Early Civilizations

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Early Civilizations

• Mesopotamia

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Map of Mesopotamia
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Geography of Mesopotamia

• Mesopotamia means
• the land between the rivers.
• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
• Modern day Iraq
• Fertile Crescent
• From the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf
• Fertile soil
• Silt deposits, but little rain fall
• Flooding
• Irrigation and drainage ditches
• Agriculture is only made possible through
  irrigation
• Bases for a civilization
• Constant warfare

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The Fertile Crescent
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The Sumerians and City-States

• First to create civilizations.
• Early City States began in 3000 BC.
• Eridu, Ur, Uruk, Umma, and Lagash
• Cities were surrounded by walls.
• Mud bricks used to build.
• Very limited wood or stone.
• Stilled used today in the Middle East.

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Walled City
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The Sumerians and City States

• Temples were the most important structures.
• Religious, political, and economic center.
• Gods ruled the cities.
• Kings received power from the gods.
• Economy was mostly agriculture.
• Also included textiles, pottery, and metal work.
• Trade with eastern Mediterranean and India.
• 3 major social groups
• Nobles
• Commoners
• Slaves

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Culture of Mesopotamia

• Cuneiform Writing System.
• Wedge-shaped writing.
• Helped educated the people.
• Recorded history.

The Epic of Gilgamesh on a stone tablet
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Cuneiform Writing
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Culture of Mesopotamia

• Mathematics.
• Included geometry.
• Based on units of 60.
• Astronomy.
• 12-month Calendar.

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Culture of Mesopotamia

• Sumerian art work.

Helmet
Harp
Board Game
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Religion of Mesopotamia

• Theocracy
• religion rules politics.
• Everything was linked to the gods.
• Polytheistic gods.
• Au was the god of sky.
• Enil was the god of wind.
• Enki was the god of earth and water.
• Niuhurgage was the god of soil, mountains,
  vegetation.
• Man was created to work for the gods.
• Divination
• inspired by the gods

Enki
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Religion of Mesopotamia

• Ziggurat
• temple to the gods.

Artists depiction of the ziggurat at Ur
Modern day picture of what is left of the
ziggurat at Ur.
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Empires of Mesopotamia

• Constant wars occurred throughout Mesopotamias
  history.
• Akkadians create the first empire.
• Took control in 2340 BC.
• Led by Sargon
• Warring city-states returned in 2100 BC.
• Short lived return of Sumerian rule.

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Empires of Mesopotamia

• Hammurabi created a new empire in 1792 BC.
• Created a new capital in Babylon.
• Ended Sumerian politics.
• Did not survive after his death.

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Empires of Mesopotamia

• The Babylonian Empire

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The Code of Hammurabi

• Strict laws.
• Punishment was severe.
• Severity depended on your social class.
• An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
• Consumer laws.
• Land and trade laws.
• Civil laws.
• Marriage and family laws.
• Largest category of laws.
• Marriages were arranged.