Mesopotamia Land Between Rivers ca BCE – 600 BCE

Located within the borders of present-day Iraq.

From the Ground Up  Mesopotamian societies, along with and handful of cultures in Mesoamerica and East Asia, were some of the earliest complex societies in human history.  More impressively, they developed independently– no cultural diffusion.

Sumer Land of the Civilized Lords (ca BCE – 2270 BCE)

Conquest and Domination  Sumerians, a group originating from outside the Fertile Crescent, invaded the region ca BCE.  Invaded a developed farming society – need for irrigation had resulted in complex political organizations.

Writing it Down  Sumerians developed the cuneiform alphabet, the first known case of human writing.  Reed styluses were pressed into wet clay tablets, creating geometric shapes. Individual shapes represented spoken sounds.  Most Sumerian written records relate to trade, farming, and law.

Epic of Gilgamesh  An epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh is widely recognized as the world’s first work of literature.  The poem recounts the adventures of Gilgamesh, a king of Uruk, and his companion Enkidu.  Gilgamesh also contains one of the first accounts of a great and destructive flood.

 Science was quite advanced in Sumer: astronomical studies and advanced mathematics led to a very accurate calendar system.  Sumerians used a base 60 counting unit, and used multiplication, division, square roots, and geometry.  Sumerian technology included: the wheel, irrigation systems, glue, bronze, the plow, water skins, animal harnesses, and metal weaponry. Sumerian World

 Sumer WAS NOT a modern nation : there was no centralized government, or conception belonging to a common nation.  Sumer WAS a loose collection of twelve local city-states, each ruled autonomously by a king.  These city-states shared many commonalities (language, culture, some religious aspects), but were often at war with one another. 1. Walled cities -> evidence of warfare 2. Professional armies Sumerian Government

Religion and Culture  Sumerians worshipped any number of different gods and goddesses, depending on where they lived. Individual cities might have different gods. * Polytheism: the belief in many gods.  Gods were understood to have enormous power, particularly over natural disasters (e.g. floods, droughts).  Priests had extremely high social status in Sumerian culture; early Sumerian society was essentially a theocracy.

Royalty, priests, officials, and warriors Merchants, some artisans, and shopkeepers Dependent farmers and artisans Slaves

 Ziggurats - large, flat-topped pyramids built of clay bricks– were constructed as temples and shrines to various gods.  They were not places of public worship : ziggurats were believed to be the dwelling- places of gods on Earth. Monumental Architecture

Babylonia Gateway of the Gods (1894 BCE – 539 BCE)

 In the 1760s BCE, the Babylonians conquer the Sumerian and Akkadian lands and create a second great Mesopotamian kingdom.  The city of Babylon becomes the region’s central power. Babylon, known for its wealth and opulence, becomes a synonym for excess.  Babylonians speak a Semetic language similar to Akkadian, but use cuneiform for writing and speak ancient Sumerian in religious settings. Rise to Prominence

Hammurabi and Law  The most influential king of Babylonia was Hammurabi, who is most famous for creating the a set of written laws and judgments.  Laws were carved onto a stone pillar (called a stele ) and prominently displayed for the public to see.