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Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia. Global History I: Spiconardi. Geography. Mesopotamia  “The Land Between Two Rivers” Which two rivers?  Tigris and the Euphrates Part of a larger area known as the Fertile Crescent. Geography. Flooding Tigris and Euphrates commonly flooded and wiped away settlements

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Ancient Mesopotamia

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  1. Ancient Mesopotamia Global History I: Spiconardi

  2. Geography • Mesopotamia  “The Land Between Two Rivers” • Which two rivers?  Tigris and the Euphrates • Part of a larger area known as the Fertile Crescent

  3. Geography • Flooding • Tigris and Euphrates commonly flooded and wiped away settlements • The two rivers were unpredictable in their flooding • People banded together to build canals and dikes • Moved settlements to uphill areas

  4. Geography • Lack of natural barriers • Mesopotamia is not enclosed by mountains or jungles • Easy access for invaders and conquerors • Mesopotamia becomes the crossroads of the ancient world • Conquerors and conquered mingle and shared ideas and customs • Cultural Diffusion  the spreading of new ideas or products from one culture to another

  5. Government • Sumer: First Major Mesopotamian Civilization • Sumer was not a centralized empire, but a collection of wide spread city-states • Uruk, Ur, Lagash, Nippur, Akkad, Eridu • United under Sargon the Great • City-states still warred over water and food supplies

  6. Sargon the Great The Legend His mother placed him in a reed basket and sent him down the Euphrates (Sound familiar?) A farmer found him and raised him Becomes kings cupbearer (most trusted servant) Overthrows the king and unites Sumerian city-states Establishes the Akkadian Empire (c. 2300 BCE – 2100 BCE Government

  7. Government • The Babylonians (C. 1800 BCE - 1500 BCE) • The Babylonians were the next major empire to control Mesopotamia • Babylon was the economic center of Mesopotamia • Achievements • Gate of Ishtar • Number system based on 60 (hours/minutes/seconds) • Figured out the solar year of 365 ¼ days

  8. Gate of Ishtar

  9. Ziggurat of Marduk

  10. Religion • In Mesopotamia, religion and politics were intertwined; no separation • Kings were also the chief priest & considered semi-divine • Center of activity revolved around the ziggurat • Ziggurat  step-like pyramids; part of Sumerian temple • Education, trade, religious ceremonies, the mandating of laws • While the various city-states of Sumer had shared deities, each city-state worshipped a unique god

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