1. Earliest Civilizations
WHAP
Earliest Civilizations

2. Characteristics of a civilization
Reliable surplus (food)
Specialized occupations
Social class distinctions
Growth of cities
Complex governments
Long distance trade
Organized writing systems

3. Earliest Civilizations
Centered around river valleys (fertile soil, abundant water)
Earliest civilization (Mesopotamia, “land between 2 rivers- Tigris and Euphrates)
Sumerians- take control, develop city-states
Labor system includes slavery
Sargon the Great conquers Sumerian city states (2300 BCE) founding Akkadian Empire

4. Map

5. Modern Map

6. Mesopotamia Early government – Theocracy (govt by gods and priests)
Developed into rule by warrior kings (kingdoms)
1700 BCE- Babylonians conquer led by Hammurabi
Hittites control 1500 BCE
Assyrians 900 BCE
New Babylonians 500 BCE

7. MESOPOTAMIA Hammurabi's code- first known written law code
Cuneiform- first known system of writing (picture, symbol) 3500 BCE
First recorded story “Epic of Gilgamesh”
Recommended: be familiar with Gilgamesh story
Believed gods (natural disasters) intervened in human affairs, each city has a god, ziggurat temple. Polytheism-belief in many gods

8. Ziggurat, reconstructed (Ur)

9. Mesopotamia
Social classes- 1) free land owning class (royal, priest, warrior, govt, etc.)
2) dependent farmers and craftsmen
3) Slaves (as much as 40% of population)
Slaves were prisoners of war or debtors
Slavery would end after debt paid off

10. Mesopotamia
Economy- long distance trade with Egypt, Persia. Sailed canoes through Persian Gulf and Arabian sea. Traded for gold, tin, beads, obsidian, wood, pearls, etc.
Women- enjoy few freedoms (upper class own property) only boys attend school
Cuneiform for record keeping- scribe
Technology- metal plows, sundial, carts and 12 month calender. Number system (based on 60) still used today (60 seconds= 1 min)