1. AIM: What distinct characteristics did the early civilizations of the Middle East develop?
Do Now: Create three of the most ruthless (but fair) laws that you can think of.

2. *Invasion and conquest were prominent features in the history of the Ancient Middle East
What two rivers run through the Fertile Crescent?
In what present day country is Mesopotamia located?

3. Sumerians (ancient Sumer’s city-states) (3200 B.C. - 1800 B.C.)
THE MANY PEOPLE OF MESOPOTAMIA:
Sumerians (ancient Sumer’s city-states)
(3200 B.C B.C.)
2. Babylonians
( 1800 B.C B.C.
Assyrians (Assyrian Empire)
(1200 B.C B.C.)
4. Persians (Persian Empire)
(539 B.C B.C.)

4. ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA (3200 B.C.)
“land in between the rivers”
Why was this a perfect place for the 1st civilization?
Fertile Crescent - large arc of fertile land in the Middle East
Tigris & Euphrates Rivers made it possible for farming
3. Cattle, pigs, goats & sheep were accessible

5. CHALLENGES
1. Unpredictable floods destroyed crops, homes & people
2. Some areas were marshy and unsuitable for farming
3. This land was vulnerable to attack and invasion

6. Vocabulary Cuneiform – wedge shaped symbols carved into clay
Ziggurats– a pyramid-temple that soared towards the heavens
Zoroastrian - one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. It was founded by the Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran approximately 3500 years ago
Epic of Gilgamesh: The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh dates from about 2000 B.C. It is a collection of tales about a hero named Gilgamesh.

7. Agree or disagree…
“An eye for an eye, a life for a life.” Explain.

8. Relief of Hammurabi and the god Shamash
Who was Hammurabi?
Member of the Amorite dynasty
King of Babylon from BCE
United all of Mesopotamia under the Babylonian Empire
Who was Hammurabi? Hammurabi was a member of the Amorite dynasty who united all of Mesopotamia under the Babylonian Empire. He
became king of Babylon in 1792 BCE and ruled until 1750 BCE.
Relief of Hammurabi and the god Shamash

9. Hammurabi’s Code 282 Laws for Babylonian society
Tool to unify expanding empire
“That the strong might not injure the weak”
Allowed everyone to know the rules
Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi is most famous for his law code, which is one of the oldest in the world. It is a list of 282 laws that deal with many different parts of society. The code was created in part to help unify a quickly expanding empire. In this law code, the government set up certain punishments for crimes so “that the strong might not injure the weak.” Before this code, individuals basically decided how they wanted to take revenge on people who hurt them. Hammurabi’s Code made rules more standardized so that everyone would know the crimes and penalties, similar to the way everyone knows school rules.

10. Ancient Mesopotamian Astrology Activity
Should we change our astrological signs?

11. Let’s Summarize…

12. Aim: What distinct characteristics did the early empires of the Middle East develop?
Do Now: Analyze a map of the Persian Empire at its extent and hypothesize why the empire was so successful and vast.

13. Assyrian Empire
BCE

14. Assyrian Empire
Image retrieved from

15. King Sennacherib Ruled 705-681 BCE Used military force against revolts
Led campaign against a rebellion in Judah
Conquered several Judean cities
Attacked King Hezekiah in the city of Jerusalem
Image retrieved from
Palace Carving of King Sennacherib

16. The Rise of Persia
The Persians based their empire on tolerance and diplomacy. They relied on a strong military to back up their policies.
Ancient Persia is where Iran is today.
Largest empire seen yet.

17. The Persian Empire Vocab
Tolerance – Persian kings accepted the people they conquered
Satrap – province, which had to pay taxes based on its resources and wealth
Barter economy – exchanging one set of goods and services for another
Money economy – goods and services are paid through the exchange of some toke of an agreed value

18. Cyrus the Great

19. Primary Source
“This is the word of Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he himself has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. To every man of his people now among you I say, God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord God of Israel, the God whose city is Jerusalem.”
What type of ruler was Cyrus based on this quote?

20. Darius

21. Persian Empire, 500 BC
List the continents the Persian Empire reached by 500 BCE

22. The Royal Road 1,677 miles long 111 relay stations
Other smaller roads branched off the royal road
Relay stations had rest areas and fresh horses.
The entire royal road could be traveled in a week by a horsemen
Caravans took about a month

23. The Phoenicians Sailors and traders
Occupied string of cities along the eastern Mediterranean coast (Syria and Lebanon)
Set up colonies from North Africa to Sicily
Contribution: our alphabet

24. Let’s Summarize…