The Revolving Door of Mesopotamia

1. The Revolving Door ofMesopotamia

2. Mesopotamia • Mesopotamia means: Mesopotamia means: “land between two rivers” • Civilization developed between The Euphrates and Tigris Rivers • By 3000 B.C. a number of civilizations established by the Sumerians

3. Map of Mesopotamia

4. Role of the Environment Rivers provided the basics for exsistance • Water • Food • Sanitation

5. Role of the Environment • Problems with living hear a river valley? • Destroyed by frequent floods that ravaged entire cities • Communication amongst the various isolated cities was very difficult

6. Invention of Writing • Origins of Writing probably go back to te ninth millennium B.C. • 4th millennium – realized that drawing tokens was easier than making tokens • Result was the development of cuneiform: • “wedge-shaped” • Pictographic system

7. Cuneiform

8. Sumerian Inventions • Wagon wheel • Potter’s wheel (shape containers) • Number system • 12 month calendar • Metal plow • Sail • Some of the earliest known maps • New architecture

9. Sumer, 3200-2350 B.C.

10. Sumerian Society • Sumer was different from all other earlier civilizations • Advanced cities • Specialized workers • Complex institutions • record keeping • Advanced technology Developed city-states Food surplus > increased population > expanded trade > expansion of Sumerian society

11. Sumer Society • Polytheistic - believed in many gods • Wrote myths (Epic of Gilgamesh) • Priests and kings were at the top • Slaves were at the bottom • Women probably couldn’t attend school but had many other rights • Advances in mathematics • Number system based on 60 (60 seconds = 1 minute)

12. From Sumerians to Babylonians • The Sumerians city-states eventually fell to foreign invaders (2000 B.C.) • The Akkadians: • Semites – nomaidc people from the Arabian Peninsula that migrated to Mesopotamia • Sargon I (2300-2200 B.C.E.) unites all Mesopotamia (created first empire) • Under Sargon I • Akkadians adopted Sumerian religion and farming

13. Sargon’s Empire

14. Babylonian Empire • Located in modern day Syria • Conquered many parts of old Sumer (including Babylon) • Hammurabi –created a law code with harsh punishments • Borrowed heavily from Sumerian culture • After Hammurabi’s death Babylon declined

15. Hammurabi of Babylon, 1792-1750 B.C.E

16. Hittites • A strong army with chariots • Conquered Babylon in 1595 B.C.E. • Borrowed from Mesopotamian and Egyptian culture • Had a law code less harsh than Hammurabi’s • Lasted until about 1200 B.C.E

17. Assyrians • Started to gain strength about 900 B.C.E • Powerful army • Treated conquered people cruelly • Large empire with good roads • Collapsed about 612 B.C.E

18. Chaldeans • Defeated the Assyrians in about 612 B.C.E • Descended from Hammurabi’s Babylonians • At its height during the rule of Nebuchadnezzar (605-562B.C.E) • Spent a lot of money on Babylon • Built Hanging Gardens • Empire collapsed in 539B.C.Wafter being defeated by Persians

19. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

20. Persians • Cyrus (conquered from the Nile to the Indus • Darius I (son is Xerxes) • Administered the empire using satrups (governors) • Tolerant of those who were conquered • Increased trade and build roads • Lost to the Greeks in 480 B.C.E