1. Early Civilizations Ch 2
Mesopotamia
Lesson 2

2. Sumer and Akkad Mesopotamia consisted of city states Akkad: north
Sumer: south
Similar farming and business methods and had similar customs, but spoke different languages
Akkadian and Sumerian languages
Wars occurred often between the two to control land and water
Sumer was the most powerful

3. Outside of the cities were vast, irrigated farms
Mudbrick wall surrounded most city-states
Protection from unfriendly nomads & armies of enemy city-states
White painted mudbrick houses of one or two stories
Temple complex at the highest point
Largest and most impressive temple structures were the ziggurats

4. Ziggarauts were stacked rectangular platforms that formed a huge pyramid-shaped structure
Believed to link Earth with the heavens

5. Ziggurat of Ur

6. Religion and Government
Temples were built as earthly homes for the gods
Structures reflect the importance of religion to society
Sumerians and Akkadians practiced polytheism
Worship of many gods
Believed gods and goddesses were responsible for the well-being of the people and the fertility of the land

7. Anu the god of the heavens
Enlil the god of wind
Enki the god of water
Ninhursag the mother of the gods
They also believed in many lesser gods
If the city state was peaceful it was because the gods were pleased
Temple priests made offerings to the gods to keep them happy

8. Religion and government were closely linked
Sumerians believed that kings were chosen by the gods to carry out the gods’ wishes
Divine kingship
The right to rule was god-given
Also believed the right to rule could be passed from father to son

9. Sumer had a class system:
Kings
Wealthy businesspeople, landowners, and government workers
Artisans and farm workers
Slaves

10. Writing
About 3200 B.C. the Sumerians invented a writing system to keep track of business dealings
Simple pictures that stood for objects or actions
2400 B.C. this picture writing was simplified
Cuneiform: wedge-shaped writing
Professional writers are scribes

12. Akkadians adopted cuneiform
Cuneiform was used for centuries
It was used to record the exchange of goods
Was also used to tell stories (Epic of Gilgamesh-legendary Sumerian king)
Medical texts, law codes, letters, arguments & debates, and wise sayings

13. The Rise and Fall of the Akkadian Empire
Sargon led the Akkadians to defeat the Sumerians around 2334 B.C.
He united all the city-states of Mesopotamia under his rule
Forming the world’s first empire
A large territory, consisting of many different places, all under the control of a single ruler
Stretched from “the sunrise to the sunset”

14. Sargon’s practice of appointing his daughters as high priestesses as followed by many other kings
He also passed his empire on to his son
Akkadian dynasty was constantly threatened by revolts
Was only powerful for only about 150 years

15. Sumer’s Final Days
2100 to 2000 B.C., the city-state of Ur in Sumer held control of Mesopotamia
Last and most successful dynasty was under king Ur-Nammu and his son, Shulgi
Business, literature, and the arts did well
Oldest known written law code was from this time period

16. Sumerians used writing, religion, and technology in their daily lives to help them advance their civilization
The first wheel appeared in Mesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago