Mesopotamia
3500 B.C.E. – 1500 C.E.
Chapter 2, 3 & 14, 15
Pages 20-25, 42-52,
248-267 & 270-287
Teaching Objectives:
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Recognize primary governments in the
Middle East, their roles and conflicts
Describe Sumerian society and its
contributions and influence
Identify goods and cultural elements
exchanged in its sea trade
Discuss the importance of the teachings of
Judaism, Islam and Christianity
Analyze the rise and fall of leaders
Ancient Asia Map
Use pages 44, 49, 259 and 261
for locations.
Directions:
Locate the following by outlining
and coloring locations. Identify
locations by name or number
and use DIFFERENT COLORS
for areas adjacent to each other.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Phoenicia
Cyprus
Israel
Judah
Red Sea
Egypt
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Babylon
Mediterranean Sea
Persian Gulf
Lebanon
Baghdad
Jerusalem
Mecca
Timeline
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3500 B.C.E. –
2300 B.C.E. –
1700 B.C.E. –
1600 B.C.E. –
1450 B.C.E. –
1200 B.C.E. –
1200 B.C.E. –
1000 B.C.E. –
671 B.C.E. –
562 B.C.E. –
333 B.C.E. –
622 C.E. –
Sumerians move into Mesopotamia
Akkadian built world’s first empire
Hammurabi brought southern
Mesopotamia under one rule
Hittites destroy Babylon & Rule
Hittite kings create a centralized
government
Hittite Empire invaded
Moses leads Jews out of Egypt
Phoenicians develop the alphabet
Assyrians take over Fertile Crescent and Egypt
Nebuchadnezzar dies & Persian
Empire begins its rise
Alexander the Great conquers Persian Empire
Islamic Empire Begins
1. What two rivers
run through the
Fertile Crescent?
Tigris & Euphrates
Rivers
2. Which two river
valley civilizations
are shown on this
map?
Egypt & Mesopotamia
3. In what present
day country is
Mesopotamia
located?
Iraq
Geography
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Mesopotamia
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“Land between the
rivers”
Silt created new land
at the gulf
Ur
Fertile Crescent
WHAT CHALLENGES DID PEOPLE FACE IN
MESOPOTAMIA?
1. Unpredictable floods destroyed
crops, homes & people
2. Some areas were marshy and
unsuitable for farming
3. This land was vulnerable to
attack and invasion
The Sumerians
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Organization of
City-States
Hierarchy of Power
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Supreme Ruler-King
Priests
Nobles
Commoners
Clients
Ziggurat in the city-state of Ur
(Present day)
Contribution of the Sumerians
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Cuneiform –
3000 B.C.E.
Arch
 Math
 Legal Code
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Hammurabi
 Major Advance in
civilization

Conquerors Took on Sumerian Ways
Akkadians
1.
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Sargon I – 1st Empire
Babylonians
2.
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Hammurabi – Legal Code
Hittites
3.
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Excelled in organization
of empire
Allied with Egypt = peace
1st in Middle East to use
iron
Conquerors Took on Sumerian Ways
4. Phoenicians
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Lebanon today
Destroyed Hittite Empire
Decline of Egypt
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Canaanites
Division of Labor
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Great Sea Traders
Shipbuilders
Navigators
Colonizers
Location and Language
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Close to Mesopotamia
Hebrew
The Alphabet
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Created to keep
records for trading
operations
22 letters
Number system based
on 60
Conquerors Took on Sumerian Ways
5. Israelites
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Israel today
Semitic language Hebrew
Religion – Judaism
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Influenced
Christianity & Islam
Old Testament
Judaism
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Monotheistic
Bible – gave Moses 10
Commandments
Torah – first 5 books of Bible
Judaism leads to Christianity & Islam
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
adherents called
Muslims
Jews
Christians
current size rank
2nd largest
12th largest
largest
false prophet
Son of God, God incarnate, savior of the world
identity of Jesus
names of God
sacred text
True prophet of
God, whose
message has
been corrupted
Allah (Arabic for
God)
Yahweh, Elohim
Yahweh, the Holy Trinity
Qur'an (Koran)
Bible
Bible (Jewish Bible + New Testament)
clergy
imams
rabbis
priests, ministers, pastors, bishops
house of worship
mosque
synagogue
church, chapel, cathedral
main day of worship
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
integrated
separate
separate
church and state
Right and Wrong
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What actions does
society teach us are
right and wrong?
While studying this
section, look for values
that we have inherited
from the Jewish
religion.
Conquerors Took on Sumerian Ways
Assyrians
6.
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Ruthless
Capital: Ninevah
Chaldeans
7.
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Led by
Nebuchadnezzar
Contributed to
Astronomy &
Astrology
Last to be influenced
by Sumerians
Persians
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Ruled by a despot
Treated people
humanely
Excellent
communication system
Islamic Empire
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Followed Muhammad
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Last profit of Islam = submission to God
Taught Five Pillars & Koran teachings
Sharia Law
Took over Persian and Byzantine Empires
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Both fought and poor treatment of people
People welcomed new government
Look at the map Pg. 264
750 C.E. Abbasid Dynasty
1000 C.E. -
Which empire controlled the most
territory?
Seljuk Turks
1250 C.E. Mongols Invaded
1453 C.E. Ottoman Turks reunite
Muslim lands
1200 - 1526 C.E. Delhi Sultanate
established
Judge the Muslim rule in India between
1000 and 1500 C.E. In terms of wellbeing of the Indian people, was it positive
or negative. Be able to support your
positions with evidence from the text.