Mesopotamia

1
Mesopotamia

• Section 2.1

2
How it began

• 4500 BC people began to settle in Mesopotamia.
• In this area the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
  flowed

3
The Rivers

• Mesopotamia means the land between the two rivers
• flooded once per year leaving a layer of silt.

4
The Sumerians

• Around 3300 BC the Sumerians arrived in the area.
• Their location caused them problems

5
Technological Innovations

• Base 60 number system
• This is where we get 60 seconds to a minute
• Architecture
• Arch, Column, Ramp, Pyramid
• Cuneiform

6
Babylonian Empire

• Most notable empire
• Hammurabi was the most famous ruler
• Standardized laws and punishments
• Punishments were different for rich and poor and
  men and women
• Retaliation was a common theme. An eye for an eye

7
Problems

• Flooding
• No Natural Defenses
• Scarce Natural Resources

8
Pictures of Things
9
Hammurabis Code
10
Cunieform
11
Irrigation Ditches
12
Mud Bricks
13
Traded with Neighbors