1. Universals of Babylonians Job O’DellEmmanüel StrasserAndrés Iglesias Period 1

2. Setting Babylonia was between two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Babylonia was near the Zagros mountain range and the Euphrates mountain range. There is a plain called the plain of Chaldaea. The plain was formed by the deposits of the Tigris and the Euphrates. Babylonia was able to stay alive thanks to the two rivers between it. Even though Babylonia had little rain, the rivers helped them drink water.

3. Food Clothing and Shelter Ancient Babylonians regularly ate vegetables such as peas, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, turnips, chickpeas, and garlic. Usually, they ate them with bread or in soups. For clothing, Babylonians wore skirts made of sheepskin whether they were men or women. Poor people like farmers lived in baked clay houses with unpaved roads. The rich priests and king advisors lived in two-storied houses that were paved and had paved roads. A lot of homes were closed off and privated. Most of the time though, people could not keep track of houses.

4. Societal Groupings In ancient Babylonia, there were a few different social classes divided into three smaller groups. The highest positions were free people of upper class. Those included the Kings, and after him, came priests, then the king’s advisors, and last, military leaders. The next class was the free men of middle class. Those included farmers, merchants, craftsmen, etc. The lowest class was made of the slaves. They received little to no respect and were in complete control of their owners. State slaves worked for the king and dug ditches. Temple slaves were children abandoned by their parents, although, were treated much better. In Babylonia, you either have all the power or none of it.

5. Technology Even though Babylonians did not invent writing, they used it a lot. They used it to write the Hammurabi Code. They also studied astronomy. The Tower of Babel, a ziggurat, was believed to have been a counting system. Babylonian mathematicians invented equations. They also developed tables that make complex calculations much easier. Babylonians are believed to have known the concept pi. They also used an abacus, even though they didn’t invent it. Even though Babylonians were ancient, they were really smart and had the necessary tools for math and science.

6. Economic System Babylonian mathematicians can find market rate for goods by using the counting system, which is also used by the Sumerians. In Babylonia, trade is the key to wealth. The trade routes had to be safe. If they weren’t safe then the merchants could be robbed, and the king couldn’t have that. Later, Babylonia became an important part in the trade system. Not only did they export large groups of goods, the merchants also carried small amounts of goods to many different places. Then, merchants started transporting goods by boats up and down the rivers. Many wars were because many places were trying to take control of the trade routes. Babylonia was very important in the trade system, which is probably why it was succesful.

7. The Babylonian empire was very vast and well organized. The king was in charge of many things and often needed help from advisors. The tax collectors charged the civilians money often to build structures or for war. In Mesopotamia, the city-states often fought for right of land or power. Babylon often won wars against the city-states until they were overthrown by Assyrians. Babylonian kings addressed the gods for help on ruling. Political power and organization was as important then as it is now.

8. Mesopotamians all had their religion in common with each other. All the city- states had the same gods but with different names. They all had specific gods for each city-state. In Babylonia, people believed that Marduk, son of Ea, created the world and lives in Babylon. Doctors often prayed to gods to help heal their patients. When people fell sick, doctors diagnosed them with either a demon causing the sickness, or a god punishing them for sin. For all these reasons, people prayed to gods at the ziggurat or their temples. The life of Mesopotamians depended partially on belief.

9. Communication Babylonian writing was called cuneiform they used baked tablets made out of clay surprisingly the clay tablets are unbreakable scientists are trying to find out how the Babylonians made this style of indestructible tablets. The word cuneiform comes from the Latin word cuneus. Scribes were also important in Babylonian culture and history the scribes wrote on the clay tablets for important information for the king. In Babylonia there are many forms of communication such as literature. There are also many types of literature. Some of them are poetry, numbering tablets, arithmetic, etc.

10. Aesthetic Values The Hanging Gardens were one of the ancient wonders of the world. Amytis was the daughter of the Medean king. She thought that Mesopotamia was too boring, so she had the Hanging Gardens, a beautiful place. The Hanging Gardens were covered with a sheet of lead to prevent it from rotting. The Hanging Gardens have a lot of trees which are watered by a pool at the top of the gardens.

11. Recreation Pottery was important to the Babylonian lifestyle pottery was made by the same ingredient the clay tablets were made out of the same thing the tablets were made out of so the pottery is unbreakable. Also Babylonian pottery can survive any type of weather. Scientists to this day are still studying the symbols on Babylonian pottery. They had hunting dogs that entertained them by hunting and helping them hunt.

12. http://www.ducksters.com/history/mesopotamia/science_and_technology.php http://www.ancient.eu/babylon/ Hunter, E. (n.d.). Ancient Mesopotamia (Three ed.). Long Island: Chelsea House Wildwood, G. (2010). Ancient Mesopotamian Civilization. Rosen