Mesopotamia Unit

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Settled community, w/ domesticated plants/animals
Could support large populations
◦ As population increase, so did complexity
One earliest village
Catal Huyuk

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Sumer 1 st civilization
◦ 5000 BCE develop city states S. Mesopotamia
◦ Invented wheel, buildings, irrigation systems, plow, bronze weapons, writing (cuneiform)
◦ Important:
 Each city state independent
 City states fought o/ irrigable land & trading rights
◦ Future leaders would try unite lands/people into empire

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“Land b/t Rivers”
◦ Tigris & Euphrates
 Flood April-June
Modern day Iraq
Arid climate
◦ Very hot & dry, little rainfall
◦ Regional differences however
Resources
◦ Had water & fertile soil = “gifts”
◦ Lacked stone, timber, copper, tin, iron, gold
 Encouraged foreign trade
Geography/Climate caused people have pessimistic attitude

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Akkad
◦ Sargon the Great
Babylonia
◦ Hammurabi
Assyria
◦ Assurnasirpal
◦ Sennacherib
◦ Esarhaddon
◦ Assurbanipal
Babylonia II
◦ Nabopolassar
◦ Nebuchsdnezzar

Hammurabi Code Project

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282 percepts/laws
Dealt w/ social, family issues

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Healthcare
Criminal Justice System
Family Life
Jobs
Slaves
Military

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Was Hammurabi’s form of justice fair?
Were the laws appropriate for their time period?
Do you think these laws were actively followed and enforced?
Should laws promote punishment or reform?

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Polytheistic
◦ Belief many gods
Anthropomorphic
◦ Human-like characteristics
Had human emotions
◦ Compassionate, cruel
Also envisioned darker powers
(demons/monsters)

Pazuzu
Lamashtu
Huwawa

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An/Anu
◦ Father of Gods; God of
Sky
Enlil
◦ God of Air
Utu/Shamash
◦ Sun God; God of Truth and Justice
Nanna/Sin
◦ Moon God
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Inanna/Ishtar
◦ Goddess of Love and War
Ninhursag
◦ Mother Earth
Enki/Ea
◦ God of Fresh Waters; God of Magic, Wisdom, Arts
Marduk
◦ National God of Babylon

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Tiered temple made of mud-bricks
Dwellings places of the gods
◦ Each city-state had a patron god
Only priests permitted inside ziggurat

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In earliest days, King chief priest
Later professional priesthoods
Various duties:
◦ Ritual slaughter animals
◦ Interpret omens
◦ Singing songs
◦ Provide regular offerings of food and refreshments to deity

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Practice of women offering sex for pay on the sacred grounds of the Temple of Ishtar

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Participated public festivals
Tried to predict “heaven’s will”
Exorcism

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No notion of an afterlife where the good were rewarded
Life after Death was dismal and bleak
◦ “Land of No Return”

Buddhas of Bamiyan Pyramid Menkaure

Mosel Museum Temple Bel

4 Horses St. Marks The Amber Room