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Two Major Mesopotamian City-States

Two Major Mesopotamian City-States. Akkad to the North and Sumer to the South. Animals of Mesopotamia. Ancient Sumerians. Southern Mesopotamia Many City-States Each City State had own ruler First Complex Government Extensive irrigation system Own Gods or Goddess Used the Ziggurat.

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Two Major Mesopotamian City-States

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  1. Two Major Mesopotamian City-States • Akkad to the North and Sumer to the South

  2. Animals of Mesopotamia

  3. Ancient Sumerians • Southern Mesopotamia • Many City-States • Each City State had own ruler • First Complex Government • Extensive irrigation system • Own Gods or Goddess • Used the Ziggurat

  4. Leonard Woolley • 1880-1960 • Most of what we know is due to this mans dedication to archeology • Identified a flood strata • Took incredible notes and documented every find

  5. King Gilgamesh • Oldest copy of this epic is written in cuneiform • Gilgamesh was the most Famous Sumerian King • There are great versions of this epic for kids including a book trilogy for young readers.

  6. Sumerians Gave Us • Cuneiform • Wheel • First City States • Brick Making and sealing with bitumen • Metal work of gold, silver, and copper • Extensive trade…did not have wood or metal. They did have grain, wool, pots, and finished metal objects to trade. They also traded gorgeous jewelry • Canal Irrigation technology Traded routes all the way into the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean, Indus valley, and Egypt • Very detailed Stone carvings that reveal clothing, style and features.

  7. Wheel

  8. Clay tokens came in different shapes and sizes. These represented different objects. For example, a cone shape could have represented a bag of wheat. These tokens were placed inside clay balls that were sealed. If you were sending five goats to someone, then you would put five tokens in the clay ball. When the goat arrived, the person would open the clay ball and count the tokens to make sure the correct number of goats had arrived. • The number of tokens began to be pressed on the outside of the clay balls. Many experts believe that this is how writing on clay tablets began. http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/showcase/dlottmesopotamia5.html

  9. Standard of Ur at Peace

  10. Onager • Part of the Horse family • Larger than donkeys • Shorter legs • Red in summer, brown in winter • Black and white stripe down their backs • Only 5 species, one is extinct and two are endangered.

  11. Standard of Ur War Side

  12. Elaborate Metal Work • We have burial chambers full of treasures • Beautiful crowns • These were mighty rulers and their trade indicated the strength of their society.

  13. Cuneiform Clay and Stylus First there were Pictographs Then those pictographs became simplified to just triangular shaped marks. http://www.funsci.com/fun3_en/tablets/tab.htm

  14. Cuneiform Alphabet

  15. Cuneiform • Millions of clay tablets are still to be discovered. • The tablets have information about daily life, court cases, society, culture, trade, and even some personal letters.

  16. Henry Rawlinson • 1810-1895 • English soldier sent to Persia • Climbed the rock face to compare descriptions of 3 ancient languages • Broke the code of cuneiform script!

  17. Cylinder Seals

  18. Weights and Measure • This is a system of weights and measures found in ancient Mesopotamia.

  19. Ancient Homework • This is a clay of math problems to test student knowledge of measurement and geometry. • Much of this information was used to build and mark property.

  20. Astronomy • Mesopotamians had some very advance astronomical information. • One of their legends says that the information was given to them by the visiting Gods. • The website below has some really fun information. http://www.thelivingmoon.com/42stargate/03files/Sumerian_Astronomy_01.html

  21. Did they know more than us?

  22. Akkad • Held the northern region of Mesopotamia. • They were often attacked by nomadic tribes….that rode horses! • Had many city-states • Liked to wage war

  23. Sargon the Great • Eventually all the Northern Mesopotamian city states of Akkad came under the rule of one King! • Leader of all of Akkad • Said to have been placed in a reed basket on the Euphrates river by his mother a priestess. • Became the cup bearer of the King and seized the throne. • Still not satisfied he conquered Sumer. • Ran his empire from Uruk and Ur

  24. Empire of Sargon • Many good roads built between cities • Most of the people spoke two languages • Akkadian • Sumerian • Had an official postal system between cities • Kings made their daughters high priestesses and sons governors over major cities

  25. Can’t Please Everyone • Babylon was 190 miles northwest of Ur • It was a city-state and part of the Empire • It decided to declare independence in 1894 BC • This split the strength of Sargon’s Empire. It left the North and South vulnerable. • Marked the End of the Sumerian civilization. • Many of the Religions and arts were carried on • Babylon grew in the South • Assyria Grew in the North

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