Mesopotamia
Sumerian
Civilization
Section 3
Sumerian achievements
• Cuneiform - writing
• Ziggurats – step pyramid temples
made of baked brick
• May have been the first to develop the
wheel
• Number system based on 60
• Lunar calendar
• Organized into city-states
Babylon
Hammurabi, the Priest King
Hammurabi (ca. 1792 - 1750 BC) united
all of Mesopotamia under 43 year reign of
Babylon. Hammurabi's Code is the best
preserved legal document reflecting the
social structure of Babylon during
Hammurabi's rule.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ham/ham05.htm
Hammurabi's Code
The Louvre, Paris
Babylonian Empire
• Nebuchadnezzar
• Hanging Gardens
• Ishtar Gate
Babylon’s Hanging Gardens
Assyrians, A Warrior Race
The winged creature (right)
was found at the palace of
Sargon II right at the entrance
to his throne-room standing 14
feet tall. Their were four
statues on each side and they
faced each other. It was
believed that the lamassu
could frighten off demons.
[Oriental Institute, Chicago)
Gold of Nimrud
The gold of
Nimrud is a
collection of more
than 1,000 pieces
of gold jewelry
and precious
stones from the
eighth and ninth
centuries B.C.
The Queen’s Gold
Whoever … removes me
from my tomb, or places
anyone else with me, or
lays hand on my jewelry
with evil intent, or breaks
open the seal of this
tomb, let his spirit
wander in thirst in the
open countryside.
Below, in the
Netherworld, let him not
receive any libation of
pure water, beer, wine, or
flour as an offering! May
the great gods of the
underworld impose on
his corpse and spirit,
restlessness for all
eternity.
Persia
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•
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•
Darius, king of Persia
Ruled with justice and tolerance.
Adopted a standardized coinage
Established a road system
Zoroaster, Persian prophet started a
new monotheistic religion, good vs.
evil and a final judgement, linked to the
Magi
zoroaster
http://www.history.com/videos/persias-royal-road#persias-royal-road
Phoenicians
Ancient seafarers
Did you know?
•
Look up the adjective "purple" in a dictionary,
and one of the first meanings you'll see is a
distinction of royalty. The association of
royalty with the color purple stems from the
ancient reddish-purple dye made from the
glands of murex mollusks. The most famous
example of this dye is so-called Tyrian purple
from the Phoenician homeland along the
eastern coast of the Mediterranean.
The expense of producing the dye was so
great—many thousands of mollusks were
needed to produce one ounce of dye—that
only the very wealthiest could afford it. It was
said to be worth the price, because the dye,
once set, would not run or fade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOdmEd
0HxnM
The First Alphabet
Lydians
First to use gold & silver coins
The Lydian lion, the world’s
oldest coin
Israel
• Monotheistic
• Judaism, the
forerunner of
Christianity
• 10 Commandments,
basis of law
• Torah – set of laws
that the Israelites
followed.
Describe how smaller civilizations such as
Phoenicia and the Lydians could exert their
influence on the ancient world.
Smaller civilizations such as Phoenicia and
Lydia could exert their influence on the ancient
world by developing ideas and distributing the
ideas to the rest of the world. With the
Phoenicians, it was their alphabet and with the
Lydians, it was their idea of a money economy.
The Phoenicians were great traders and as they
traded from port to port, they brought their
culture to the people they traded with. This
allowed them to influence the rest of the world.