Comparing Paleolithic and
Neolithic Peoples
San Rock Art vs. Gilgamesh, Hammurabi, and Babylon
Hammurabi’s Code Stele in Louvre
Museum, Paris
Hammurabi Code Stele
Solid basalt (rock)
block inscribed with
code of laws
(in Akkadian language)
Hammurabi Receiving Code of Laws
from Gods
Carved top of stele
Sumerian Writing System:
Cuneiform:
Written in clay tablet
Ishtar Gate (from Babylon)
now in Pergamon Museum, Berlin
Ishtar Gate Lion
Ishtar Gate Dragon
Individual Work
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In one well-written sentence answer the
following question:
In your view, what was the biggest
difference between life in San (Rock Art)
culture and life in Mesopotamia
(Gilgamesh’s world)?
Group Work: Primary Sources
Break up into groups of 5
 Answer the question: What are the most
important characteristics of
Mesopotamian society?
 Use evidence found in the two
documents ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ and
‘Hammurabi’s Code’
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Comparisons
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Paleolithic Peoples
(Cave painters)
Hunter-gatherers
No domesticated animals
Nomadic
Short lifespan
Small clans or groups
Ice age
Cave painting
Rituals/spirits – animal spirits,
burials
Shamans
Respect for animals, birth, life,
death
Civilized?
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Neolithic Peoples
(Mesopotamians & Egyptians)
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Settled by rivers
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Agricultural – farming - surpluses
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Organized society
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Government, taxes
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Writing
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Laws
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Domesticated animals
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Hierarchy
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Caste/class system – slavery – inequality
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Diff. gender roles
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Division of labor
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Military
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Gods – polytheistic
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States, kingdoms, empires
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Population growth
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Permanent Buildings/architecture
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Math, learning, engineering
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Trade/commerce
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Religion, sacrifice
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Conflicts
Comparisons (continued)
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Paleolithic Peoples
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Neolithic Peoples