Civilizations of Mesopotamia

1
Civilizations of Mesopotamia

• Conquest and Reconquest
• The Waves of Civilization that transformed the
  Near East

2
History of Mesopotamia

• Theme Conquest and Reconquest
• Due to lack of geographic barriers
• lies on a flat alluvial floodplain
• wide open to invasion
• invaders come from Asia Minor
• Civilizations develop on top of each other
• Civilization building is a cumulative process!!

3
City-States of Sumer

• Ur, Lagash, Uruk, Larsa, Eridu, Kish
• Independent city-states cultural unity only
  political unity
• mud-brick architecture
• walled cities fortified
• trade and agriculture based economy

4
The Sargonid (or Akkadian) Empire

• Began in 2340 BC by Sargon I of Akkad, the
  northern region of Mesopotamia
• Worlds First Empire Sargon first emperor
• Lasted 150 years held together by military
• Army personally responsible to Sargon I
• soldiers ate meals daily with Sargon
• Sargon I was killed in battle

5
Babylon (1795-1595 BC)

• King Hammurabi unified region 1792 BC
• Capital was at Babylon
• Code of Hammurabi
• worlds first legal code
• eye for an eye justice
• 282 laws written down and distributed for all to
  see on steles (see photo)
• regulated all aspects of life in Babylon

6
Code of Hammurabi

• Concerned with social justice and rights of the
  poor and powerless
• Applied unequally according to social class
  punishment was more severe for the poor
• Women had legal and property rights
• inherit property
• run businesses
• become priests
• still patriarchal man could sell his wife to pay
  his debts.

7
The Hittites (1595-1530 BC)

• Warlike people from Asia Minor
• First to use iron weapons the chariot
• Lived by conquest
• Legal Code like Hammurabi but less strict
• fine based payment for injuries
• law measured intention
• like our tort system
• law regulates society

8
The Assyrians (900-650 BC)

• Military Society
• Advanced Military Technology
• iron weapons, cavalry, chariots, battering ram,
  seige engine
• psychological warfare torture, flaying (skinning
  prisoners alive), win through intimidation

9
The Assyrian Civilization

• King was an absolute monarch
• governors reported to king (and spies reported on
  the governors to the king)
• built infrastructure to support empire roads,
  postal service, irrigation projects, buildings
• Stationed troops in all occupied lands
• used mercenaries in the army professional
  soldiers!

10
Assyrian Empire

• Assyrians are the first to set up an effective
  method of governing an Empire
• terror and force
• military might
• efficient, effective governors
• streamlined administrative structure
• rule of law

11
The Chaldeans (612-539 BC)

• Conquered most of the Fertile Crescent incl.
  Mesopotamia
• Led by King Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC)
• Reconstructed Babylon
• built enormous palace
• built Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the 7
  Wonders of the Ancient World) for homesick wife
• contributed little to development of civilization
• fell with Nebuchadnezzar

12
The Persians

• Cyrus the Great unifies the Persians in 550 BC
• Defeated the Chaldeans, captured Babylon,
  conquered all of Fertile Crescent region
• Government professional administration allowed
  conquered peoples to keep laws
• Infrastructure built roads for army and postal
  service for communication
• Greatest Empire in the World at the time

13
Persian Empire Territorial Extent
14
Fall of Persia

• Persia falls due to poor leadership
• Conquered by Alexander the Great in 331 BC forms
  part of new Hellenistic Civilization
• Mesopotamian Civilization is absorbed into
  encroaching civilizations from outside the region
  (Greece, Rome)
• The history of the region continues to be one of
  conquest and reconquest
• Mesopotamian region in news today (Iraq)

15
Civilization Conclusions

• First appears in Mesopotamia, The Land between
  the Rivers (Tigris Euphrates), now present-day
  Iraq.
• Based on Agriculture (few provide for the many)
• many can specialize in other occupations
• leads to complex societies
• Urban Oriented (villages, towns, cities)
• permanent settlements grow out of a need to
  irrigate for agriculture
• Featured complex social institutions
• Sophisticated Technology (hydraulic for
  irrigation)
• First Empires develop here (Sargonid Empire)