Ancient Mesopotamia Notes

Ancient Mesopotamia (3500 B.C. - 1700 B.C.)

  • Essential Question: How does geography affect the development of civilizations?

Lesson Objective:

  • Identify characteristics of Mesopotamia.
  • Share the pros/cons about the Code of Hammurabi.

Four River Valley Civilizations

  • Nile River - Egypt
  • Tigris/Euphrates - Iraq
  • Indus River - Pakistan
  • Huang Ho - China
  • Timeline:
    • China: 2950-1000
    • Mesopotamia: 250-1600
    • Ancient Egypt: 3000-2000
    • Indus Valley: 2500-1700

Geography of Mesopotamia

  • Mesopotamia is a Greek term meaning "Land between the Two Rivers."
  • Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq.
  • Part of the Fertile Crescent, an area rich in nutritious soil, making farming possible and easy.

Irrigation and Settlements

  • People learned to irrigate the land by diverting water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
  • Resulted in permanent settlements.
  • Early sedentary people centered themselves in the fertile crescent region.
  • Frequent flooding occurred, depositing silt, which resulted in very fertile soil.
  • Increased food supply led to a surplus.

Religion in Mesopotamia

  • Polytheistic: Worshiping many gods (as many as 2,000 different gods).
  • Belief that the gods controlled natural forces.
  • Offerings and prayers were made to the gods.
  • Much time was spent devoted to constructing monumental architecture.
  • Belief that the dead turned to dust.

The City-State of Ur

  • World's first city-builders.
  • Built walled cities for protection.
  • Created a large irrigation system.
  • Dug canals (human-made waterways).
  • Ziggurats: Religious temples with arches, alters, and large stepped pyramids.

Sumerian Achievements

  • Invented the wheel and sailboat.
  • Developed irrigation leading to a surplus of food.
  • Bronze and copper tools (stronger than copper alone).
  • Developed a 12-month calendar.
  • Plow for farming.

Cuneiform

  • First form of writing (Cuneiform).
  • Earliest known writing system.
  • Symbols on clay tablets.
  • Represented transactions based on exchange.
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh: Earliest known epic poem.

Babylonian Achievements

  • Developed a number system based on #60, which is the basis for our seconds and minutes today.
  • Invented the Bow: combined wood with animal bone or horn to make a stronger, more deadly weapon.

Phoenician Achievements

  • Best shipbuilders and sailors.
  • Developed a wide range trading network along the Mediterranean Sea into the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
  • Developed the first alphabet with 22 letters representing sounds of speech.

Politics in Mesopotamian City-States

  • Mesopotamian rulers were often priests.
  • Theocracy: A society governed by religious leaders.
  • City-States: Ex. Uruk, Ur, and Babylon had their own ruler, gods, and military.

Code of Hammurabi

  • Earliest written law code.
  • "Eye for an eye" principle.
  • 282 laws dealing with property rights, wages, contracts, marriage, and various crimes.
  • The laws brought greater stability and justice to society.
  • Main purpose was to protect people's rights.
  • Hammurabi's Code treated nobles and commoners differently.

Economy in Mesopotamia

  • Free time allowed for specialized jobs.
  • #1 commodity was FOOD.
  • Occupations: Farmers, herders, fishermen, masons, potters, and merchants.
  • Traded food, wove cloth, cast utensils in bronze, and crafts for goods like gold, tin, beads, wood, resin, pearls, and copper.
  • Used a barter system (to exchange goods for other goods).

Social Structure

  • Society divided into four social classes:
    • King/Priests
    • Nobles/Wealthy/Gov. Officials
    • Merchants/Professionals/Architects/Scribes
    • Farmers/Slaves
  • The gap between the rich and the poor began to grow.

Women in Society

  • Not equal to men.
  • Responsible for raising children and crushing grain.
  • Boys attended school, girls were educated at home; all marriages were arranged.
  • Wealthy Women's Rights:
    • Only upper-class women enjoyed some freedoms like:
      • Property rights
      • Could leave her husband (not divorce)
      • Separate incomes
      • Could be merchants, traders, even scribes.