Believed their gods controlled natural events like weather and illness Success in life depended on how you worshipped the gods

HOW DID RELIGION SHAPE SUMERIAN SOCIETY? Priests, people who performed religious ceremonies, had great power People relied on them to interpret the gods’ wishes Priests made offerings to gods in temples and performed religious ceremonies

WHAT WAS THE SUMERIAN SOCIAL ORDER? Kings Priests Craftspeople, merchants, traders Farmers and laborers Slaves Social Hierarchy: the division of society by rank or class

WHAT WERE MEN AND WOMEN LIKE IN SUMER? Men held political power and made laws Women took care of the home and children (ladies, get used to hearing this!) Education was usually only for men, but some upper-class women received it as well Women could be priestesses if they were educated -example: the priestess Enheduanna wrote hymns. She is the first known female writer in history!

SECTION 3: SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS The Sumerians developed many different inventions and ideas that have influenced us today. When we discuss achievements, we usually divide it by subjects very similar to what you have in school (literature, science, math, art, etc. )

WHAT WERE THE SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN WRITING? They invented the FIRST writing system called cuneiform Used styluses to make wedge-like shapes on clay tablets Earlier written communication used pictographs, or picture symbols Cuneiform used symbols to represent syllables of words, and would combine the symbols to form words

SUMERIAN WRITING (CONT) Cuneiform was first used to keep business records Scribes, or writers, would keep track of business and had a high place in society because they were the only ones who knew cuneiform Later used cuneiform to write history, law, grammar, and math Also wrote stories, proverbs, songs, and epics, which are long poems that tell heroic stories example: The Epic of Gilgamesh

WHAT WERE SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY? The wheel The potter’s wheel for sculpting The plow The “falling water” clock Sails on boats Underground sewers Learned to use bronze for stronger tools and weapons Makeup and glass jewelry

WHAT WERE SUMERIAN ADVANCES IN MATH? Number system based on 60 360 degree circle 12 month calendar Areas of rectangles and triangles

WHAT WERE SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN SCIENCE? Observing the natural world using lists and recordings Medicine advancements such as healing drugs and cataloging treatments for specific problems

WHAT WERE SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN ARCHITECTURE? Architecture is the science of building Large palaces for Sumerian rulers Large and small houses for others Used mud bricks Made ziggurats, pyramid-shaped Sumerian temples, were in each city Used outdoor staircases and columns

WHAT WERE SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN ART? Statues of gods Used ivory and rare woods Sumerian pottery is not known for its beauty! Jewelry made of gold, silver, and gems Cylinder seals to imprint designs into clay Musical instruments include reed pipes, drums, tambourines, and lyres Song and dance were popular forms of entertainment

SECTION 4: LATER PEOPLES OF THE FERTILE CRESCENT FYI: “Peoples” is not a typo! It is an actual word! The city-state of Ur began to lose power by 2000 BC because of invasion. Other invaders began to move into Mesopotamia

HOW DID BABYLON RISE TO POWER? Located on the Euphrates River near present -day Baghdad, Iraq 1800 BC- had a very powerful government 1792 BC- Hammurabi becomes king of Babylon He is Babylon’s greatest monarch, ruler of a kingdom or empire

WHO IS HAMMURABI? Brilliant war leader Brought all of Mesopotamia under his rule through the use of his powerful army His empire became known as the Babylonian Empire He was a good ruler because he oversaw building and irrigation projects, improved the tax system, and increased wealth and trade Ruled for 42 years and made Babylon the most important city in Mesopotamia He is best known for his law code!

WHAT IS HAMMURABI’S CODE? It is a set of 282 laws that dealt with daily life Contained laws on trade, loans, theft, marriage, injury, and murder Specific crimes had specific penalties Social class did matter example: injuring a rich man had a bigger penalty than injuring a poor man (not fair!) Was written down for all to see

HAMMURABI’S LAW CODE EXAMPLES “If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. ” “If he break another man’s bone, his bone shall be broken. ” “If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death. ”

WHAT WERE OTHER INVASIONS OF MESOPOTAMIA? After Hammurabi’s death, the Babylonian Empire lost power and fell. Other civilizations began to move into the Fertile Crescent and fight over land examples: The Hittites, Kassites, Assyrians, and Chaldeans

WHO WERE THE HITTITES AND KASSITES? The Hittites built their kingdom in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) The first to use iron, which made stronger weapons, and they used the chariot, a wheeled horse-drawn cart used in battle. Captured Babylon in 1595 BC Kingdom fell when king was assassinated The Kassites overtook Babylon and ruled it for almost 400 years

WHO WERE THE ASSYRIANS? 1200 s BC- the Assyrians from northern Meso. take Babylon, but were soon invaded by others 300 years later, the Assyrians recover strength and begin to conquer all of the Fertile Crescent, parts of Asia Minor, and Egypt. Capital city was called Nineveh

WHY WERE THE ASSYRIANS SO STRONG? Used iron weapons and chariots Army was well-organized Were fierce in battle Harsh punishments for law-breakers Ruled their large empire by having local leaders who collected taxes, enforced laws, and raised troops for the army Built roads to connect the empire

WHO WERE THE CHALDEANS? 652 BC- Assyrian Empire became weak because of civil wars within the empire The Chaldeans attacked the empire and in 612 BC destroyed Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire The Chaldeans set up own empire with a rebuilt Babylon as their capital

WHO WAS NEBUCHADNEZZAR? (WHO? !) Most famous Chaldean king Rebuilt Babylon as the richest city in the world Built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (One of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World) as a gift to his depressed wife http: //joseph_berrigan. tripod. com/ancientbab ylon/id 14. html http: //www. unmuseum. org/hangg. htm

WHAT WAS BABYLON LIKE UNDER THE CHALDEANS? Babylon was a major stop on a trade route b/w the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea Babylon was a center of trade, Sumerian culture, and science (astronomy) They tracked stars and weather events, created a calendar, and solved complex geometry problems Trade helped the spread of ideas…how? ! Chaldean Empire fell to the Persians in 539 BC

WHAT WAS PHOENICIA LIKE? Located at the western end of the Fertile Crescent near present-day Lebanon Was a wealthy trading society Sits on the Mediterranean Sea Had few resources, but had cedar, a type of timber and valuable in trade Overland trade routes were blocked by mountains, so they used the sea for trade transport

HOW DID THE PHOENICIANS EXPAND THEIR TRADE? Became expert sailors Built harbors (ex: Tyre) Built fast ships that traveled to Egypt, Greece, Sicily, and Spain Created colonies along trade routes (ex: Carthage in N. Africa) Traded cedar, silverwork, ivory carvings, slaves, glass-blown objects, purple dye Grew VERY wealthy

WHAT WAS THE PHOENICIANS’ MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT? The alphabet!!! An alphabet is a set of letters than can be combined to form words Made writing much easier Our English alphabet is based on the Phoenician one Other civilizations such as Greece and Rome also used it and changed it