Mesopotamian Inventions
Mesopotamian Invention Questions
1. What was the water source for the irrigation system? Why
did farmers need to control the water supply?
2. What did scribes use to draw the cuneiform language?
Why?
3. What might have happened to those who refused to fight in
the army? How important, then, was the army to the
civilization? Why?
4. How did the plow make farming more efficient?
5. What was the first known use of the wheel? How did it
eventually make daily life easier?
6. What contribution did the sailboat make to the Sumerian
civilization? How did it help make them more successful?
The Fertile Crescent
The Fertile Crescent
Civilization developed slowly in different parts of the world. People
began to settle in areas with abundant natural resources. A section
of the Middle East is called the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile
Crescent is a rich food-growing area in a part of the world where
most of the land is too dry for farming. The Fertile Crescent is a
boomerang shaped region that extends from the eastern shore of
the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. Some of the best
farmland of the Fertile Crescent is on a narrow strip of land
between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The Greeks called this
area Mesopotamia, which means "between the rivers." The Tigris
and the Euphrates are considered to be natural boundaries. This is
because the boundaries were formed by nature instead of being
drawn by people. Many different civilizations flourished in this
small region.
The Fertile Crescent Questions
1. Why do you think people choose to settle in
areas with abundant natural resources?
2. Why do we call the land Mesopotamia?
3. Why is it important for people to live near
water?
4. How do the Tigris and Euphrates act as
natural boundaries?
Mesopotamian Religion
(Enlil – god of air)
Mesopotamian Religion
(Ziggurat)
Mesopotamian Religion
Mesopotamian mythology was a series of repeated stories that explained the
unexplainable and was the backbone of the religion. The religion of Mesopotamia
is the oldest religion of which we have RECORDS. We know that all the ancient
Sumerians asked questions that have always troubled mankind....WHO ARE
WE?...WHERE ARE WE?...HOW DID WE GET HERE? The Sumerian word for universe
is an-ki. This denotes the god AN and the goddess KI. Their offspring was ENLIL-the
air god. He is considered the most powerful god in Sumerian mythology.
Mesopotamians were polytheistic. In other words they believed in many gods. The
Sumerians were clearly in touch with the spirit world. In matters of physical health,
they relied on spiritual remedies and turned to exorcists to get rid of the demons
that were possessing them. The gods are a window into the value system of the
Mesopotamians--they valued fertility, sought protection in war, respected wisdom,
and they clearly had a reverence for the earth. According to Mesopotamian
mythology, human beings were created so the gods would have servants. In
essence---you wanted to treat the gods and goddesses right because they provided
you with everything. Ziggurats were temples. The ancient Sumerians believed that
powerful gods lived in the sky. They built huge structures, called ziggurats, with
steps climbing up to the top. From the top of the Ziggurat, you could see the
protective wall built about the entire town, and over the wall to the farmlands
beyond. Formal religious ceremonies were held at the very top.
Mesopotamian Religion Questions
1. Look at the illustration of the temple. Notice the
number of stairs. What does the size of the temple tell
you about the value the Sumerians placed on their
gods?
2. Why would ziggurats have been located in the center
of the town?
3. From the reading passage, for what did the Sumerians
look to their gods?
4. What were some of the values the gods
demonstrated?
5. How could humans demonstrate that they were
serving the gods?
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest pieces of literature, is
made up of ancient folklore, tales, and myths. It was written in
Mesopotamia about a strong and powerful king named Gilgamesh,
who was believed to be part god, part man. The story describes his
desire, to live forever. Gilgamesh goes on a long journey to find the
secret to immortality but in the end, he realizes that he must die
like other humans. Read the following excerpt:
“When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body.
Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty, Adad the god
of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his
beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull.
Two thirds they made him god and one third man.”
Source: The Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by N.K. Sandars
The Epic of Gilgamesh Questions
1. Looking at the passage from the Epic of
Gilgamesh, name at least two gifts the gods gave
Gilgamesh.
2. What do the gifts the gods gave him tell you
about what the Mesopotamians valued?
3. Despite these gifts, what does Gilgamesh learn
about himself at the end of the story?
4. Why do you think the gods make Gilgamesh part
human?
5. Why would this story have been written? What
questions would it answer for humans?
Hammurabi
Hammurabi
Hammurabi was the 6th King of Babylon. He reigned from about
1792-1750 B.C. Considered one of the most important rulers of
this dynasty, Hammurabi was responsible for many things.
Hammurabi expanded the Babylonian Empire by successfully
winning numerous wars and defending his borders. He constructed
temples, canals, and irrigation channels in Babylon through public
works projects. He encouraged tax collection and pursued
methods of navigation. Most famously, he created a set of laws
known as the Code of Hammurabi. The laws governed all aspects
of Babylonian life, from how judges rule and how property was
owned, to how women, orphans and slaves should be treated.
Hammurabi believed that his duty was “to cause justice to prevail
in the land to destroy the wicked and evil.” Laws were needed so
that “the strong may not oppress the weak.”
Hammurabi Questions
1. Why might Hammurabi be considered one of
the most important rulers of the Babylonian
dynasty?
2. What are some of the projects Hammurabi
initiated during his reign?
3. What would be some advantages and
disadvantages of Hammurabi creating a larger
and larger empire?
4. Why do you think Hammurabi felt it was
important to establish a Code of Laws that
covered all aspects of daily life?
Government - Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi was a Mesopotamian king who recorded a system of laws called the Code of
Hammurabi. His 282 laws were engraved in stone and placed in a public location for
everyone to see. Some of Hammurabi's laws were based on the principle "An eye for an eye,
a tooth for a tooth." This means that whoever commits an injury should be punished in the
same manner as that injury. If someone puts out another person's eye, their eye would be
put out in return. Hammurabi's code included what we today call both criminal and civil law.
Criminal law is composed of rules that define conduct. One law said, "if a son strikes his
father, his hands shall be hewn off." Civil law settles disputes among individuals.
Hammurabi's Code states, "if a man builds a house badly, and it falls and kills the owner, the
builder is to be killed. If the owner's son was killed, then the builder's son is to be killed."
One exception existed to the principle of "an eye for an eye." It demonstrated that
Hammurabi believed the gods had power over people and events. An accused person was
allowed to jump into the Euphrates River. "If he sinks in the river his accuser shall take
possession of his house. But if the river proves that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes
unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped
into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser." We can
surmise from this law that not many people at that time were able to swim.
Hammurabi's Code helps us understand what life was like in ancient Babylon. Equal
punishment existed only when the two sides were of equal rank. The punishment would be
less if the injured person was a woman or a slave.
Hammurabi Code is the earliest form of law that we are able to read and study because, in
1901, a French expedition to Mesopotamia uncovered a copy of the Babylonian king's laws.
The stone pillar where Hammurabi had his laws engraved is on display at the Louvre, a
museum in Paris, France.
Hammurabi’s Code Questions
1. What does “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth” mean?
2. What is the difference between civil law and
criminal law?
3. How would people have been punished for
stealing in Hammurabi’s time?
4. Why would Hammurabi want his people to
know that the gods had power?
5. Why was the purpose of engraving the Law Code
in stone? Why was it also placed in a public
location?