Written and Illustrated by Phillip Martin, EDITED BY JOHN FULLER Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is called the Cradle of Civilization as well as the Fertile Crescent. The name Mesopotamia comes from ancient Greek and means “between rivers”. It was a good name because so much happened between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

*NOTES* EIGHT BASIC FEATURES OF A CIVILIZATION: Writing Systems (2) Infrastructure- public works such as bridges, roads etc. (3) Government / Laws

*NOTES* (4) Art / Architecture (5) Social Classes

*NOTES* (6) Organized Religion (7) Job Specialization (8) Development of Cities

Our World how do these categories fit today? What is one example of each of these categories in modern America?

Ancient Mesopotamia The world’s first cities and empires started there. These developments depended on what revolution?

Ancient Mesopotamia Around 6000 BC, hunters and gatherers became farmers and shepherds. It changed everything. Sumer, rose to power in 5000 BC. They built large ziggurat temples in the center of their cities.

Ancient Mesopotamia As people learned to farm, they gave up the nomad life. Technologies developed that helped them live in settled communities such as textile weaving, irrigation, glass making and metal work. And, of course, they learned how to build homes.

Ancient Mesopotamia The Sumerians started using the wheel for transportation around 3200 BC. Of course, transportation was not cars. It was carts pulled by animals.

Ancient Mesopotamia The Sumerians created their own form of writing called cuneiform, which means “wedge-shaped”. Using a stylus, lines and symbols were pressed into soft clay.

Ancient Mesopotamia Much of the cuneiform found by archaeologists is financial as well as government records. However, one of the first stories ever written down is the tale of Gilgamesh, the story of an ancient king who lived in Uruk between 2800 and 2500 BC.

Ancient Mesopotamia Over the centuries, kingdoms rose and fell. In 2330 BC, Sargon I conquered Sumer and formed the world’s first empire, the Akkadian Empire. FYI, an empire is a group of states or countries under one ruler. In 1792 BC, Hammurabi came to power in Babylon. He might not have been the first to do so, but he organized a code of laws to help people live together in peace.

Ancient Mesopotamia Example of Hammurabi’s Code = an eye for an eye

Mesopotamian Inventions writing (cuniform) taxes Ancient Mesopotamia Mesopotamian Inventions writing (cuniform) taxes textile weaving irrigation glass making metal work.

Started out in Socialism Everyone gave what they made to big storehouses of food and took just what they needed.