Sumer & Mesopotamia 3300 B.C.-1900 B.C.

Vocab: Fertile Crescent Region of rich soil in the middle east, curving from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.

Vocab: Mesopotamia Region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Name given to this region by the ancient Greeks meaning “between the rivers”

Vocab: Ziggurat A large stepped platform with a temple on top used for religious ceremonies in ancient times.

Vocab: Cuneiform Earliest form of writing. Consisted of wedge shaped marks in clay tablets.

Sumer World’s First Civilization. (3300 B.C.) Located in Mesopotamia. Part of the Fertile Crescent.

Floods and Irrigation Tigris and Euphrates flooded frequently, destroying topsoil and homes. Leadership in the form of temple priests or royal officials allowed for an organized effort to control the flooding and use it for irrigation. Levees to hold back floods. Ditches dug for irrigation.

Innovative people. Sumer lacked timber and stone for building. Used clay to make bricks, which led to the building of some of the world’s first great cities, including Ur and Uruk. Trade brought riches to Sumerian cities. Traders travelled down the rivers or across the desert to trade with distant regions. (As far away as Egypt and India)

City-States . Sumer divided into at least 12 city-states. City-States ruled at first by war leaders who battled each other for control of land and water. Rule by war leaders leads to hereditary rule. . These rulers were responsible for….. Maintaining walls for protection. Irrigation systems. Conducting warfare. Enforcing laws. Employing Scribes to collect taxes and keep records. Lead ceremonies meant to please their gods

Religion Polytheistic Believed gods controlled every aspect of life, especially nature. Believed their highest duty was to keep the gods happy, to ensure the safety of their city-state. Each city built a ziggurat dedicated to their gods. Believed in a grim afterlife in an underworld from which there was no release.

Invention of Writing Cuneiform (from Latin word cuneus for “wedge”) Created around 3200 B.C. Scribes would carve wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets using a sharp tool called a stylus. Evolved out of a system of pictographs used to record goods brought to the temple storehouses. Became more complicated over time.

Other Sumerian contributions Started developing astronomy and mathematics. Mathematics – Used Base 60 The “Epic of Gilgamesh” Narrative Poem about a hero named Gilgamesh who may have been a real King in Uruk.

The End of Sumer Around 2500 B.C., invaders began conquering Sumer city-states. 2350-2300: Akkadian Empire under Sargon By 1900 B.C., Sumerian city-states had all been over-run by invaders.

Hammurabi King of Sumer City-State Babylon. Brought much of Mesopotamia under the control of his empire. Hammurabi’s Code: Set of nearly 300 laws carved on a stone pillar. First attempt to codify all the laws that would govern a state. Addressed both civil law and criminal law.

Assyrian Empire (1350 B.C. – 612 B.C.) Later Empires Assyrian Empire (1350 B.C. – 612 B.C.) Gained a reputation as the most feared warriors in history. Built large palaces and well planned cities. Founded one of the world’s first libraries at Nineveh.

New Babylonian Empire (625 B.C. – 539 B.C.) Regains power under its second king, Nebuchadnezzar. Made the city of Babylon into one of the most highly regarded cities is Mesopotamia. Famous “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” One of the seven wonders of the ancient world.