Sumerian Civilization Along the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
 The
Tigris -Euphrates River
valley was an area of conflict.
 The Tigris River carries
more water. The Euphrates
more silt than the Nile.
 The Northern part of the
valley Mesopotamia, the
southern Babylonia.
Sumer and its people
 Where
Medical tablet
the Tigris-Euphrates
reach the Persian Gulf lies
ancient Sumer.
 The Sumerian culture
developed at the same time
as the Nile River Valley.
3000 B.C.
 The Sumerians developed
city-states. The city-sates of
Ur, Kish and Erech.
Sumerian Social Life
The Sumerians had three social
classes. Nobles, merchants/artisans,
and peasants.
 Sumerian writing was on clay tablets.
The writing with a stylus was wedged
and called cuneiform. 600 signs.
 The Sumerians traded all over the
Middle East. They used clay bricks to
build. The arch was a Sumerian design.
They built ziggurats.

Sumerian Knowledge
The Sumerians developed some of the
principles of Algebra. Used sets of 60
for large numbers. 360 degree circle.
 Anu, lord of heaven, Enlil- god of air
and storms, EA - god of water.
 Education was important in Sumerian
culture. Sumerians were polytheistic.
 No firm belief in the afterlife, but in
ghosts.

Empires in the Fertile Crescent
The Akkadians under Sargon. 2400
B.C. Lasted for 100 years.
 About 1792 B.C a strong Babylonian
king Hammurabi. Developed the Code
of Hammurabi.
 The Code of Hammurabi was harsh.
282 laws governed everyday life. “An
eye for an eye was the response in most
cases.

The Hittites, Assyrians and Chaldeans
 The Hittites invaded Mesopotamia 1600
B.C. They used iron weapons and had an
easier code of law.
 The Assyrians invaded around 900 B.C.
They used cavalry and were cruel
warriors. They built roads, a postal
service, and used mercenaries.
 The Chaldeans controlled much of the
Assyrian empire under Nebuchadnezzar.
Hanging Gardens , astronomy
The Persians
 The Persians conquered Babylon in 539
B.C. and spoke Indo-European language.
 The region became known as Persia.
 The rulers of Persia - Cyrus, led a revolt
against the Medes and conquered Asia
Minor.
 Darius the Great added areas as far as
India to the Persian Empire.
 Xerxes invaded Greece in 400 B.C.
Persian Government and Religion
 The Persians allowed conquered people to
keep their religion. They paid close
attention to local customs.
 The Persians copied the road system of
the Assyrians, and the secret police.
 600 B.C. a prophet and religious
reformer changed the religion to
Zoroasterism
 Good versus evil and the belief in one
God. 331 B.C. Persian Empire falls.
 Land
The Phoenicians
along the Mediterranean. The
northern part was Phoenicia and
Lydia and the southern was Caanan,
Israel, and Palestine.
 Phoenicia was a group of city states.
They used the sea to make a living.
 They were great merchants and
traders. The famous purple cloth.
 The Phoenician alphabet basis of Greek
alphabet.
The Lydians
 The
Lydians were the
first people to use
coined money. Before
the Lydians people had
to barter.
 With coins the Lydians
developed a money
economy.
 The
The Hebrews
basis of modern Judaism. They
had the greatest impact on the area.
The were from Sumeria and then to
Goshen.
 Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.
 The Ten Commandments - the moral
laws of the God Yahweh.
 The commandments emphasize selfrestraint, the importance of family, and
formal worship of one God.