1. Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent

2. Geography of the fertile crescent
The valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the site of the first civilizations.

3. Where is Mesopotamia Today?

4. The rivers of Southwest Asia supported the growth of civilizations
Tigris & Euphrates=most important to Mesopotamia
Farm settlements developed into civilizations

5. Land Between Two Rivers
Mesopotamia= “land between two rivers” in Greek.
Mesopotamia is part of a larger area of rich farmland called the fertile crescent.
2 regions= northern & southern Mesopotamia.

6. Rise of Civilizations
Yearly flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates brought silt that made the land rich for farming *silt-mixture of rocks & rich soil
Having plenty of food led to population growth & villages formed.
*world’s first civilizations!

7. New farming techniques led to the growth of cities
Irrigation and canals controlled river flow.
Surpluses of food=few people had to farm=new occupations

8. Controlling Water
Irrigation helped solve flooding and drought problems
Irrigation: A way of supplying water to an area of land
Canals: Human-made waterways

9. Food Surplus & Effects
Irrigation increased amount of food=food surplus.
Fewer people needed to farm, so they took on other jobs.
Division of labor-workers can specialize in a type of work.
Large projects were undertaken, structure and rules were needed.
Settlements=cities (4000BC-3000BC)

10. The Rise of Sumer
The Sumerians developed the first civilization in Mesopotamia.

11. The Sumerians Created the world’s first advanced society.
Created City-States: a city, with land surrounding it.
The amount of land depended on their military strength.
Fought each other to gain more farmland.*Gained * lost power over time.

12. Sargon Akkadian ruler who had the 1st permanent army.
Defeated all city-states in Sumer.
Established the world’s 1st empire when he conquered Northern Mesopotamia.
Sargon ruled for 50 yrs. After his death, his empire lasted only 100 yrs. longer

13. Religion in Sumer
Sumerians believed in polytheism, the belief in many gods.
Gods had enormous powers
Priests (who performed religious ceremonies) had great statues built in Sumer.

14. Sumerian Social Order
Social Hierarchy: the division of society by rank or class.
Social Order:
Kings
Priests
Skilled craftspeople, merchants, & traders.
Farmers and laborers
Slaves

15. Men and Women in Sumer Men: political power & made laws
Women: took care of home & children.
Education: mostly reserved for men, but some upper women were educated.
Some women were priestesses in Sumerian temples.

16. Sumerian Achievements
The Sumerians made many advances that helped their society develop.

17. Sumerians invented the world’s 1st writing system
Cuneiform: use of sharp tools called styluses on clay tablets to create a system of writing.
Symbols would represent syllables; earlier pictographs only represented objects.

18. Sumerians invented the world’s 1st writing system
Scribes-writers; kept track of items people traded & wrote down government records.**Scribes could move up in social class
Other uses: wrote stories, proverbs, songs, poems, about the gods & military victories & epics.

19. Advances and inventions changed Sumerian lives.
Development of the wheel:
Used for carts and wagons
Potter’s wheel
The Plow increase farm production
Sewers under city streets
Math and science:
# system based on 60
Names of plants, animals, and minerals.
Used medicines for healing

20. Art in Sumer Architecture: Rulers lived in large palaces
Most Sumerians lived in houses w/ many rooms surrounding a courtyard.
Houses were made of mud bricks
A Ziggurat rose above the city.
The arts
Sculptures of the gods for the temples.
Jewelry-gold, silver, & gems.
Engraved cylinder seals

21. Later People’s of the Fertile Crescent
After the Sumerians, many cultures ruled parts of the fertile crescent.

22. Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia & created a code of law
Hammurabi-king of Babylon.
Brilliant war leader who brought all of Mesopotamia under his empire.
Improved tax system, oversaw building and irrigation projects.

23. Code of Hammurabi
Hammurabi’s Code: a set of 282 laws he created that focused on daily life.** Ideas that are found in our laws today**
Specific crimes=specific consequences (eye for an eye)

24. Code of Hammurabi
Social class was taken into account. It was a greater crime to injure a rich man than a poor man.
Code was unique because…
It was detailed.
It was written for ALL to see.

25. Code of Hammurabi

26. Invasions of Mesopotamia
Armies battled for control of fertile land. Many groups ruled Mesopotamia

27. The Hittites and the Kassites
Hittites: 1st to master ironworking-made strongest weapons.
Used a chariot which allowed them to move quickly around the battlefield.
Kassites took over after king was assassinated-Kassites ruled for over 400 yrs.

28. The Assyrians Had a strong army that used chariots and iron weapons.
Spread terror before battles by looting villages and burning crops.
King ruled the empire through local leaders that only governed a small area.
The local leaders demanded heavy taxes.

29. The Assyrians

30. The Chaldeans
Chaldeans attacked the Assyrians when and destroyed their empire.
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city that had famous hanging gardens

31. The Chaldeans
Admired the Sumerian culture, studied their language, and built temples to Sumerian gods.
Babylon became the center for astronomy.

32. The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern Mediterranean region.
Resources:
Cedar trees for timber
Accessed the sea for trade
Built great harbors

33. The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern Mediterranean region.
Expansion of Trade:
Sailed ships around the Mediterranean sea.
Founded new colonies along the trade routes.
Became wealthy

34. The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern Mediterranean region.
Alphabet:
Recorded their activities
Made writing much easier for everyone
Is the basis for the English language.