1 / 23

Ancient Civilizations: Mesopotamia

Ancient Civilizations: Mesopotamia. Geography & Environment. “the land between the rivers…”. The Geography. On which continent was Mesopotamia located?

emily-aguilar
Download Presentation

Ancient Civilizations: Mesopotamia

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Ancient Civilizations:Mesopotamia

  2. Geography & Environment “the land between the rivers…”

  3. The Geography • On which continent was Mesopotamia located? • Asia; in what is modern day Iraq, Syria & Turkey

  4. The Geography • On which river did the ancient Mesopotamians settle? • Between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers; in an area known as the Fertile Crescent

  5. Early Mesopotamian Kingdoms

  6. Mesopotamian Cultures • Mesopotamia did NOT represent a unified kingdom, instead it was made up of a series of kingdoms that occupied a specific geographical space

  7. Mesopotamian Cultures • Sumer • Akkad • Babylonia • Assyria • Neo-Babylonia • Persia

  8. 3500 – 2300 BCE Sumer The first civilization

  9. Sumerian Geography • Geography: • Located at the southern end of Mesopotamia • Near the mouths of the Tigris & Euphrates

  10. Sumerian Geography • City-state: • A city + its surrounding lands • Independent political units that competed for trade & boundaries • i.e. Uruk, Kish, Ur, Lagash

  11. Sumerian Geography • Characteristics: • Shared culture • Unique government • Outer walls • A central temple/ziggurat

  12. Sumerian Religion & Government • Polytheism: • The worship of more than one god • Believed gods were immortal & all powerful; humans were to serve the gods

  13. Sumerian Religion & Government • Ziggurat: • Temples where sacrifices and offerings were made to the gods • Animals, food, wine, etc.

  14. Sumerian Religion & Government • City-states were ruled by priest- kings who were viewed as powerful agents of the gods

  15. Sumerian Culture & Knowledge • Despite their religious practices, Sumerians had little, if any, belief in an afterlife • Believed that the souls of the dead went to the “land of no return”

  16. Sumerian Culture & Knowledge • Developed a form of written language known as cuneiform

  17. Sumerian Culture & Knowledge • Invention of the wheel (3000 BC) • Economy based on farming & trade • CULTURAL DIFFUSION

  18. Sumerian Culture & Knowledge • Other notable contributions: • Invention of the sail & plow • The usage of bronze • Development of a number system

  19. Babylonia 1790 – 1590 BCE The first system of justice

  20. The Babylonian Empire • In 1792 BC a new empire took control of Mesopotamia • Babylonia • Reached its height during the reign of Hammurabi

  21. The Babylonian Empire • Hammurabi’s Code: • Written code of laws • Stressed responsible behavior • Capital punishment

  22. The Babylonian Empire • “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” • Punishments based on SOCIAL CLASS • Laws focused on ALL aspects of society

More Related