Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
 Mesopotamia – “The land
between the rivers.”
 Refers specifically to the
fertile valleys of the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers in
modern-day Iraq.
 First large scale society
 Water from the rivers was
used to irrigate fields of
barley, wheat, and peas.
Mesopotamia
 Sumer
 Land in the Southern
half of Mesopotamia
 By 3000 B.C.E almost one
hundred thousand
people
 Sumerians dominated
Mesopotamia
 Many people migrated
there (Semitic Migrants)
Mesopotamia
 Sumerian City-States
 Dominated public affairs in Mesopotamia
 Controlled public affairs in cities and surrounding
agricultural regions



Coordinated projects to benefit the community (Defense
walls, temples, etc)
 Irrigation systems especially important
Kept the peace… prevented conflicts b/t residents
Ziggurat in Uruk
Mesopotamia
 Sumerian Kings
 By 3000 B.C.E. most
Sumerian cities had
kings.
 Most of which had come
to power through
military valor.
The Course of Empire
 Some kings attempted to exert control over larger
regions by taking over other cities and placing their
own governors in control.
The Course of Empire
 Hammurabi and the
Babylonian Empire
 Dominated
Mesopotamia until 1600
B.C.E.
 Ruled through
centralized bureaucracy
(in Babylon) and regular
taxation
The Course of Empire
 Hammurabi’s Laws
 Compiled extensive list of laws to regulate behavior and
promote welfare
 High standards for behavior and stern punishments for
violators
 Relied heavily on the principle of lex talionis, “the law of
retaliation.”

Punishments fit the crime – i.e. penalty for murder is death
 Only for even classes though
 i.e. if a noble murdered a noble the penalty would be death,
but not if a noble murdered a slave
The Course of Empire
 Babylon fell about 1595
B.C.E. to the Hittites
 Chaos ensued for several
centuries following
Later Mesopotamian Empires
 Assyrian Empire – 1300
B.C.E. – 600 B.C.E.
 Nebuchadnezzar and the
New Babylonian Empire –
600 B.C.E. – 550 B.C.E.
Economic Specialization and Trade
 Mesopotamia
developments
 Bronze Metallurgy
 Iron Metallurgy
 The Wheel
 Shipbuilding
 Trade Networks
The Emergence of a Stratified
Patriarchal Society
 Social Classes
 Kings (Hereditary)
 Priests and Priestesses
 Free commoners (owned
property)
 Dependent clients (no
property)
 Slaves (Prisoners of War,
Convicted Criminals,
indebted individuals)
Patriarchal Society
 Men
 In charge of public and private affairs
 Head of households
 Women
 A few priestesses
 Some scribes
 Sexual and social behavior strictly controlled (Viels)
The Development of Written
Cultural Traditions
 World’s earliest known
writing came from
Mesopotamia
 Cuneiform – Depends on
graphic symbols, one of the
earliest writing forms (p.
44)
 Led to formal education
 Led to rapid expansion of
knowledge, especially in
Mathematics and
Astronomy
The Epic of Gilgamesh
 Famous piece of
Mesopotamian literature
and the earliest piece of
human literature written
about a demigod name
Gilgamesh.
Influence of Mesopotamia
 Judaism – From the area of Palestine (present day
Israel). Believed in one God known as Yahweh.
 Phoenicians – Famous for maritime trade networks
and alphabet.
 Indo-Europeans – Spoke Indo-European language.
Migrated throughout much of Eurasia and had
profound impact on southwest Asia.
 Moved into Europe (Celts… Dominant North of
Mediterranean) and India and Iran
 Hittites – Most powerful Indo-Europeans. Conquered
Mesopotamia in 1595 B.C.E.

Horses domesticated… WAR CHARIOTS!