VII. Civilization-A complex culture in which large
numbers of human beings share common
elements.
Tigris River
A. What are characteristics?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Cities
Religion
Government
Social Structure
Writing
Art
B. Geography of the Middle East
1. Deserts dominate much of the area. The Syrian
Desert is located in the Middle East.
2. The Zagros Mountains are on the eastern border
of Iraq and extend into Iran.
C. Ancient Mesopotamia (The Fertile Crescent)Located in the Middle East, civilization began
between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The first
civilization to develop was Ancient Sumer.
1. Why? Rich soil and abundant crops allowed the
land to sustain life. The Tigris and Euphrates
overflowed their banks and deposited silt for the
land. However, this system was unpredictable for
farmers.
Euphrates
River
2. How? Irrigation and drainage ditches allow farmers
to grow crops regularly and control the water
supply. This led to a surplus of crops.
3. Evidence of Sumerian sophistication:
a) Religion-The Sumerians created a polytheistic
religion to help answer questions about life.
1) Polytheism-Belief in many gods
2) The most prominent building in a Sumerian city was the
temple dedicated to the chief god or goddess of the city.
The temple was known as a ziggurat.
Priests were
only allowed
to climb the
temple
3) Ziggurat of Ur-Constructed around 2100 B.C.E., it
was for the moon god, Nanna.
b) Trade-Sumerians imported copper and tin in
exchange for dried fish, wool, barley, wheat, and
metal goods. The Sumerians discovered when tin
is added to copper, it makes bronze, thus making
a harder metal than copper.
1) The invention of the wagon wheel, made
transport much easier.
c) Writing-Around 3000 B.C.E., the Sumerians created
a cuneiform (“wedge-shaped”) system of writing.
They made wedge-shaped impressions on clay
tablets, which were baked or dried in the sun.
1) One of the most important positions in Sumer
was a scribe.
a) The Epic of Gilgamesh-A poem that tells the
stories of a king named Gilgamesh. The poem
recounts his quest for immortality. In the end, he
is is mortal because immortality is exclusively for
the gods.
d) Cities-Different city-states developed that required
a government.. Further evidence of city-states are
provided by city walls.
D. To the north of the Sumerian city-states were the
Akkadians. They conquered the Sumerian citystates by 2340 B.C.E., and established the first
empire.
E. In Babylonia, a city-state south of Akkad,
Hammurabi came to power and gained control of
Sumer and Akkad. After Hammurabi’s death in 1750
B.C.E., weak kings led to the collapse of Babylonia.
Hammurabi standing
1. Code of Hammurabi-One of the world’s first legal
systems. Based on principles of strict justice.
Principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”
was fundamental.
a) Sample from the code: “If anyone commits a
robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to
death.”
2. Penalties varied based on social class.
a) A crime committed against a noble by a
commoner was punished more severely than a
crime committed by a commoner against a
commoner.
Place the following events on the timeline
-6500 B.C.E.-Çatalhüyük is at its peak
-8000 B.C.E.-4000 B.C.E.-Beginning of the Neolithic Revolution
-10,000 B.C.E.-End of the Paleolithic Age
-3000 B.C.E.-Beginning of Bronze Age
-1750 B.C.E.-Hammurabi dies
-2,500,000 B.C.E.-Beginning of the Paleolithic Age
-2340 B.C.E.-Sumerians are conquered by the Akkadians
-2100 B.C.E. Ziggurat of Ur constructed
-3000 B.C.E.-Cuneiform was created by the Sumerians
-1000 B.C.E.-Beginning of the iron age
7th century B.C.E. begins
9th century B.C.E. begins