Mesopotamia The Cradle of Civilization Earliest Civilization n

Mesopotamia: “The Cradle of Civilization”

Earliest Civilization n The earliest known civilization developed along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers n Today, the land between the two rivers is part of the country of Iraq n In ancient times, the area was called Mesopotamia, “the land between the rivers. ”

The Fertile Crescent n Civilization developed slowly in different parts of the world. People began to settle in areas with abundant natural resources. A section of the Middle East is called the Fertile Crescent. n The Fertile Crescent is a rich food-growing area in a part of the world where most of the land is too dry for farming. The Fertile Crescent is a crescent shaped region that extends from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf

The Fertile Crescent Some of the best farmland of the Fertile Crescent is on a narrow strip of land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The Greeks later called this region Mesopotamia, which means “between the rivers. ” n Many different civilizations developed in this small region. First came the Sumerians, who were replaced in turn by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Today this land is known as Iraq and was ruled by a dictator named Saddam Hussein until 2003 n

Geographic Conditions n Little rainfall for crops n Hot and dry climate in the Summer n Winter brought fierce windstorms leaving muddy river valleys n Spring brought catastrophic flooding n Arid soil containing little minerals n No stone or timber resources

Why live in Mesopotamia? NATURAL LEVEES: embankments produced by build-up of sediment over thousands of years of flooding

Natural Levee create a high and safe flood plain make irrigation and canal construction easy provide protection the surrounding swamps were full of fish & waterfowl n reeds provided food for sheep / goats n reeds also were used as building resources n n

History of Mesopotamia n Over the centuries, many different people lived in this area creating a collection of independent states n Sumer- southern part n Akkad- northern part n Babylonia- Sumer & Akkad were unified to become Babylon n Assyria- Assyrian Empire

Sumerians n Lived in southern Mesopotamia, an area known as Sumer n Controlled the flooding by building up levees and used the canals to irrigate their crops n Barley, wheat, sesame, flax, fruit trees, date palms, etc. n Made bricks for buildings out of mud and baked them in the sun

Sumerians n The Sumerians moved to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers about 3500 BC, but we do not know where they came from. They were probably nomads who discovered the fertile land between the rivers. Nomads travel in small groups until they have eaten the food that grows wild and hunted the animals in the area. When food is no longer plentiful, they move to a new area. Some people continue to live like this in remote parts of the world to this day.

Sumerians n Eventually the Sumerians developed a civilization. They learned that by planting seeds and plowing their land, they were able to grow crops. They learned to domesticate or tame animals to help them plow their lands. The Sumerians learned to use irrigation, or a system of watering crops, to grow more food. The Sumerians also made a very important invention – the wheel. The invention of the wheel made it possible to pull heavy loads.

Sumerians n Sumeria was composed of several citystates, or nations the size of cities. Walls around each city-state protected the citizens from outside invaders. Farmland was usually outside the city walls and people would seek protection from the walls of the city when under attack.

Religion The Sumerians were polytheistic, which means they believed in many gods. They worshipped their gods at huge temples they called ziggurats. Each ziggurat was dedicated to a specific god, whom the Sumerians believed ruled over their city. n When one city was conquered, the invaders would force the conquered people to accept their gods. Most people in the Western Hemisphere today are monotheists, which means that they believe in only one god. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are all monotheistic faiths. n

Religion gods were worshipped at huge temples called ZIGGURATS n Position of King was enhanced and supported by religion n Kingship believed to be created by gods and the king’s power was divinely ordained n Polytheistic religion consisting of over 3600 gods and demigods n Shows diversity of religion from different regions n All of Mesopotamia shared the same religion and the same prominent gods Prominent Mesopotamian gods ØEnlil (supreme god & god of air) ØIshtar (goddess of fertility & life) ØAn (god of heaven) ØEnki (god of water & underworld) ØShamash (god of sun and giver of law)

Ziggurats “mountain of god” or “hill of heaven” Cosmic mountain from Creation Myths Bridge between heaven & earth Ziggurat of Ur -2000 BCE Important for gods to be honoured by religious ceremonies Ceremonies performed by priests in sacred temples on ziggurat Temples created from mud bricks & placed on platforms due to constant flooding Temples evolved to ziggurats- a stack of 1 -7 platforms decreasing in size from bottom to top Famous ziggurat: Tower of Babel (100 m+ above ground & 91 m base) Built 2200 -500 BCE

City-States n Each was considered a state in itself, with its own god and government n Made up of the city and farmland around it n The city was surrounded by a wall for protection

Mesopotamian Art

n Political structure an early form of democracy n Frequent wars led to the emergence of warriors as leaders n Eventual rise of monarchy

Nobles King and his family, high-priests, high dignitaries Free Clients (amelu) government officials, professional soldiers and priests Commoners (mushkinu) Work for the king (tenant farmers) Shopkeepers, farmers, merchants, labourers, enforce laws, collect taxes Own their own land (development) Slaves P. O. W. s, debt, born into slavery ~ wives & children could be sold Could buy their freedom

Sumerians n n n Established the social, economic & intellectual basis of Mesopotamia First to develop writing in the form of CUNEIFORM Sumerians are credited to have invented the wheel Sumer became the first city of the world Sumerians were not successful in uniting lower Mesopotamia Women: not protected by law; men dominant over women; if husband died, brother-in-law or father-in-law became her

Akkadians n n n Leader: Sargon I (the Great) Sargon’s greatest achievement was conquering Sumer (2331 BCE) & then unifying the 2 areas into Babylonia Established capital at Akkad Spread Mesopotamian culture throughout Fertile Crescent dynasty established by Sargon was short-lived… Akkadians were conquered by invading barbarians by 2200 BCE (Kassites)

Babylonians n n n Babylonians reunited Mesopotamia in 1830 BCE Used their central location to dominate trade and establish control KING HAMMURABI – conquered Akkad and Assyria and gained control of north and south Hammurabi’s Legacy: his law code Innovation: glazed bricks, units to measure minutes & hours (ca. 1800) KING NEBUCHEDNEZZAR II – another important period

n n n 10 th century BCE, Assyria emerged as dominant force reunited Mesopotamia and established the first true empire army was most feared due to their brutal, bloodthirsty & terrorizing tactics and use of iron weapons, battering Empire stretched from Persian Gulf north and West to Syria, rams, chariots Palestine and Egypt By 539 BCE, Mesopotamia became part of the vast Persian Empire (led by Cyrus the Great) Persian Empire dominated for 200 years until Alexander the Great conquered (331 BCE)

Hammurabi n Hammurabi was the king of the city-state of Babylon. About 1800 BC, Hammurabi conquered the nearby city-states and created the Kingdom of Babylonia. He recorded a system of laws called the Code of Hammurabi. The 282 laws were engraved in stone and placed in a public location for everyone to see.

n Hammurabi required that people be responsible for their actions. Some of Hammurabi’s laws were based on the principle “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. ” This means that whoever commits an injury should be punished in the same manner as that injury. If someone put out another person’s eye, their eye would be put out in return. Hammurabi’s code may seem cruel today, but it was an early attempt at law. Laws are rules that are known to people.

Code of Hammurabi n Code of 282 laws inscribed on a stone pillar placed in the public hall for all to see n Hammurabi Stone depicts Hammurabi as receiving his authority from god Shamash n Set of divinely inspired laws; as well as societal laws n Punishments were designed to fit the crimes as people must be responsible for own actions n Hammurabi Code was an origin to the concept of “eye for an eye…” ie. If a son struck his father, the son’s hand would be cut off n Consequences for crimes depended on rank in society (ie. only fines for nobility)

Development of Writing • Sumerian writing • Made up of hundred of markings shaped like wedges • Developed because people had to keep track of business deals • Scribes – worked for the temple, palace, government, or army

Writing n Greatest contribution of Mesopotamia to western civilization was the invention of writing n allowed the transmission of knowledge, the codification of laws, records to facilitate trade n First written communication was PICTOGRAMS (@ 3200 BCE) n As society evolved, the first form of writing was developed called CUNEIFORM – (meaning “wedge shaped”) n Cuneiform spread to Persia and Egypt and became the vehicle for the growth and spread of civilization and the exchange of ideas among cultures

Royal Tombs of Ur City famed in Bible as the home of patriarch Abraham n many great discoveries such as extravagant jewelry of gold, cups of gold and silver, bowls of alabaster, and extraordinary objects of art and culture n opened the world's eyes to the full glory of ancient Sumerian culture n Great Death Pit (at Ur) n mass grave n containing the bodies of 6 guards and 68 court ladies (servants of kings and queens) n servants walked down into the grave in a great funeral procession n they drank a poisoned drink and fell asleep never to wake again, choosing to accompany the kings and queens in the afterlife

One of the Wonders of the Ancient World

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Legacies of Mesopotamia Revolutionary innovations: n n n n n codified laws concept of kingship and the city-state building of places of worship (ziggurats) birthplace of writing (cuneiform), astronomy Invention of the wheel Oldest written records of a Creation Story date back to Mesopotamia First civilization to make a prosperous living based on large scale agriculture One of the Wonders of the Ancient World: Hanging Gardens of Babylon First Empire

Definitions n Levee: Earthen dams constructed to hold back floodwaters n Domestication: The taming of wild animals to use for farming or to be kept as pets n City-state: a self-governing state consisting of a city and surrounding territory n Stylus: a hard, pointing writing tool cut from a reed