Section 1: Mesopotamia and Sumer

3. Section 1: Mesopotamia and Sumer The Great Ziggurat of Ur Built during the Early Bronze Age, 21st century BC

4. Section 1: Mesopotamia and Sumer Main Idea The first known civilization arose in Mesopotamia, and its culture and innovations influenced later civilizations in the region for thousands of years. • Reading Focus • How did geography promote civilization in Mesopotamia? • What features defined the civilization of Sumer? • What were Sumer’s main cultural achievements? • What events led to later empires in Mesopotamia?

5. I. Geography Promotes Civilization Fertile Crescent: stretches from Med. Sea to Persian Gulf

6. I. Geography Promotes Civilization Mesopotamia: area between Tigris and Euphrates rivers; site of first civilizations

7. I. Geography Promotes Civilization Land well suited for farming but region posed challenges Droughts and floods ruin crops

8. I. Geography Promotes Civilization • Methods developed to control water: • Basins, canals, and dikes • Organization: assigning jobs, allocating • resources

9. II. Sumer

10. Sumer (or Shumer, Sumeria, Shinar, native ki-en-gir) formed the southern part of Mesopotamia from the time of settlement by the Sumerians until the time of Babylonia. The Sumerians called their country ken.gir (civilized land), their language eme.gir and themselves 'the black-headed ones'

11. II. Sumer Large cities developed by 4000 BC City and its land formed independent city-state

12. II. Sumer • Structures made of mud bricks • Ziggurat: pyramid-shaped temple • Massive walls encircled each city Ziggurat at Ur c. 2100 B.C. Walls of Babylon

14. II. Sumer Sumerians practiced polytheism; priests held high status, were the first rulers 1. Himurta--Thunder Showers 2. Innanna--Morning Star 3. Thunderbird 4. Ntu--Sun God. 5. Enki--God of Sweet Waters. 6. Isimud--Enki's Vizier

15. II. Sumer War chiefs began to rule as kings; many formed dynasties

16. III. Sumerian Culture

17. III. Sumerian Culture Sumerian writing called cuneiform; wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets with a stylus Herders and cows in the goddess Inana’s fields, 21st–20th century B.C.

18. III. Sumerian Culture Cuneiform first used for record keeping Scribes recorded information Used later for law, literature, etc.

19. III. Sumerian Culture Arithmetic based on units of 60 Invented the plow and the wheel

20. III. Sumerian Culture • Advanced medical knowledge, performed basic surgery

21. III. Sumerian Culture • Lacked many raw materials; traded for wood, metals across SW Asia

22. III. Sumerian Culture • Distinct social hierarchy; well-defined male and female roles The Standard of Ur: The Peace Side represents the Sumerian Society and its three divisions of social classes (Upper, Middle, Lower) The War Side represents the different classes of the Sumerian Army

23. IV. Empires in Mesopotamia Invaders adapted aspects of Sumerian culture as their own

24. IV. Empires in Mesopotamia c. 2330 BC – Akkadian ruler Sargon I conquered Sumer and northern Mesopotamia

25. A. Sargon’s Empire World’s first empire; spread Sumerian culture outside Mesopotamia

26. B. The Babylonian Empire 1792 BC - Hammurabi became king of Babylon, united all of Mesopotamia Shamash, the supreme sun god and judge, offers to Hammurabi the rod and ring that symbolize authority

27. B. The Babylonian Empire Code of Hammurabi - 282 written laws, covered everything from trade to murder In 1750 BC, at the height of his power, Hammurabi codified 282 laws, written down for all to see, on an eight-foot-high stele made of black basalt. Although the Code of Hammurabi is not the first legal code, it is the best preserved ancient law the world has today.

28. Summary