Early Civilization: The Fertile Crescent

Story Time!

Chaos vs. Civilization Why do civilizations emerge? What is the key component of a civilization based on your observations? Order – It is the rule of law or proper authority. Chaos – It is a state of utter confusion. Order Chaos

Think on it… Come up with your own definition of a civilization…write it down!

Our Definition

Civilization Defined: The stage of cultural development marked by urbanization, advanced techniques of agriculture and technology, material, scientific, and artistic progress, expanded population, and complex social organization that have developed to manage problems of order, security and efficiency.

The First Civilizations 3500BC – development of the wheel and axel allows trade to expand from seafaring vessels to land as well – Result: spread of culture and prosperity 2900BC – Bronze Age results in the development of durable, long lasting tools – Weapons, helmets, shields, etc.

Stage one: Early men placed rollers beneath heavy objects so that they could be moved easily. Stage two: Early men began to place runners under a heavy load, which they discovered would make it easier for the load to drag. This was the invention of the sledge. Stage three: Men began to combine the roller and the sledge. As the sledge moved forward over the first roller, a second roller was placed under the front end to carry the load when it moved off the first roller. A model of a sledge with such rollers is in the Smithsonian Institution.

Stage four: Soon, men discovered that the rollers which carried the sledge became grooved with use. They soon discovered that these deep grooves actually allowed the sledge to advance a greater distance before the next roller was needed to come on! Stage five: The rollers were changed into wheels. In the process of doing so, wood between the grooves of the roller were cut away to form an axle and wooden pegs were fastened to the runners on each side of the axle. When the wheels turn, the axle turned too in the space between the pegs. The first wooden cart was thus made. Stage six: A slight improvement was made to the cart. This time, instead of using pegs to join the wheels to the axle, holes for the axle were drilled through the frame of the cart. Axle and wheels were now made separately.

Civilization over Chaos Hunting-gathering eclipsed by agriculture – No more nomadic existence – Farming = harder work, but with higher yield and no food shortages – Need for irrigation – Family size increases Emergence of: – Artisans & craftsmen – Cities – Trade – Social Classes

Social Classes King Priests, nobles, military Artisans, small traders, merchants Farmers Slaves

Ancient Mesopotamia What does Mesopotamia literally mean? – The Land Between the Rivers Why was this a perfect place for the 1st civilization? 1.Fertile Crescent - large arc of fertile land in the Middle East due to rich soil 2.Tigris & Euphrates Rivers made it possible for farming due to flooding

What Challenges Did People Face in Mesopotamia? 1.Unpredictable floods destroyed crops, homes & people 2.Some areas were marshy and unsuitable for farming because of over-flooding

The Many People of Mesopotamia 1. Sumerians (3000 B.C B.C.) 2. Babylonians (1800 B.C B.C.) 3. Assyrians (1200 B.C B.C.) 4. Persians (539 B.C B.C.)

Sumerians How was Sumeria governed? – Sumer was never united under one ruler – Independent city-states – Results in their downfall…why? Sumerians were great inventors – The wheel (around 3500 BCE) – Invention of cuneiform writing Earliest literature – World’s oldest poetry – The Epic of Gilgamesh

I am the great king Gilgamesh. The poem about me is very long but it includes a story about a horrible flood destroying everything on Earth. Sound familiar?

Sumerian Religion Polytheistic, anthropomorphic deities Each city-state had its own patron god Ziggurats – Massive, stepped-pyramids used as temples by Sumerian priests – Existed long before the Egyptian pyramids

Main Sumerian Deities An: God of heaven Enlil: God of the air Enki: God of freshwater, male fertility, and knowledge Inanna: Goddess of love, female fertility and warfare Ki: Goddess of the earth. Nanna: God of the moon Ninurta: God of war, agriculture Utu: God of the sun

Religions have attempted to build their sanctuaries on prominent heights. Since no such natural heights were available in the flat flood plains of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), ancient priests and kings determined to build ziggurats, square or rectangular artificial stepped temple platforms. Functionally, temples were placed on raised platforms to give them prominence over other buildings in a city, and to allow more people to watch the services performed at the temple. Symbolically, however, the ziggurat represents the cosmic mountain on which the gods dwell. The priests ascent up the stairway to the temple at the top of the ziggurat represents the ascent to heaven. The great ziggurat at Khorsabad, for example, had seven different stages; each was painted a different color and represented the five known planets, the moon, and the sun. WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE REVEAL ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS BELIEF OF PEOPLE IN MESOPOTAMIA?

The mud-brick core of the ziggurat was covered with baked bricks. Each baked brick measured about 12 x 12 x 3 in and weighed up to 33lbs. About 720,000 baked bricks would have been needed in building the first stage of the ziggurat. This brick was stamped with the name and title of Ur-Nammu, the king who ordered the ziggurat built. Most bricks used to build the ziggurat were stamped. Somebody had the job of stamping the damp bricks.

ZIGGURATS

BABYLONIAN ZIGGURAT Each ziggurat was part of a temple complex that included a courtyard, storage rooms, bathrooms, and living quarters, around which a city was built

A rooster lays an egg at the very top of a slanted roof. Which side is the egg going to roll off on?

Answer of the Day Neither, roosters don't lay eggs.

Why was Mesopotamia the perfect place for organized civilizations to emerge? Name the four main civilizations of Mesopotamia. Name two main inventions of the Sumerians. What was the name of the religious temples used by Mesopotamians? What was the name of the first epic poem?