Early Mesopotamia and Egypt ( 1.3, 2.1, 2.2)
Date:
OBJECTIVES:
1. We will be able to analyze key parts of civilization.
2. We will be able to describe the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and what led to its growth.
3. We will be able to create an argument for or against the Hammurabi Code.
4. We will be able to identify how to determine a reliable source.

Civilization arose along the Fertile Crescent(Region in the Middle East that was the birthplace of civilization)

Mesopotamia
o The region between the Tigris and the Euphrates is known as Mesopotamia.
o One of the first villages to emerge was Sumer. The villagers were called Sumerians.

Sumer

o
o
Sumer was neither a city nor a country. Rather, it was a collection of separate cities with a common
way of life. They shared a common culture. Sumer’s cities function as city-states. (ex. Ur)
Historians believe that Sumerians built the world’s first civilization.
What defines the term “Civilization?” A society with cities, a central government, job specialization, and social classes
 Five Traits that are Essential for a Civilization
o 1. Advanced Cities
 Not Just Population growth, but also a center of trade emerges for a larger area. Farmers, Merchants, Traders
bring goods to market in the cities.
o 2. Specialized Workers became skilled in one particular job.
 Farmers were able to produce more than what was needed for themselves. They had a surplus of crops and
were able to trade their extra goods for a different good or service
o 3. Record Keeping
 Enables people to make records of data. Merchants needed accounts of debts and payments.
 The Sumerians created Cuneiform which is a system of writing with wedge-shaped symbols. (Around 3,000
B.C.)
 Cuneiform Tablets (see image on left)
 Imprints of signs, called cuneiform, were made by pressing a wedge- shaped stylus into wet clay.
o 4. Advanced Technology
 The Sumerians were skilled in science & technology.
 Ex. Use of Arches, Columns, and ramps
 Use of bronze (mixture of copper & tin) Bronze Age” 3000 BCbetter military weapons
o 5. Complex Institutions
 Having an organizational system to run a city.
 Education and Government are examples of complex institutions.
Fertile Crescent
Disadvantages
Water problemsunpredictability of floods
Sumerian
Solutions
Created irrigation ditches
Defense problems-very flat
lands so easy to raid
Built city with walls
Limited natural resources—
lack of stone, wood, or metal to
create tools
Created trade network to
get goods
Early Mesopotamia and Egypt ( 1.3, 2.1, 2.2)





Date:
Polytheism- Believing in many gods.
o The Sumerians were polytheistic. They believed that their gods were a lot like them except they were Immortal & allpowerful.
o Ziggurat-a tiered, pyramid-shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian temple.
 Anu- “God of Heaven”
 Enlil- “God of Clouds & Air”
 Ea- “God of Water & Floods.
o Afterlife: Sumerians believed that their souls went to “The Land of No Return” a gloomy place between the earth’s
crust & the ancient sea.
Who ruled Sumer?
o Priest & Kings
o Priests had power because they could please the gods, controlled irrigation, and collected taxes.
o Sumerians began by choosing a strong warrior to lead them into battle. These leaders eventually became kings. Kings
eventually came from a dynasty (A series of rulers from a single family).
Sumer’s Downfall
o For 1,000 years (3,000-2,000 B.C.) the city-states
of Sumer were at war with one another.
o All the fighting weakened the city-states so much
that they could no longer ward off attacks from
outsiders
o 2,000 B.C. Nomadic raiders swept through Ur, leaving it in ruins, thus ending the last of the great city-states.
Turning Point In History: “Hammurabi’s Code”
o Around 2,000 B.C. a group of nomadic warriors known as the Amorites invaded Mesopotamia.
o The Amorites established Babylon as their capital city.
Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.) was a powerful and influential king.
o Babylon’s civilization was becoming so complex that there was a need for written laws to help resolve disputes.
o Hammurabi established a collection of laws that became known as “Hammurabi’s Code”
 Purpose of Hammurabi’s Code
 There are 282 specific laws.
 88 Laws deal with marriage, family, property.
 3 Fundamental Principles:
 1. Principle of Retaliation to punish crimes. (Eye for an Eye)
 2. Principle of Punishment (Double Standards existed between social classes).
 3. Government had a responsibility for what occurred in society.
How do the early civilizations of Mesopotamia differ from ours today? How are they similar?
Early Mesopotamia and Egypt ( 1.3, 2.1, 2.2)
Date:
 Looking at Ancient Egypt (OLD KINGDOM EGYPT2660 to 2180 BC)
o
The NILE RIVER was vital to Egypt

o
King Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt in 3100 BC
Egypt’s Rulers, Pharaohs were equal to Gods

Pharaohs were the center of Egypt's religion, government, and army. This is a theocracy (A
government controlled by religious leader).
Hieroglyphics
 A form of Egyptian writing based on pictorial characters for words and sounds (part of a civilization)
Egyptian Life
o Menes' family passed the double crown of upper and lower
Egypt from father to son (Dynasty)
 The pharaoh ruled even after his death
 Tombs were left valuables and heavily
decorated for the Pharaoh to live comfortably
(PYRAMIDS)
o Pharaohs expected to reign for
eternity.
o Tombs were more important than
their palaces.
 Polytheistic like Mesopotamia
o Egyptian Advances
 Invented a better writing surface papyrus.
 Egyptians developed a calendar to keep track of floods.
 Excellent mathematical knowledge helped build
pyramids and palaces.
 Great medical knowledge!!!
Old Kingdom Declines Around 2180 BC
o Middle Kingdom restores or and trade from (2040-1640 BC)Control the Nile for farming and improved trade.
o


Trait
Sumer
give characteristics of the trait
give examples of this trait in Sumer
Advanced Cities
- centers for trade
- large populations
- system of roads
- protection
- lots of trade and luxuries (gold, ivory,
ebony)
- population in the thousands
- many city-states
- 25 foot walls for protection
Specialized Workers
- surplus allows for
specialization
- allows for trade and
luxuries
- better quality of goods
-
armor makers
wall builders
canal diggers
priests and kings
scribes
merchants
Social
Classes
Early Mesopotamia and Egypt ( 1.3, 2.1, 2.2)
Date:
Complex Institutions
- religion
- government
- schools
- army
- religion includes ziggurats
- Hammurabi’s Code – Babylon
- scribes go to school to learn cuneiform
Record Keeping
- created to keep track
of supplies
- a form of writing
-
first pictographs were used
then cuneiform was used
use clay tablets
few people were scribes
calendars!
Improved Technology
- advances in tools
- created to make life
easier
- usually stronger
weapons to protect
-
plow for farming
wheel for transportation and pottery
mathematics (base 60)
bronze weapons