Mesopotamia

Rivers Support the Growth of CivilizationEarly peoples settled where crops would grow. Crops usually grew well near rivers, where water was available and regular floods made the soil rich. One region in Southwest Asia was especially well suited for farming. It lay between two rivers.The Land Between the RiversThe Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are the most important physical features of the region sometimes known as Mesopotamia (mes-uh-puh-TAY-mee-uh). Mesopotamia means “between the rivers” in Greek.As you can see on the map, the region called Mesopotamia lies between Asia Minor and the Persian Gulf. The region is part of a larger area called theFertile Crescent, a large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland. The Fertile Crescent extends from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.In ancient times, Mesopotamia was actually made of two parts. Northern Mesopotamia was a plateau bordered on the north and the east by mountains. Southern Mesopotamia was a flat plain. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flowed down from the hills into this low-lying plain.The Fertile CrescentThe area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is known as Mesopotamia. The early civilizations of Mesopotamia depended on these two great rivers. Movement: In what general direction do the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow on their way to the Persian Gulf? Northwest Northeast Southeast Southwest What current day country is Mesopotamia in? Asia Iraq Middle East Egypt What were the two most important physical features and why? Controlling Water To solve their problems, Mesopotamians used irrigation. To irrigate their land, they dug out large storage basins to hold water supplies. Then they dug canals that connected these basins to a network of ditches. These ditches brought water to the fields. To protect their fields from flooding, farmers constructed dams and built up the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates. This helped to control the flow of water and held back floodwaters when river levels were high.Early settlements in Mesopotamia were located near rivers. Water was not controlled and flooding was a major problem. Later, people built canals to protect houses from flooding and move water to their fields. The rivers never flooded True False List 2 ways irrigation systems improved society? The Epic of Gilamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s oldest epic, first recorded—carved on stone tablets—in about 2000 BC. The actual Gilgamesh, ruler of the city of Uruk, had lived about 700 years earlier. Over time, stories about this legendary king had grown and changed. In this story, Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu seek to slay the monster Humbaba, keeper of a distant forest. In addition to his tremendous size and terrible appearance, Humbaba possesses seven splendors, or powers, one of which is fire. Gilgamesh hopes to claim these powers for himself.Humbaba came from his strong house of cedar. He nodded his head and shook it,menacingGilgamesh; and on him he fastened his eye, the eye of death. Then Gilgamesh called to Shamash and his tears were flowing, “O glorious Shamash, I have followed the road you commanded but now if you send nosuccorhow shall I escape?” Glorious Shamash heard his prayer and he summoned the great wind, the north wind, the whirlwind, the storm and the icy wind, thetempestand the scorching wind; they came like dragons, like a scorching fire, like a serpent that freezes the heart, a destroying flood and the lightning’s fork. The eight winds rose up against Humbaba, they beat against his eyes; he was gripped, unable to go forward or back.”—fromThe Epic of Gilgameshtranslated by N. K. Sandars What do the details of this story suggest about how the Sumerians viewed the natural world? An Advanced Society In southern Mesopotamia, a people known as the Sumerians (soo-MER-ee-unz) developed the world’s first civilization. No one knows where they came from or when they moved into the region. However, by 3000 BC, several hundred thousand Sumerians had settled in Mesopotamia, in a land they called Sumer (SOO-muhr). There they created an advanced society.The City-States of SumerMost people in Sumer were farmers. They lived mainly inruralareas. The centers of Sumerian society, however, were theurbanareas. The first cities in Sumer had about 10,000 residents. Over time, the cities grew. Historians think that by 2000 BC, some of Sumer’s cities had more than 100,000 residents.As a result, the basic political unit of Sumer combined the two areas. This unit was called acity-state. The amount of countryside controlled by each city-state depended on its military strength. Stronger city-states controlled larger areas.This carving shows Sumerian soldiers marching over their enemies.City-states in Sumer competed against one another to gain more farmland. Farmland was a resource upon which city-states depended to feed their growing populations. As a result of this competition, city-states built up strong armies to fight for control of farmland. Sumerians also built strong, thick walls around their cities for protection.Some city-states, such as Mari on the Euphrates River, became important centers of trade. Basic building materials as well as luxury items came to Sumerian city-states along trade routes from as far away as North Africa in the west and Afghanistan in the east. Through trade, the city-states of Sumer became an important part of the region’s economy.Individual city-states gained and lost power over time. By 3500 BC, a city-state known as Kish had become quite powerful. Over the next 1,000 years, the city-states of Uruk and Ur fought for dominance. One of Uruk’s kings, known as Gilgamesh, became a legendary figure in Sumerian literature.The Invention of WritingThe Sumerians made one of the greatest cultural advances in history. They developedcuneiform(kyoo-NEE-uh-fohrm), the world’s first system of writing. But Sumerians did not have pencils, pens, or paper. Instead, they used sharp tools called styluses to make wedge-shaped symbols on clay tablets.Earlier written communication had used pictographs. Each pictograph represented an object, such as a tree or an animal. But in cuneiform, symbols could also represent syllables, or basic parts of words. As a result, Sumerian writers could combine symbols to express more complex ideas such as “joy” or “powerful.” The majority of Sumerians lived in rural areas? True False From the text and your notes how are ways that the Sumerians showed they are a complex society? The Assyrians Assyrian chariots carried an archer and a driver.Later, in the 1200s BC, the Assyrians (uh-SIR-ee-unz) from northern Mesopotamia briefly gained control of Babylon. However, their empire was soon overrun by invaders. After this defeat, the Assyrians took about 300 years to recover their strength. Then, starting about 900 BC, they began to conquer all of the Fertile Crescent. They even took over parts of Asia Minor and Egypt.The key to the Assyrians’ success was their strong army. Like the Hittites, the Assyrians used iron weapons and chariots. The army was very well organized, and every soldier knew his role.HISTORICAL SOURCEThe Assyrian ArmyThe Assyrian army was the most powerful fighting force the world had ever seen. It was large and well organized, and it featured iron weapons, war chariots, and giant war machines used to knock down city walls. This carving came from the walls of a palace in Nineveh, in what is now Iraq.The Assyrians were fierce in battle. Before attacking, they spread terror by looting villages and burning crops. Anyone who still dared to resist them was killed. After conquering the Fertile Crescent, the Assyrians ruled from Nineveh (NI-nuh-vuh). They demanded heavy taxes from across the empire. Communities that resisted these demands were harshly punished.Assyrian achievements were not just military. One king of Assyria established a huge royal library at Nineveh. It contained tens of thousands of cuneiform tablets, including legal and administrative documents as well as medical, religious, and literary texts.Assyrian kings ruled their large empire through local leaders. Each governed a small area, collected taxes, enforced laws, and raised troops for the army. Roads were built to link distant parts of the empire. Messengers on horseback were sent to deliver orders to faraway officials. What kinds of weapons can you see in this carving? Why were Assyrian Army so powerful? Hammurabi's Code What is the main purpose of laws? Should they promote good behavior or punish bad behavior? In your opinion, how has the Code of Hammurabi impacted the written law of the United States? Do laws in the U.S. or around the world have similarities to this code?