Early Civilizations Mesopotamia and Egypt Objectives Mesopotamia Objective

Early Civilizations Mesopotamia and Egypt

Objectives- Mesopotamia • Objective: • The student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of ancient river valley civilizations, including Mesopotamia, by: • Locating the civilization in time and place • Describing the development of social, political, and economic patterns, including slavery • Explaining the development of religious traditions • Explaining the development of language and writing • Essential Questions: • Why did Ancient Civilizations develop in river valleys? • Where were the earliest civilizations located? • When did these civilizations exist? • What were the social, political, and economic characteristics of early civilizations • What religious traditions developed in ancient civilizations? • What forms of language and writing existed in early civilizations?

Mapping Mesopotamia • Locate and label the following places on your map: • • • Asia Euphrates River Tigris River Mediterranean Sea Persian Gulf Caspian Sea - Arabian Peninsula - Zagros Mountains - Sumer - Ur - Kish - Eridu • Shade in the location of the following early civilization: • Mesopotamia

Impact of Geography • Fertile Crescent : arc of land from Mediterranean sea to Persian Gulf - rich soil and abundant crops • The first civilization in the Fertile Crescent was discovered in Mesopotamia, which means “land between the rivers. ” • The first Sumerian cities emerged in southern Mesopotamia around 3200 B. C.

Mesopotamia “land between the rivers”

Disadvantages of the Environment • Terrain • Northern part hilly • received rain • Southern part had low plains, or flat land • Little rain • Very hot • Flooding was unpredictable • Little rain, but a lot of silt. • Silt: material deposited by rivers, good for crops • Small region • Villages clustered in open plains • No natural barriers for protection • Irrigation difficult to build • Natural resources were limited

Solutions • Food • 5000 B. C. E. Mesopotamia resources were running out • People moved to the plains, established Sumer • Movement from small villages to cities • Protection • Sumerians built a defense by using mud bricks to • To get natural resources Sumerians traded their grain, cloth, and crafted tools for the stone, wood, and metal they needed • Called barter

Solutions • To make sure there was enough silt, farmers had to control the water supply. • Irrigation ditches • Carried water to the fields, Allowed for surplus of crops • Took cooperation to build, leaders to plan project • Needs labors and supervisors • Projects created a need for laws to settle disputes over how land water should be distributed

The Sumerians (3000 B. C. E)

City-States of Ancient Mesopotamia • Arose 3, 000 B. C. • First cities: • Eridu • Uruk • Each city was surrounded by barley and wheat • As cities grew, so did the cities control of the surrounding land. • Called city-states

Cities • Surrounded by walls, built with sun-dried bricks • Houses, large government buildings • Used mud bricks • Cities grew prosperous from food surpluses which allowed them to trade • Led to cultural diffusion • Process of new idea or product spreading from one culture to another • Trade expanded territory

GOVERNMENT ECONOMY & SOCIETY Theocracy – Government Economy based on farming, industry, and trade. by divine authority. Kings received their power from gods. City-states with hereditary rulers. Each state had distinct social hierarchy, or system of ranks. Three major social groups: Nobles, Commoners, & Slaves. Most people were peasant Ruler led army in war and farmers. enforced laws. Complex government with scribes to collect taxes and keep records. Women had legal rights; some engaged in trade and owned property. RELIGION Worshiped many gods. Believed gods controlled every aspect of life. Saw afterlife as a grim place. Everybody would go into darkness and eat dust. To keep the gods happy, each city built a ziggurat, or pyramid temple.

Polytheism • Belief in several gods • Hierarchy of gods • Roughly 3, 000 • Characteristics • Immortal and all-powerful • Humans were servants • Built ziggurats and gave sacrifices to please the gods • Souls of dead went to “land of no return” • Gloomy place between earth’s crust and sea • Epic of Gilgamesh • One of earliest works • Heroic tale • Quest for immortality • Common theme in ancient cultures • Influences other cultures

Epic of Gilgamesh • King named Gilgamesh • Wise, strong, perfect • Part man / Part God • Friends with beast names • Enkidu • Friend dies, King tries to find immortality • Story of “everlasting” life for the gods

Science and Technology • Wheel, sail, plow • One of 1 st known maps • 2300 B. C. E. • 1 st to use bronze • 1 st to create writing system • cuneiform • Number system based on 60

The Akkadians (2350 – 1792 B. C. E)

Empires on Ancient Mesopotamia • Akkadians: Semitic people • 2350 B. C. leader Sargon • Strong king, skilled general • Assembled large army • Taught soldiers to fight in formations • Spoke Semitic language • Invaded Sumerians, created world’s first empire • Once he conquered Sumer, knocked down cities walls to make it harder for people to rebel • Empire: large political unit or state, under a single leadership, controls large areas of land • Demanded Tributes, goods or money collected from people he conquered

Akkadians • Semitic • Spoke a language related to Arabic and Hebrew • Adopted Sumerian Culture • Farming techniques, cuneiform, religion • Own culture • Language, art • Dynasty only lasted 200 years • Internal fighting, invasions, severe famine

Babylon • 1792 B. C. E. a new empire controls Mesopotamia • Established by Amorites • Capital on Euphrates • Empire reached peaked under Hammurabi • Reigned from 1792 - 1750 B. C. E. • Promotes ONE law code • Promotes ONE language

Hammurabi’s Code • A collection of 282 laws • Based on strict justice • Penalties were severe, and varied by social class • Officials were held accountable (didn’t catch murderer, had to pay family) • Marriage and family laws • Retaliation was important • Reinforced principle that part of system government had a • “eye for an eye” responsibility for what occurred in society • Model for future law cades

Objectives- Mesopotamia • Objective: • The student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of ancient river valley civilizations, including Mesopotamia, by: • Locating the civilization in time and place • Describing the development of social, political, and economic patterns, including slavery • Explaining the development of religious traditions • Explaining the development of language and writing • Essential Questions: • Why did Ancient Civilizations develop in river valleys? • Where were the earliest civilizations located? • When did these civilizations exist? • What were the social, political, and economic characteristics of early civilizations • What religious traditions developed in ancient civilizations? • What forms of language and writing existed in early civilizations?