1. Ancient Mesopotamia
Early Middle East

2. Fertile Crescent Land between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Land was able to grow crops and fuel animal domestication
Floods of the rivers helped fertilize the land making it a great place to start a civilization

3. Sumerian Civilization
First cities formed along rivers
Ur was one of the first cities as was Babylon
Sumerian city states had farming people who started settling down together
This made job specialization and hierarchies

4. Sumerian Religion Believed in many gods, Polytheistic
Built temples for worship called Ziggurats
Belief in afterlife, and we know that through “The Epic of Gilgamesh”
Differences of polytheism and monotheism will form conflict with Israelites.

5. Advanced Learning System of Writing called cuneiform
Wedge shaped marks made using a reed pen
Used for recording harvests, myths, prayers, laws, treaties and business contracts.

6. The Empires of Sumer
Empires of Sumer were formed when cities were taken over by other cities to form empires.
These empires were more advanced then civilized cities and needed laws to control the masses of people.

7. Code of Hammurabi
Hammurabi had artisans create a stone pillar with 300 laws that were the laws of the empire that everyone would follow.
Hammurabi felt that he was given this right by the gods to protect the weak from the strong

8. Cont. Code of Hammurabi
First written laws to govern the state and its people.
Criminal Laws
offences against others
First people took law into their own hands
Set of punishments encouraged social order
“eye for an eye, life for a life” seem cruel by today's standards.

9. Warfare and Spread of Ideas
Hittites developed iron working from ore from the ground
With weapons, Mesopotamians expand and take over other cities.
Tolerance for concurred people for customs and religions traditions.

10. Barter vs. Money Economy
Barter – exchanging one set of goods for another good or service
Money – goods and services are paid for with a token of an agreed value.

11. Monotheism and civilization
Judaism
Monotheism and civilization

12. Story of Israel 2000 BC → 722 BC Ur gave birth to Abraham
Abraham moves to Canaan to today's Israel/Palestine
Famine → moved to Egypt
Enslaved, exodus to land believed God promised them.

13. Covenant with God Covenant = a binding agreement
God and Abraham’s agreement made his people to the “chosen people”
Torah or Old Testament is the history of the Hebrews

14. Men of Israel Abraham - Father or the first of the Hebrew people
Moses - Leads the exodus or people out of slavery
David – united Israelites
Solomon – made Jerusalem capitol
Story of Isaac and Ishmael

15. Lasting concepts Cleanliness and food preparation – Kosher
10 Commandments
Friday Sabbath