Sumerian Civilization Along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Sumerian Civilization Along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers l The Tigris -Euphrates River valley was an area of conflict. l The Tigris River carries more water. The Euphrates more silt than the Nile. l The Northern part of the valley Mesopotamia, the southern Babylonia.

Sumer and its people l Where Medical tablet the Tigris-Euphrates reach the Persian Gulf lies ancient Sumer. l The Sumerian culture developed at the same time as the Nile River Valley. 3000 B. C. l The Sumerians developed city-states. The city-sates of Ur, Kish and Erech.

Sumerian Social Life The Sumerians had three social classes. Nobles, merchants/artisans, and peasants. l Sumerian writing was on clay tablets. The writing with a stylus was wedged and called cuneiform. 600 signs. l The Sumerians traded all over the Middle East. They used clay bricks to build. The arch was a Sumerian design. They built ziggurats. l

Sumerian Knowledge The Sumerians developed some of the principles of Algebra. Used sets of 60 for large numbers. 360 degree circle. l Anu, lord of heaven, Enlil- god of air and storms, EA - god of water. l Education was important in Sumerian culture. Sumerians were polytheistic. l No firm belief in the afterlife, but in ghosts. l

Empires in the Fertile Crescent The Akkadians under Sargon. 2400 B. C. Lasted for 100 years. l About 1792 B. C a strong Babylonian king Hammurabi. Developed the Code of Hammurabi. l The Code of Hammurabi was harsh. 282 laws governed everyday life. “An eye for an eye was the response in most cases. l

The Hittites, Assyrians and Chaldeans l The Hittites invaded Mesopotamia 1600 B. C. They used iron weapons and had an easier code of law. l The Assyrians invaded around 900 B. C. They used cavalry and were cruel warriors. They built roads, a postal service, and used mercenaries. l The Chaldeans controlled much of the Assyrian empire under Nebuchadnezzar. Hanging Gardens , astronomy

The Persians l The Persians conquered Babylon in 539 B. C. and spoke Indo-European language. l The region became known as Persia. l The rulers of Persia - Cyrus, led a revolt against the Medes and conquered Asia Minor. l Darius the Great added areas as far as India to the Persian Empire. l Xerxes invaded Greece in 400 B. C.

Persian Government and Religion l The Persians allowed conquered people to keep their religion. They paid close attention to local customs. l The Persians copied the road system of the Assyrians, and the secret police. l 600 B. C. a prophet and religious reformer changed the religion to Zoroasterism l Good versus evil and the belief in one God. 331 B. C. Persian Empire falls.

l Land The Phoenicians along the Mediterranean. The northern part was Phoenicia and Lydia and the southern was Caanan, Israel, and Palestine. l Phoenicia was a group of city states. They used the sea to make a living. l They were great merchants and traders. The famous purple cloth. l The Phoenician alphabet basis of Greek alphabet.

The Lydians l The Lydians were the first people to use coined money. Before the Lydians people had to barter. l With coins the Lydians developed a money economy.

l The Hebrews basis of modern Judaism. They had the greatest impact on the area. The were from Sumeria and then to Goshen. l Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. l The Ten Commandments - the moral laws of the God Yahweh. l The commandments emphasize selfrestraint, the importance of family, and formal worship of one God.