2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN??
Mesos = middle
Potamos = river
Therefore… land between the
rivers
3. FIRST INHABITANTS
3000 BC: Sumerians arrived from Asia
2600 BC: Akkadians from Syrian desert
2200 BC: Amorites from Syrian desert
2000 BC: Luvians and Hittites from Indo-
Europe
1800 BC: Hurrians from the Caucasus
(Asia)
4. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION
Collection of independent states
Early government was democratic
Built and maintained roads and canals
Enforced laws
Settled disputes
Due to rivalries that led to war,
villages appointed the strongest
warrior to lead them, lugal (“big
man”)
Led to the decline of democracy and rise of
monarchy that was hereditary and despotic
5. *THE SUMMERIANS, 3500 – 2400 BC
First city-states established:
Eridu: 3500 BC, pop’n 4,000
Ur: 3000 BC, pop’n 24,000
City-states such as Kish, Erech,
Ur, and Lagash compete but
remain independent
Fight several “skirmishes” over
water, land
6. *SARGON THE GREAT, 2400 BC
Defeats Sumerian cities
and unites them under
the first Empire
Later expands to Egypt,
Palestine, Ethiopia
Develop cuneiform, first
system of writing
7. CUNEIFORM
Pictographic system of writing
Cuneiform documents were written on clay
tablets, by means of a reed stylus.
The impressions left by the stylus were
wedge shaped, thus giving rise to the
name cuneiform ("wedge shaped," from
the Latin cuneus, meaning "wedge").
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=T6HPEUtgoas&list=PL8xPTYspb0O0IglDteMTo97v6CfNd
QG1a&index=22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HbZ2asfyHcA&list=PL8xPTYspb0O0IglDteMTo97v6CfNd
QG1a&index=1
8.
9. *EPIC OF GILGAMESH, 2600 BC
Oldest piece of literature
Signals start of recorded, organized
religion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qOrfrHys8g8
10. SUMERIAN SOCIETY
Nobility
King
Chief priests
High palace officials
Free Clients
(worked for nobility in exchange for land)
Commoners
(free citizens, owned land, artisans, administrators)
Slaves
11. AKKADIANS
Sargon, Semitic chief,
conqured Sumerians in
2331 BC
Capital at Akkad
Dynasty fell to invading
barbarians by 2200 BC
12. *THE BABYLONIANS, 1900-1300 BC
Reunited Mesopotamia by
dominating trade
King Hammurabi conquered Akkad
and Assyria (north and south) in
1750 BC
By 1550 BC, Babylon in decline
13. *CODE OF HAMMURABI
Establishes the Code of
Hammurabi:
Received from the god Marduk
282 laws of behaviour to govern
society
14. *ABRAHAM
Biblical Abraham lives at this time
Has 2 sons:
Ishmael = Muslims/Arabs
Isaac = Hebrews/Jews
God/Yahweh, one of 300 gods at the time,
tells him to settle in “Promised Land,”
Canaan/Israel
Therefore, birth of Judaism; roots of
modern political problems
15. THE ASSYRIANS, 1300-609 BC
In 10th Century BC, Assyria emerged as
dominant force in Mesopotamia after
700 years of turmoil
Assurnasirpal II established first true
empire ever from Persian Gulf north
and west to Syria, Palestine, and Egypt
using the power of fear
16. *KING ASHURBANIPAL, 676 BC
Establishes world’s first library (22,000 books on clay
tablets)
Few kings could read and write
Yet also a fierce, warlike people; great advances in
military technology and organization
Last great King of Assyria
Helps Ashur become most powerful city in
Mesopotamia
Power of fear could not last forever and subject
states revolted in late 7th century BC
17. *THE CHALDEANS
609 – 530 BC
King Nebuchadnezzar
Babylon returns to power in
Mesopotamia
Warrior king who conquers and
destroys Jerusalem
In book of Daniel (Bible)
18. *HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON
Ancient architectural
achievement (7 Wonders of
Ancient World)
Huge stone walls; wide
terraces; surrounding
moat; interior wells with
pumps
19. *ZIGGURATS
High temples
Built to honour the gods; central location in
the city
Like a pyramid but flat on top
Bridge between heaven and earth
20. CYRUS THE GREAT
Ruled with tolerance and
fairness
Difference of religion accepted,
fair taxes, local officials
reported to Persian governors
called satraps
Benevolent rule brought
stability and survived for 800
years before the Greeks, led
by Alexander the Great,
conquered it.
