Ancient Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They developed irrigation systems and built cities surrounded by walls for protection. They had a division of labor where people specialized in jobs like craftspeople, merchants, priests, and farmers. They invented cuneiform writing, the wheel, plows, bronze tools, and sewers. Early civilizations included the Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites, Assyrians, and Chaldeans before the region was conquered by the Persians.

1. ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
Trade: grains/farming
Surplus (more than enough so that you can trade it)
Tigris-Euphrates River… fertile floodplain Division of labor- people could specialize in different jobs
Made irrigation system/canals Fought for farmland; built walls around cities for protection
Plateau with mountains on N & E First permanent army- Sargon
No trees INVENTIONS: cuneiform/writing (allowed them to record
Fertile Crescent business/trade/law); wheel/carts; plow pulled by oxen; sewers;
Farming: grains bronze tools & weapons
First Civilization Sumerians (Sargon)
Babylonians 1 (Hammurabi)
Phoenicians on Mediterranean Sea: ships/controlled trade; urban Hittites 1595 BCE
Assyrians heavy taxes, spread terror
Babylonian 2 (Nebachudnezzar- Chaldonian)
Persians (539 BCE tolerant)
Phoenicians: cedar; for silverwork, ivory carvings, slaves, glass items)
Lydia: gold; first coins
Sumer 300 BCE 1st Empire: Sargon (Akaadian) Cuneiform/ scribes
City-states: central cities working together Religion increases; kings rule with approval of gods
New jobs b/c specialization of labor: (social hierarchy) Zigurat; polytheism
King Phonecians- first alphabet (no vowels)
priest (scribe) Babylonians: Math: base 60; 360 degrees; area of triangle &
craftsman, merchant, trader square; medicine; Astronomy;
working class (farmers) -Epic of Gilgamesh
slaves Hanging Gardens of Babylon: culture/learning
Taxes; writing: allowed them to record laws Judaism monotheism; Israelites (12 tribes)
Babylonian Code 282 Laws (Hammurabi) (Babylon) Torah (book); 1 God; 10 Commandments; Yahweh
Assyrian strong military, harsh rulers, unforgiving (Nineveh) Christianity
Chaldeans  Babylon 2 Nebuchadnezzar- Hanging Gardens Islam 5 Pillars
Persians tolerant rulers; *largest empire on earth at the time
Kings: satraps