Mesopotamia:
The Fertile Crescent
Chapter 2 Notes
Fertile Crescent
 Fertile Crescent = moonshaped strip of land from the
Mediterranean Sea to the
Persian Gulf that is excellent
farm land
 Located in modern-day
Middle East (primarily Iraq)
Mesopotamia
 Mesopotamia = located
within the Fertile Crescent,
between the Tigris &
Euphrates Rivers
 Rivers were NOT a reliable
source of water (unlike the
Nile in Egypt)
 “Land between the Rivers”
 Villages joined together to
build dams, canals, and
ditches
The Sumerian Civilization
 Formed 12 city-states = the city
and the land surrounding it
 Considered the world’s 1st cities
 Created ziggurats = stepped
pyramids with a temple at the top
 Irrigation systems
 Govt. (kings) directed public
works projects, ensured equitable
distribution of water, resolved
disputes, directed military
The Sumerian Civilization
 Sumerians shared common culture, language, and
religion
 City-states governed themselves
 Were theocracies = kings served as both government
leaders AND high priests
 Laws regulated the roles of women & men  men
had far more rights
The Sumerian Civilization
 Cuneiform =
Sumerian system
of writing
 The symbols
represented
complex ideas
The Sumerian Civilization
 Scribes were trained
to read & write
documents and
stories
 Epic of Gilgamesh =
oldest story in the
world (mentions a
great flood…does
that sound familiar?)
The Sumerian Civilization
 Practiced polytheism =
belief in more than one
god
 Each city-state had its own
god
 Negative outlook on life
and the afterlife – wrathful
gods
 Believed gods were selfish
and had no regard for
humans…why do you
think this was?
Sumerian Inventions
1.
Wagon Wheel
2.
Arch
3.
Potter’s Wheel
4.
Sundial
5.
12-month Calendar
6.
Metal Plow
First Mesopotamian Empires
The Akkadians
 Empire under Sargon I
 Kingdom was called Akkad
 Conquered and united all of
the Sumerian city-states
 Empire stretched as far as
Mediterranean and Black Seas
 Empire fell apart after his &
his grandson’s death
First Mesopotamian Empires
Babylon
 Ruled by Hammurabi
 Strict Code of Laws = Hammurabi’s
greatest achievement
 Rules and consequences that addressed
daily life
 Law code covered entire region of
Mesopotamia
 “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” type
of laws
 Government assumed the responsibility of
protecting its citizens
 People now had laws to protect their rights
and didn’t need to resort to violence
First Mesopotamian Empires
Babylon
 Hammurabi’s empire fell apart after his death
 Empire’s wealth attracted invaders…soon overtaken by
the Hittites (from modern-day Turkey)
 Period after Babylonian Empire filled with centuries of
conflict and unrest.
Later Mesopotamian Empires
Assyria
 Major cities – Assur and Ninevah
 Powerful professional army
appointed by merit
 Cavalry – horse-drawn chariots
 IRON WEAPONS!
 Libraries
 In power for about 1200 years
 Most famous leader = Assurbanipal
Later Mesopotamian Empires
(New) Babylon
 Sometimes called Chaldean
period
 Short-lived
 Built defensive walls
 King Nebuchadnezzar - Hanging
Gardens
 “Babylonian Captivity” of early
Hebrews
Characteristics of all
Mesopotamian Societies
 Patriarchal
 Distinct social classes – wealth and power resting with small
group at the top of society
 Job specialization – potters, textile-manufacturers, stone-cutters,
brick-makers, masons, etc.
 Writing
 Metals in order: Copper, Bronze, Iron
 Trade with outsiders
 Slavery – POWs, criminals, debtors
 Astronomy and mathematics
Other Groups
in the same time and place
 HEBREWS –
 Western edge of the Fertile Crescent –
modern-day Israel
 Early times were polytheistic
 Around 8th century BCE, began
MONOTHEISM – Yahweh
 Hebrews of Israel (northern tribes)
scattered and lost identity
 Hebrews of Judah (southern tribes)
returned after Babylonian Captivity,
became “Jews”
Other Groups
in the same time and place
 PHOENICIANS
 Also on western edge of F.C.
near Med. – modern-day
Lebanon
 Traders and skilled sailors
 Known for purple-dye
 Dominated Mediterranean
Sea trade
 Early alphabet – 22
consonants – increased
literacy
Indo-European Migrations
 Migrations began from steppes of Southern Russia
 Indo-European Languages – Greek, Slavic,
Germanic, Celtic, etc… what do common language
characteristics mean?
 Horses
 Hittites were one of the first groups to move into
“Mesopotamia”…iron and chariots
Putting all of that in order...