1. Mesopotamia: Gods, Rulers, and the Social Order (ca. 3500–330 B.C.E.)
Chapter 1
Mesopotamia: Gods, Rulers, and the Social Order
(ca. 3500–330 B.C.E.)

2. The Gods of Mesopotamia
Associated with the effects of the environment/forces of nature
Sumerian creation myth: The Babylonian Creation
The search for immortality: The Epic of Gilgamesh
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3. The Rulers of Mesopotamia
Sumer
Loosely-knit group of city-states
Earliest Bronze Age technology
Babylon
Sixth king of Babylon named Hammurabi developed unifying code of law
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The Social Order
Law: Hammurabi’s Code
Primarily secular in scope, but with the force of divine decree
Represented a landmark in the development of human rights in that it was written, unlike the traditional oral laws
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5. The Arts in Mesopotamia
The ziggurat
Traditional spiritual center of the city-state
Shrine room statuettes
Expressed the insecurities of a people surrounded by reminders of their own vulnerability
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The Hebrews
Early history of the Hebrews
The covenant
Ethical monotheism
The early Hebrew social order
Morality and patriarchy
Laws added to the Decalogue
The early Hebrew state
The role of the prophets
The Babylonian Captivity and the Book of Job
Book of Psalms
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The Iron Age
The Assyrian Empire
The Persian Empire
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