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Do Now

Do Now. QUESTION: Why do people form governments? Homework: Read and complete Thorklid Jabobson reading and the associated questions. DO NOW!. Why do people form governments?. Early Sumer : City-States & Government. Governments meet needs:. Organize irrigation & maximize production

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Do Now

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  1. Do Now • QUESTION: Why do people form governments? • Homework: Read and complete Thorklid Jabobson reading and the associated questions.

  2. DO NOW! Why do people form governments?

  3. Early Sumer: City-States & Government

  4. Governments meet needs: • Organize irrigation & maximize production • Conduct & organize trade within and between cities • Create laws that provide social stability • Oversee the conduct of religious rituals • Provide for defense and expansion

  5. Irrigation: the key to it all! Get water to the crops the make life possible

  6. Early Sumerian Government • The 1st Cities were led by “big men” or LU-GALS. • They typically met with a council of elders to make important decisions. • Their status increased over time until they became Kings and passed power to their sons. [see Dynasties] Gudea of Lagash (an early royal)

  7. Priests came “before” kings & temples came before palaces.But…Kings gained power and status as time passed.

  8. Urban Social Classes • Kings and nobles* • Priests / Scribes / Education • Merchants and artisans / craftspeople • Commoners/landowners • Sharecroppers/laborers -- peasants • Slaves -- from warfare or debt *DISCUSS! HOW DID KINGS SURPASS PRIESTS IN STATUS & IMPORTANCE?

  9. Kings took advantage of religion • Kings gave themselves priestly functions. • Kings sometimes embodied gods in religious rituals: • Kings--posing as a fertility god--would have sex with a priestess to ensure good harvests. • Over time, some kings were deified: they became gods themselves. Gudea with offering

  10. Another path to greatness: Conquest • Sargon the Great of Akkad (2,334-2,279 BCE) • Ruler of the city of Akkad, Sargon used soldiers and chariots (an early Cavalry) to bring the cities of Sumer under his control. • His empire lasted for generations.

  11. Akkadian Chariots The Shock Troops of Invasion

  12. What pulled the Chariots? Onagers: a.k.a. The Asiatic Wild Ass

  13. Sargon’s Akkadian Empire From the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean

  14. The Fruits of Empire • Glory for the Victors • Slavery & Death for the Losers • More Trade • More access to raw materials • Higher taxes (to pay for wars and a military) • Cultural Diffusion--the spread of ideas and practices between groups of people • Chariots became widely used across Mesopotamia and into the Near East and Egypt

  15. From Sargon to Naram-Sin • Naram-Sin (2,254-2,218 BCE) was Sargon’s grandson. • He expanded Sargon’s empire to its greatest size. • Naram-Sin declared himself “King of the 4 Quarters”--effectively King of the World.

  16. Naram-Sin’s Legacy: The Victory Stele 6 feet, 7 inches tall Sandstone marker

  17. Interpret the Stele! Explain all of its parts (see handout)

  18. Naram-Sin himself The Horned helmet Marks him as a living god

  19. The Enemies of Naram-Sin Impaled on Swords Falling from a Mountain

  20. The Presence of the Gods

  21. A Last Status Elevator: Royal Tombs • To showcase their elevated status, kings had their burial chambers filled with riches. • Some had their servants buried with them so that they would enter the afterlife with wealth and status.

  22. Excavated Tomb at the city of Ur

  23. Golden Bowl Golden Bull

  24. Golden Lyre Golden Crown

  25. Summary Question How did Mesopotamian Kings rise to the top of the Social Ladder?

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