The Ancient Middle East
3000 BC-100 AD
Mesopotamia
• Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers”
• The Greeks gave this name to an area in the Middle East (modern
day Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria) set between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers.
• This area is also known as the Fertile Crescent due to the rich soil
fostered by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
The Sumerians 5000-4000 BC
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Dug canals to drain the delta marshlands that provided irrigation for crops
Used mud to build houses, make pottery, and form clay tablets to record laws,
transactions, and literature
Lived in “city states” which consisted of a large city with surrounding lands.
A Ziggurat (pyramid like temples 6-7 stories high, layered like a wedding cake)
stood at the center of the city state.
A priest-king lived in the ziggurat and represented the local gods.
Ur and Uruk were the largest city states during this time (population in the tens of
thousands)
Sumerian Legacy
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Known for beautiful stonework, metalwork, sculptures, and ziggurats
Developed a mathematical system based on 60
Devised a precise 12 month calendar based on the cycles of the moon
Most important achievement was the development of cuneiform (wedge-shaped
markings) the world’s oldest system of writing
Used a “stylus” (pointed stick) to press symbols onto the wet clay tablets
The Babylonians @ 2000 BC
• Semitic people conquered the Sumerians around 2000 BC and
established the capital city of Babylon which means “gate of the
gods” on the Euphrates River (located in modern day Baghdad,
Iraq)
• Babylonians adopted the cuneiform writing and translated their
Semitic language called Akkadian.
• Translated Sumerian writings including the epic of Gilgamesh.
Hammurabi
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Around 1792 BC, Babylon became the religious and cultural center of
western Asia.
Hammurabi was the ruler and he developed a collection of 282 laws known
as “The Code of Hammurabi.”
These laws regulated everyday life from building codes to marriage and
divorce.
The code was very detailed and contained harsh punishments, based on the
concept of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
The Assyrians 900 BC
• In 900 BC, the Assyrians defeated the Babylonians
• Assyrians built their capital city Nineveh on the banks of the Tigris
River
• Created a magnificent library where the Sumerian and Babylonian
literature were kept
The Babylonians Again
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In 612 BC, Babylonians conquered the Assyrians under the rule of King
Nebuchadnezzar.
Babylon was rebuilt along with other beautiful buildings and temples
Babylon became famous for its Hanging Gardens, one of the 7 ancient wonders of
the world
The city was also famous for the great ziggurat called the Tower of Babel,
mentioned in the Bible.
Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BC.