Mesopotamia The Cradle of Civilization Earliest Civilization the

Mesopotamia: “The Cradle of Civilization”

Earliest Civilization: the Fertile Crescent n earliest of all civilizations n Mesopotamia Greek for “between the rivers” n Lasted for approximately 3000 years n Its peoples were the first to – permanent settlements – Tigris River and Euphrates River – present day Iraq –irrigate fields –devise a system of writing –develop mathematics –invent the wheel –work with metal –devise a written law code

Geographic Conditions n Little rainfall n Hot and dry climate n Wind and rain storms n catastrophic flooding in spring n Arid soil containing little minerals n No stone or timber resources – muddy river valleys in winter

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

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

Government n Political structure - early form of democracy n Frequent wars led to the emergence of warriors as leaders n Eventually rise of monarchy n Followed leadership of god of the city – interpreted by a council of leading citizens or priests or leader of the city - king

Sumerians Ruins of Babylon in present day Baghdad Southern Mesopotamia 3500 -2000 BCE n Irrigated fields and produced 3 main crops – barley, dates and sesame seeds – built canals, dikes, dams and drainage systems n n n developed cuneiform writing invented the wheel Abundance of food = increase of population First city of the world Developed a trade system with bartering n Individuals could only rent land from priests n The Sumerians were not successful in uniting lower Mesopotamia – mainly barley but also wool and cloth for stone, metals, timber, copper, pearls and ivory – controlled land on behalf of gods – most of profits of trade went to temple Sumerian city of Lagash

Akkadians Akkad- northern Mesopotamia 2340 – 2180 BCE n Leader Sargon the Great – unified lower Mesopotamia after conquering Sumerians in 2331 BCE Established capital at Akkad n Spread Mesopotamian culture n Akkadians conquered by invading barbarians by 2200 BCE n Bronze head of Sargon

Babylonians 1830 -1500 BCE KING HAMMURABI n n Conquered Akkad and Assyria Built n Economy based on agriculture and wool Individuals could own land Artisans and merchants could keep most profits and even formed guilds Grain used as the medium of exchange – emergence of currency: § shekel = 180 grains of barley; § mina = 60 shekels Mina was eventually represented by metals - one of first uses of money – still based on grain n • Babylonians reunited Mesopotamia in 1830 BCE • central location dominated trade and secured control • YET AGAIN, Mesopotamia was not unified for long… n n – walls to protect the city – canals and dikes to improve crops Hammurabi’s Legacy – law code

Code of Hammurabi 1800 BCE To enforce his rule, Hammurabi collected all the laws of Babylon in a code that would apply everywhere n First and most extensive law code from the ancient world n Code of 282 laws inscribed on a stone pillar placed in the public hall for all to see n 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 Origin of “eye for an eye…” – If a son struck his father, son’s hand would be cut off n Consequences for crimes depended on rank in society – Poor = hand off, nobles = pay a fine Hammurabi receiving law code from sun god Shamash

Religion n Enlil – supreme god of air Polytheistic – over 3600 gods and demigods n Kingship created by gods n Gods lived on the distant mountaintops n Each city was ruled by a different god n Kings and priests acted as interpreters – king’s power was divinely ordained Enki, god of water, life, mediation – they told the people what the god wanted them to do – by examining the liver or Shamash sun god and lungs of a slain sheep Ishtar, goddess of fertility, war, sex

Ziggurats n Temples dedicated to the god of the city n Made of layers of mud bricks in the shape of a pyramid Ziggurat of Ur -2000 BCE – On platforms due to constant flooding n Temple on top god’s home n Temples evolved to ziggurats n Famous ziggurat was Tower of Babel – beautifully decorated – a room for offerings of food and goods – a stack of 1 -7 platforms decreasing in size from bottom to top – over 100 m above ground and 91 m base

Development Of WRITING

Development of Writing n Click here to see the development of writing from pictograms to cuneiform Pictograms: picture to show meaning n Ideograms: signs to represent words / ideas n Phonetics: signs to represent sounds n *Phonetics are the basis of most writing systems

Writing - 3500 BCE n Allowed – – – n transmission of knowledge the codification of laws records to facilitate trade/farming CUNEIFORM meaning “wedge shaped” – Wet clay tablets with the point of a reed – dried in the sun to make a tablet n Scribes only could read and write – served as priests – record keepers – accountants n Spread to Persia and Egypt – vehicle for the growth and spread and exchange of ideas among cultures

How to do Cuniform

Gilgamesh - The First Epic Poem Over 4000 thousand years old, written on 12 clay tablets n Epic battle between Enkidu -wild man, good heart and Gilgamesh – controlling king n The two became friends and had adventures n Made the gods angry so they killed Enkidu – Gilgamesh wanders the underworld in grief n Why important? • Earliest known author – Sin-leqi-unninni • Mentions great flood similar to story of Noah’s Ark

Royal Tombs of Ur n Excavated from 1922 to 1934 n Extravagant jewelry of gold, cups of gold and silver, bowls of alabaster, and extraordinary objects of art and culture Jewellery from Royal Tombs of Ur 3000 BC Great Death Pit • mass grave containing the bodies of 6 guards and 68 servants • drank poison to accompany the kings and queens in the afterlife

Mathematics and Science Mesopotamia, specifically Babylon used a mathematical system based on sixty n Some parts of the ‘base-sixty’ system still remain today n – 360 degrees in a circle – 60 seconds in a minute – 60 minutes in 1 hour n Calendar based on cycles of the moon – number of days between the appearance of two new moons was set as a month – 12 cycles made up a year

Legacies of Mesopotamia n n n Codified laws Ziggurats – places of worship Cuneiform writing Irrigation Metal working, tools n n Trade networks Transportation – the wheel Mathematics and calendar Prosperous living based on large scale agriculture