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Chapter 2

Chapter 2. City-States of Ancient Sumer 2.1. The Fertile Crescent. Was a region of the Middle East named for its rich soils and golden wheat fields Lying within the Fertile Crescent is Mesopotamia “Between the rivers”. Mesopotamia. Lies between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

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Chapter 2

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  1. Chapter 2 City-States of Ancient Sumer 2.1

  2. The Fertile Crescent • Was a region of the Middle East named for its rich soils and golden wheat fields • Lying within the Fertile Crescent is Mesopotamia • “Between the rivers”

  3. Mesopotamia • Lies between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers • Modern day Turkey through Iraq • First civilization was Sumer, located in southeastern Mesopotamia

  4. Struggles • Had to control flooding • Could completely wash away the topsoil and the mud-brick villages • The Epic of Gilgamesh describes a great flood that destroys the world • Archaeologists confirm that catastrophic floods occurred regularly

  5. Sumerian Resources • Lacked timber and stone, so learned to build with clay and water • Used clay to make bricks and dried in the sun • Made the first wheeled vehicles

  6. Civilization Takes Shape • Each city-state had a social hierarchy system of ranking groups • Highest level made up of ruling family, leading officials and priests • Middle class were scribes, merchants, and artisans • Lowest, and majority of people were peasant farmers

  7. Sumerian Women • Goddesses were highly honored in religious practice • Women held higher status in Sumer compared to other civilizations • Never had legal rights equal to men • Rulers’ wives had supervisory powers and some wrote songs about their husbands (Why would that be significant?)

  8. Sumerian Religion

  9. Religion • Polytheistic • Thought the gods behaved like ordinary people, ate, drank, married, had families, etc • Felt highest duty was to keep them happy which ensured the safety of the city-state

  10. Ziggurats

  11. Ziggurats • Large, stepped platform thought to have been topped by a temple dedicated to the city’s chief god or goddess • Believed in afterlife • “The place where they live on dust, their food is mud, and they see no light, living in blackness, on the door and door-bolt, deeply settled dust”

  12. Sumerians Invent Writing • Cuneiform

  13. Cuneiform • Scribes wrote by making wedge- shaped marks on clay tablets • Used to record economic exchanges, myths, prayers, laws, and business contracts • Had to go through many years of school to acquire these skills • Caned for making any mistakes

  14. Lasting Legacy of Sumer • Cuneiform was adapted into different cultures • Established a number system based on dividing the hour into 60 minutes and the circle into 360 degrees • Studies the skies and recorded the movements of the planets and stars

  15. Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders Chapter 2: Section 2

  16. First Empires • Sargon of Akkad • 2300 BC • Invaded and Conquered Sumer

  17. Sargon • Didn’t stop after conquering Sumer, expanded his territory and created the first empire known in history • Appointed local rulers, each of whom served as king of the land he oversaw • Did not last long; After Sargon’s death other invaders took over

  18. Hammurabi

  19. Hammurabi • King of Babylon • Took control of Mesopotamia in 1790 BC • Best known for his publication of a set of laws: Hammurabi’s Code

  20. Hammurabi’s Code • Wanted to ensure that everyone knew the law • Had Artisans carve nearly 300 laws on a stone pillar for all to see • First attempt by a ruler to codify, or arrange and set down in writing

  21. Civil Law • Dealt with private rights and matters • Examples include contracts, inheritances, taxes, marriage, and divorce • Designed to protect the powerless….Slaves and Women

  22. Examples of Civil Law • For Women: If a woman is blameless for the problems between herself and her husband, she could leave the marriage • If she were at fault however, the law instructed that she be thrown into the river

  23. Criminal Law • Deals with offenses against others, such as robbery, assault, or murder • Limited personal vengeance and encouraged order • May seem cruel based on today’s standards • Eye for an eye, If a house falls due to poor construction and kills the owner, the house’s builder could be put to death

  24. Hittites

  25. Hittites • Conquered Mesopotamia in 1400 BC • Brought with them a major advancement, the knowledge of how to extract iron from ore • Their tools and weapons were harder and sharper • Wanted to keep this process a secret, but their secret got out as their empire collapsed

  26. Assyrians

  27. Assyrians • Most feared Warriors • Always involved in warfare • Encouraged a well planned society; Used riches from trade and war to pay for palaces

  28. King Assurbanipal

  29. King Assurbanipal • Founded the first library in Nineveh

  30. Nebuchadnezzar

  31. Nebuchadnezzar Revives Babylon • Defeated the Assyrians after Assurbanipal’s death • Oversaw the rebuilding of canals, temples, walls, and palaces of Babylon • Built a defensive moat and an 85 feet thick wall

  32. Nebuchadnezzar's Wall • Had 9 gates dedicated to important gods • Most famous was Ishtar Gate, made of bricks glazed bright blue • Covered in lions to represent Ishtar, dragons representing Marduk, and bulls representing Hadad

  33. Hanging Gardens

  34. Hanging Gardens • One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World • Remains have not been found • Planted trees and plants on steps of a ziggurat • According to legend, he did it to please his wife who was homesick for the hills where she grew up

  35. The Persians • Would defeat and conquer Babylon in 539 BC • Leader was Cyrus the Great

  36. Persian Empire • Built the largest empire ever seen • Pursued policies of tolerance towards the people they conquered • Respected the customs of different people

  37. Darius I • Unified the Empire

  38. Accomplishments of Darius I • Set up a bureaucracy, or a system of government • Became a model for later rulers • Divided empire into provinces, called satrapy. • Headed by a governor called a satrap

  39. More Accomplishments • Adopted laws from the people he conquered • Drew up a single code of laws, like Hammurabi • Had hundreds of miles of roads built or repaired

  40. Economy • Set up a common set of weights and measures • Encouraged the use of coins • This transitioned a barter economy (one in which you trade for goods) into a money economy (where you use coins)

  41. Religion • Zoroaster • Taught of ONE God • Ahura Mazda • Constant battle with Ahriman • Prince of lies and evil • Had to choose

  42. The Phoenicians

  43. Phoenicians • Known for being sailors and traders • Made glass from sand • A purple dye from sea snails • Set up colonies

  44. “Carriers of Civilization” • They spread civilization around the Mediterranean • Most significant contribution was their alphabet • Had a system of 22 symbols that stood for consonant sounds • Greeks would later add vowels, and that became OUR alphabet

  45. Kingdom on the Nile • Chapter 2, Section 3

  46. Geography of Egypt • “Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile” • Without the Nile River, Egypt would just be a desert

  47. Annual Flooding • The annual (yearly) flooding was a GOOD thing • It soaked the land with water and deposited silt • Still work to be done, had to build reservoirs and ditches to control the flooding

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