Basic Features of Civilization P E R S I A Political Organization Economy Religion Society [Social Classes] Innovations [Technology] Art and Architecture

Mesopotamia Land Between Two Rivers

Crossroads of Three Continents

Mesopotamia The Fertile Crescent

Sumerians 3000 BCE

Sumerian Political Organization Priests with religious and power –Success of crops –irrigation Warrior kings –Defense –Dynasties City-states—Ur Laws Taxes Public Works –Ziggurats –Walled cities

Royal Standard of Ur Depicts scenes of war and peace

Economy Agriculture –Catastrophic floods Irrigation Canals –Date Palms, grains such as barley and wheat Trade –Traded—grain, cloth, crafted tools –Received—stone, wood, metal

Mesopotamian Trade

Sumerian Cylinder Seals

Religion Polytheistic Goddesses Afterlife Pessimistic

Society Social Hierarchy Kings, ruling family and Priests Merchants, scribes, lesser priests Peasant farmers Slaves –Captured in war –Sold self into slavery to pay off debts

Sumerian Scribes

Innovations Cuneiform Canals, dams, irrigation Mud bricked walls Wheeled vehicles, sail, plow?? Number system based on 60 Arches, columns, ramps Ziggurat

Cuneiform Wedge Shaped Writing on Clay Tablets

Deciphering Cuneiform

Metallurgy Skills

Art and Architecture

Ziggurats

Gilgamesh

The World’s First Empire Akkadians Sargon

Babylonian –Hammurabi Law Code

Hammurabi’s Code STELE

Hammurabi the Judge “Eye for an eye” Why are written laws important?

Hittites Beginning of Iron Age origin in present day Turkey 1900 BCE-1193 BCE Spoke wheeled chariots Iron Weapons

Assyrians –Fierce –One of first world’s libraries Babylonian –Nebuchadnezzar Ishtar Gate Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Cyrus the Great BCE Tolerant ruler— allowed those within his empire to keep their own institutions Greeks called him “Law Giver” 537 BCE allowed over 40,000 Jews to return to Palestine

Darius the Great BCE Built Persepolis Extended empire to Indus River—2 million square miles Established tax collecting system Divided empire into satrapies Royal road Postal system Network of spies

Persepolis

Royal Road

Zoroaster “ Zarathustra ” 570 BCE Good vs. Evil Ahura Mazda vs. Ahriman “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds”

Extent of Zoroastrianism

Trading Peoples Aramaean s

Phoenicians

–Colonies –Alphabet –Purple Dye

Carthage: Phoenicia’s Mightiest Colony

Muryx Shell and Purple Dye

Byblos—Home of the Alphabet

Lydians

Israelites Information comes from archaeological digs, Egyptian and Assyrian royal annals, and the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament –not written down until 5 th century BCE –Point of view of priests of the Temple of Jerusalem –Disagreement by historians as to the degree of accuracy

1900 BCE Israelites and Abraham

Moses and the Exodus 1200’s BCE Moses leads Israelites out of Egypt Renews covenant with God

Route of the Exodus

Temple Mount in Jerusalem Today Solomon’s Temple Wall—Wailing Wall

Israelites in Captivity

Israelites Torah—first five books of the Hebrew Bible approx. 400’s BCE