Amorites

1. Amorites

2. Hammurabi • Successful general • Defeated Sumerians and Akkad around 1760 B.C.E • Helped his people conquer Mesopotamia • A famous Babylonian Monarch • Created one of the first empires by uniting Mesopotamia under one ruler

3. Hammurabi • Improved the irrigation process of his empire • Strongly encouraged astronomy, mathematics, and literature

4. The Code of Hammurabi • Was created by Hammurabi • First known code of laws in ancient civilizations • Used to keep order in the empire • Contained the concepts of “an eye for an eye” or “lex talionis” • Established rules for common issues Code of Hammurabi

5. The Code of Hammurabi • Created standards for behavior • Created punishments • They were posted in the cities’ temple • Written in cuneiform • Hammurabi

6. The Code of Hammurabi • 282 total laws • Written around 1786 B.C.E • Carved in forty-nine columns of stone tablets called stele

7. The Code of Hammurabi • Addressed topics such as civil, commercial, family, and criminal laws • Some laws showed favoring towards higher social classes • “If a man strikes the cheek of a freeman who is superior in rank to himself, he shall be beaten with 60 stripes with a whip of ox-hide in the assembly”

8. Impact of Ideas • Many later documents used ideas from the Code of Hammurabi • When the Kassites conquered Babylon and controlled Mesopotamia they still used Hammurabi’s Code • Established the authority of the government for Babylon and other societies

9. Impact of Ideas • Some historians suggest that many aspects of the Bible include borrowed ideas from Hammurabi’s Code • The 10 Commandments • Levitical Law contains the concept of an eye for an eye • The laws of Melchizedek (the land that the Bible said God told Abraham to live on)

10. Culture • Spoke language related to Hebrew • Wrote on clay tablets • Cuneiform writing

11. Culture • Elaborate palaces and temple buildings • Art and architecture were influenced by other Mesopotamian cultures

12. Culture • Worshiped Sumerian gods • Told Sumerian myths and tales • Created a new god they worshipped • Marduk • The Epic of Gilgamesh was created and contributed to religion

13. Social Institutions • Split up into 2 groups: traders and workers • Society of farmers, free citizens, and merchants • Priests served gods and cared for the welfare of his subjects.

14. Social Institutions • Monarchy • Became more powerful • Used power to collect taxes and make a strong army • Strong central government needed a set of laws to keep order(Hammurabi's Code)

15. Social Institutions • Instead of city-states they created one big kingdom • Their most famous king was Hammurabi • The Code of Hammurabi set up the rules for each social class.

16. Government • Based on Sumerian civilization • Relied on sun god: Marduk • Ruler was Hammurabi • Hammurabi’s Code gave empire order

17. Economy • Traded with Canaan and Anatolia • Reflected art and agriculture • Traded cloth for gold

18. Human Environment Interactions Kingdoms • Division into kingdoms replaced city-states of Sumerians • Kings chose the land people were given and which land would be dedicated to farming

19. Human Environment Interaction Farmland • Grew wheat and barely • Created better irrigation systems • Domesticating animals • Creating better roads and improving wheels led to population growth

20. Cooperation and Conflict • Sumerians fell and Mesopotamia went in a conflicted era • Amorites traveled into Mesopotamia, and recreated their civilization but with improvements

21. Cooperation and Conflict • The fall of the Amorites was called the Dark Age • Kassites took over and the language of the Amorites faded into the south of Mesopotamia

22. Location • the Amorites lived in Canaan and in the Eastern part of the fertile crescent http://www.jesuswalk.com/joshua/images/amorite-map.gif

23. Social Classes • 2 forms of slaves – (Wardu) • Debtors working for freedom • Prisoners of War/ women + children sold to pay a debt • Slaves were occasionally sold to pay labors

24. Social Classes cont. • 2 forms of free citizens • Higher (Anilu) • Lower (Mushkenu) • Military + civil services are under free citizens • Nobles and rulers are the final rung http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16653/16653-h/img/23.jpg

25. Geography • In the Western part of Mesopotamia now known as Arabia • Hot and dry climate in the summer; cold and wet in winter • Fertile land, major waterways to help with trade • Also the Mountain range Jebel Bishiri • Built around the Euphrates

26. Technology/ Inventions • Centralized government • A new God (Marduk) • Established the 1st dynasty • 1st written code of laws

27. Cooperation and Conflict • Nebuchadnezzar led a revival in 1000 BCE • Agum I took over Babylon after the Hittite rule • Samsu-ditanna was the last king • Traded with every city-state in the Euphrates river valley

28. Governmental ideas • 1st set of written laws • Had one central city-state, Babylon • Divisions of kingdoms eliminated city- states • Development of personal ownership/ private property • Priests didn’t control the economy anymore

29. Social Institutions • Religion • Worshipped the Moon god(Sin) + Amurru • Amurru is possibly where they got the name Amorites • Believed in an after life • Believed their king was a god • Government • Scribes kept track of everything • Hereditary Monarchy

30. Social Institutions Cont. • Schools (Tablet School) • Children began school at age 8 or 9 • Had schools for scribes • Took 12 years • Mostly boy students • Senior students helped the teacher/expert

31. Cultural development • Bronze began to be used • Passed on stories orally ex.) “Epic of Gilgamesh” • Looked at monarch as a god • Religion was part of their everyday culture

32. Individuals • Hammurabi: • Wrote the 1st code of laws • Very one gender sided • Created a man based society • Women became slaves and household objects • Changed laws everywhere

33. Economics • Was controlled by priest • Changed hands with Hammurabi’s rule • Trade thrived in this area because: • Large cities • Their geographical location (rivers) http://www.bible-history.com/sketches/ancient/nebuchadnezzar-inscription.jpg

34. Impact of Ideas • Freed certain people from taxes • Switched from independent city-states to kingdoms made up of city-states • Changes in the economic system • control shifted from religious leaders to king/government

35. Fun Facts! • Famous for Hammurabi’s Code • Hittites conquered the Amorites then left, then the Kassites came and occupied the territory • First to inhabit Canaan + Babylonia area • Established first Babylonian dynasty • Jebel Bishiri – Syria named after the Amorites

36. Introduction • Amorites were also known as the Old Babylonians who were mountainous people and warriors • The Amorites ruled the empire from 1900-1600 B.C.E known as the Old Babylonian Period • They were a group of Semites that gained control of Mesopotamia after the fall of the last Sumerian dynasty

37. Location • In the fertile crescent • Occupied the area west of the Euphrates River • Babylon was the capitol of the Amorite Empire • The area the Amorites occupied included the cities: • Mari • Rapiqum • Sippar • Babylon • Eshunna • Malgium • Nippur • Isir • Uruk • Larsa • Lagash • Ur • Eridu

38. Location cont. • Occupied modern-day Syria • Northern area was composed of hills and plains • It was fertile because of rivers flowing down from the mountains • Southern area had marshy areas and desolate plains

39. Language • Amorites used the Akkadian language as their spoken language • Used cuneiform for many of their documents • Used the Sumerian language as their religious language

40. Religion • Polytheistic • They adopted the Sumerian religion • Main god was Marduk which is the only god that they imported • Did not care about life after death • Focused mainly on life itself

41. Important Individuals • Hammurabi: the sixth ruler of Babylonia, who created the first set of written laws • Gilgamesh: legendary king discovers the secret of floods and defies the gods • Samsu-Ditana: last king of the First Babylonian Dynasty

42. Social Classes • Social Pyramid: • Noblemen • Commoners • Women • Slaves • New kings came to rule: • Many people were freed • New societies

43. Writing • Hammurabi’s Code • The famous Venus Tablets of Ammis aduqa • The Epic of Gilgamesh • Gilgamesh searched for immortality • Learned from the only man who survived a great flood created by the gods • Gilgamesh also conquered the demon, Huwawa, who lived in the cedar forest • Gilgamesh wanted Cedar Wood and encountered the Huwawa and killed it

44. Technology • Adopted many of the Sumerians’ technological advancements: • Wheel • Boat/Ships • Metallurgy • Irrigation Systems

45. Mathematics • Helped with trade and records • Developed multiplication and exponents • Tablets recovered including signs of: • Fractions • Algebra • Quadratic Equations • Cubic Equations • Pythagorean Theorem

46. Arts/Architecture • Had an abundance of mudbrick • Built temples supported by buttresses • Use of brick led to the early development of pilaster and column • Walls were brilliantly colored and plated with zinc or gold • Assyrians adopted later on

47. Wars • Always prepared for wars • Wars rarely occurred • War against Gibeon: • 5 kings of Amorite marched together to attack Gibeon • Felt threatened by Gibeon’s wealth, power, and military status • They attacked Gibeon • Gibeon survived b/c of King Joshua’s cunning plots and tactics

48. Government • Established a bureaucracy: a system of government • Were first to have a set of laws which was Hammurabi’s Code • Hammurabi’s Code was written around 1792-1750 B.C.E.

49. Effect on Mesopotamia • Changed city-states into kingdoms • Men, cattle, and land ceased to belong to the gods or the temples and kings • Brought lasting repercussions in its political, social and economic structure

50. Bibliography www.angelfire.com/va3/violingirl/amorites.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorite http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/AMORITES.HTMhttp://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch01.htm http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/world_cultures/middle_east/amorites.aspx http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/AMORITES.HTM http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b1hammurabi.htm http://www.lawbuzz.com/ourlaws/hammurabi/religion.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi