Sumer and Babylon Practice and Project book p
Sumer and Babylon Practice and Project book: p 25 Anthology: p 22 and p 23
Sumer Around 3000 B. C. (around the time that Menes unified Egypt) about a dozen small cities dotted southern Mesopotamia The region was known as Sumer
Sumer’s People of Sumer’s cities valued their independence highly Fought against being ruled by other cities Worked hard to control the rivers to produce food crops Worshiped similar gods Made some of the first wheeled vehicles and sailboats Explored new ideas in math and science
The invention of writing helped to bring the ancient cities together Laws, letters, records, stories, instructions, riddles, and proverbs could be all widely shared thanks to cuneiform Cuneiform in Sumer was the system of writing invented
A System of Writing Some historians believe that cuneiform was first developed to record farm surpluses Used sharp reed to scratch the records into wet clay tablets The dried tablets became permanent records
In 3500 B. C. cuneiform symbols looked like things they described Over time they developed faster ways to write Simplified their figures so they could be formed more quickly
About 500 signs were regularly used! Signs could also be combined to form more complex words Like hieroglyphs, cuneiform signs represented sounds and ideas as well as objects
School in Sumer Like Egypt – few people could write Even kings usually could not It was an honor to go to school and learn to be a scribe Boys, rarely girls, spent years studying in local school
First, learned how to make clay tablets and reed “pens” Next, students practiced over and over how to write the basic signs of cuneiform Also had to study math so they could keep accurate records
Over the next thousand years, Sumerian life centered around the city-states of Southern Mesopotamia City-state: self-governing city that also governs surrounding villages
Gilgamesh – Mythical Hero “The great Gilgamesh was one who knew everything. He had seen all there was to see and done all there was to do. He had built the walls of the city, Uruk. Look at its brickwork! Nobody could build a better wall. It was made of copper and burnt brick, and was wide enough to walk upon. Gilgamesh was part god and part (man), and as strong as an ox. He was the strongest in the land, and the best fighter. ”
Living in a Sumerian City-states often went to war to gain control of precious river water Strong walls were built to protect against attack Large gateways in city walls allowed people and good to get into and out of cities City gates were also where people gathered to buy fresh vegetables and other goods Goods were brought to the cities by farmers and traders
The Kings Palace The kings palace could be seen from almost everywhere in a city Where Kings planning and decision-making took place = generals, judges and canal overseers Sumerian kings were not considered to be gods
Religion In the center of most ancient Sumerian cities stood a towering mud-brick building Ziggurat Large building with a temple on its peak
Since city Ziggurats were located in the center of the Historians believed that religion was very important Polytheism – belief in many gods and goddesses Each city-state had a special god or goddess Worshiped People at each city-states ziggurat worshiped other gods at home Ishtar: goddess of love and war Enki: god of water
Uniting the City-States City-states were united under one ruler Sargon king of the city-state Kish Sargon rose to power about 2300 B. C. He began a new period in Mesopotamia’s history Expanded his empire to the northern end of the Fertile Cresent
Sumerian’s traded with the ancient seafaring people called Phoenicians along the Mediterranean Sea Phoenicians also traded with Egyptians Sent wine and timber to Sargon’s city-states Received goods Mesopotamian farm products and other
Cuneiform writing spread through the Fertile Crescent along with trade goods Since cuneiform spread it allowed Sargon to send instructions and govern over great distances
The Rise of Babylon Sargon’s rule lasted about 56 years The city-states rebelled against the empire Almost 500 years would pass before another empire controlled Mesopotamia During that time a group of people from the Syrian desert moved into northern Mesopotamia They created a small kingdom centered around a city-state called Babylon
A Northern Empire About 1800 B. C. Babylon’s king, Hammurabi began to drive to gain control over the old citystates of Sumar
- Slides: 20