Mesopotamian Civilization
Objectives Understand the civilization between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Analyze the contributions of the Sumarians and the invention of writing Understand the impact of outsiders to the Mesopotamian area
Vocabulary Civilization Irrigation City- State Artisan Cuneform Scribe empire
Importance of the River valleys Good farming conditions made it easy to feed large numbers of people Rivers provided fresh water and fish Rivers made it easier for ideas and goods to be traded
Importance of the River valleys Allowed for the creation of classes Allowed for more time to think or ponder about things Allowed for the invention of writing
Rise of Sumer Sumer located in the Southeast Fertile crescent Sumerians built dams Built waterways Invented irrigation techniques to grow plenty of food
City- States Cities isolated from each other Each Sumerian City had its own government separate from other cities
City States Sumerian Cites often were at war with each other Sumerian cities had walls around them for protection
Sumerian gods Believed in many gods Built temples called ziggurats to its chief god Priests were powerful and controlled most of the land
Life in Sumer Kings lived in palaces Ordinary people lived in small brick houses Most people farmed, some were artisans made pottery, metal products
3 Social classes Upper- Kings, priests, government officials Middle- artisans, merchants, farmers, fishermen Lower- enslaved people; slaves thought of as property
Importance of writing Important because it helped keep records Wrote in Cuneform Wedge shaped marks cut into damp clay Mostly boys from wealthy families learned to write
Sumerian Literature Worlds oldest story comes from Sumer Epic of Gilgamesh
Advances in Science & Math Invented wagon wheel Invented the plow Invented the sailboat Used geometry to measure fields
Created a number system based on 60 Developed a 12 month calendar based on the moon
Sargon Set the worlds first empire Conquered all of Mesopotamia Empire lasted for 200 years
Hammurabi Best known for his written code First with written law Code covered crime, farming, business