Ancient Civilizations
City-States in Mesopotamia
The City-State Structure of Government
A. Although all the cities shared the same culture …
B. each city had its own government / rulers, warriors,
it’s own patron god, and functioned like an independent country
C. includes within the city walls and also the surrounding farm land
D. Examples include Sumerian cities of Ur, Uruk, Kish, Nippur
E. At center of each city was the walled temple with a ziggurat –
a massive, tiered, pyramid-shaped structure.
F. Powerful priests held much political power in the beginning.
G. Military commanders eventually became ruler / monarch
- then began passing rule to their own heirs,
creating a new structure of government called a
Dynasty – a series of rulers descending from a single family line.
Define
type of
government
Define
type of
government
Historians wonder…
Did the Sumerians develop this new type of government on their own, or
did they learn and adopt it only after contact with other peoples?
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
City-States in Mesopotamia
First EMPIRE Builders
A. 3,000 – 2,000 B.C.E. the City-States began to war with each other.
These internal struggles meant they were too weak to ward off an attack
by an outside enemy.
B. Sargon of Akkad (ca. 2,350 B.C.E.)
Define
1. Took control of the region, creating world’s first empire type of
when several peoples, nations, or previously independent
government
states are placed under the control of one ruler.
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
The Akkadian Empire lasted about 200 years, 2350 – approx. 2150 B.C.E.
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
Sargon established a dynasty. BUT
invasions,
internal fighting,
and a severe famine
all contributed to the end of the Akkadian Empire.
What effect did Sargon’s conquests
have?
• The culture of Sumer which had influenced
the Akkadians was spread beyond the
Tigris Euphrates River Valley.
• This is an example of the idea of cultural
diffusion
• Cultural diffusion is the spread of
elements of one culture to another people,
generally through trade but also through
conquest.
City-States in Mesopotamia
Babylonian Empire
1. Overtook Sumerians around 2,000 B.C.
2. Built capital, Babylon, on Euphrates river
3. Reign of Hammurabi [1792-1750 B.C.E.]
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
Reign of Hammurabi
Famous Code of Law
• he wisely took all the laws of the region’s city-states
and unified them into one code. This helped unify
the region.
• Engraved in stone, erected all over the empire.
This set a precedent: the idea that the
government was responsible for what occurred in
society.
Why
And do
why
you
dothink
you think
Hammurabi
he believed
thought
it important
it
important
to place the
to place
laws in
allprominent
the cities within
locations
hisso the
Empire
people under
could visibly
the same
seeuniform
them? code of laws?
A total of 282 laws are etched on this 7 ft. 5 in. tall black basalt pillar (stele). The top
portion, shown here, depicts Hammurabi with Shamash, the sun god. Shamash is
presenting to Hammurabi a staff and ring, which symbolize the power to administer
the law. Although Hammurabi's Code is not the first code of laws (the first records
date four centuries earlier), it is the best preserved legal document reflecting the
social structure of Babylon during Hammurabi's rule.
This amazing find was discovered in 1901 and today is in the famous Louvre
Museum in Paris, France.
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
Primary Source Document Analysis: “Hammurabi’s Code” (see handout)
Cute website
http://www.phillipmartin.info/hammurabi/hammurabi_situation_index.htm
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
Partnered Students Handout
Hammurabi, the king of righteousness,
On whom Shamash has conferred the Law,
am I.
When Marduk sent me to rule over men,
to give the protection of right to the land,
I did right and in righteousness brought about
the well-being of the oppressed.
Below are situations Hammurabi faced.
You and your partner decide what you think to be a fair way to deal with the problem.
Then together we’ll view what Hammurabi actually declared.
We’ll find out if Marduk, the supreme god, will be pleased with your decisions?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What should be done to the carpenter who builds a house that falls and kills the owner?
What should be done about a wife who ignores her duties and belittles her husband?
What should be done when a "sister of god" (or nun) enters the wine shop for a drink?
What should be done if a son is adopted and then the birth-parents want him back?
What happens if a man is unable to pay his debts?
What should happen to a boy who slaps his father?
What happens to the wine seller who fails to arrest bad characters gathered at her shop?
How is the truth determined when one man brings an accusation against another?
So what do you think?
• Were the laws
CRUEL?
• Were the laws FAIR?
Two centuries after Hammurabi’s reign, the Babylonian Empire fell to nomadic raiders.
New groups would rule over the Fertile Crescent in the future. However, the innovative
ideas of the Sumerians and their descendants in the region would be adopted by the later
peoples – including the Assyrians, the Persians, Phoenicians and the Hebrews (Jews).
PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.
Hittites: Anatolia
The Hittite capital city of Hattushash
The Hittites created their empire between
1600-1200 B.C. (BCE)
*They were the first people to learn to smelt
(separate metal from ore) iron. They could
then make iron weapons which were very strong
There were eventually weakened and defeated
by the Sea Peoples.
The Sea Peoples is the term used for a
mysterious confederacy of seafaring raiders
who sailed into the eastern shores of the
Mediterranean, invaded Cyprus, and the Levant,
and attempted to enter Egyptian territory
The end of the Hittite kingdom allowed for the
rise of other people in this region
Assyrians
After the Hittite empire fell, other peoples fought for dominance in
western Asia. In time, the Assyrians became the supreme power in the
region
Nineveh: on the Tigris River
Assyrians were fierce warriors
they learned about smelting iron from the Hittites
Military Strength
The Assyrian military was one of the
strongest in the ancient world.
They used fierce iron weapons and
psychological warfare.
The Assyrians would often attempt to get
an area to surrender before attack.
If people refused and were defeated they were
treated harshly.
King Ashurnasirpal once stated
“3,000 of their combat troops I felled with
weapons . . . Many I took alive; from some of these I
cut off their hands to the writs, from others I cut
off their noses, ears and fingers; I put out the eyes
of many of the soldiers. . . . I burned their young
men and women to death.”
Assyrian Military Power
Assyrian
soldiers
carrying away
the enemy’s
gods.
Assyrian Rulers
Assyrian kings ruled with absolute power.
Kingdoms were well organized and
efficient. Use of provinces to rule
Kept direct contact with the people who
helped administer their empire
Transportation/Courier system
They established. a system where they
could relay messages by horseback back
and forth in a week’s time.
Ashurbanipal
Considered the greatest Assyrian King.
He collected the writings of Mesopotamia and
established the great library of Nineveh
Babylon under the
Chaldeans
Chaldeans
As Assyria began to decline, the Chaldeans swooped in.
• Babylon, capital of their new empire
• Nebuchadnezzar II
– Warrior and builder
– Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Chaldean culture
– Admired ancient Sumerian culture
– Developed calendar; advances in astronomy
The Assyrian empire eventually fell and the
Chaldeans (Neo Babylonians) under king
Nebuchadnezzar made Babylon the most
powerful state in the region.
Nebuchadnezzar is most famous for the
construction of the Hanging Gardens of
Babylon, considered one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world.
Nebuchadnezzar is also responsible for the
destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem
and beginning the Babylonian Captivity of
the Jews and the first Diaspora.
Babylon is defeated and replaced by the
Persian Empire in 539 B.C.
Hanging Gardens
of Babylon?
Lived: The Phoenicians established a
trade empire, and colonies, throughout
the Mediterranean.
Made Living: They traded several
goods including glass and lumber.
Goods: Their most important product
was Tyrian purple, a dye made from
boiling the Murex snail.
This purple dye was very difficult and
expensive to produce. It was very
valuable to the rich.
Murex snail
Murex Shell
Phoenicia means Purple
The Phoenicians spread their alphabet throughout the
Mediterranean
Their alphabet consisted of 22 letters, it did not have vowels.
Unlike many early alphabets which were made of pictograms, the
Phoenician alphabet was phonic (based on sound). These sounds
could be assembled to make words.
The Greeks eventually adopted this alphabet, which influenced
the Latin Alphabet which we use today.
Phoenician Artifacts
Israelites
Semitic-speaking people who lived
south of the Phoenicians in
the land of Canaan
Compared to other groups in the region,
they were a small group.
Their religion, known today as Judaism, continues as a
world religion and influenced the development of
Christianity and Islam.
Israel
History of the Hebrews
Abraham
Abraham is seen as the Patriarch, or father, of Judaism
as well as Christianity and Islam.
According to Jewish tradition Abraham is brought by
God from his home in the ancient city of Ur into a new
land, Canaan (the holy land), where he enters into a
covenant (agreement) with God:
in exchange for sole recognition of Yahweh as supreme
universal authority, Abraham will be the father of a
great nation.
Exodus
The escape of the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt.
Moses was the leader of the Hebrew Exodus. The story goes that
the Hebrew God had to curse Egypt with 10 plagues in order for the
Pharaoh (Ramses II) to free the Israelites.
10 Plagues
The Nile turned to blood
Frogs
Fleas and Lice
Flies
Epidemic disease which exterminated the Egyptian livestock.
Boils
Storm (Hail)
Locusts
Darkness
Death of the first born son
(Passover Holiday comes from this event)
According to the Torah, the Israelites disobeyed
God and wandered the desert for 40 years
before reaching the holy land.
King Solomon 970-930 BCE
United the tribes of Israel into the Kingdom of Israel
Solomon was the son of King David, and was known as a wise king.
During this time Jerusalem
became the capital of the
Kingdom of Israel
Under the leadership of Solomon,
Israel reached the height of its power.
He built a great temple in Jerusalem which
became the focal point of the Jewish Religion.
The remains of this temple, now known as the
Western Wall or Wailing Wall are still a focal
point of the Jewish faith.
The Divided Kingdom
After Solomon’s death the kingdom of Israel split into two parts
Division: The Kingdom of Israel was the ten northern tribes with
the capital city of Samaria.
The Kingdom of Judah was the two tribes in the South with the
capital of Jerusalem.
The Assyrians destroyed the kingdom of Israel and scattered the
people in 722 B.C., these are known as the lost tribes of Israel.
The Kingdom of Judah remained until it was
destroyed by the Chaldeans (Neo Babylonians)
and King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. beginning
the Babylonian captivity which would last until
the defeat of the Chaldeans by the Persian
Empire and Cyrus the Great.
The Babylonian Captivity of the Jews was known as the first
Diaspora.
The Diaspora is the scattering of the Jewish people.
There have been two Diasporas.
The first was the Babylonian captivity, which ended when
the Persians freed the Jews and the Jews returned to
Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple.
During the Captivity there was an Age of Prophecy
The Prophets such as Isaiah and Ezekiel
The prophets declared that the people
needed to return to the original
covenant or face punishment.
The Jews stayed in Israel until the Romans destroyed the
Temple again in 70 CE beginning the second Diaspora.
After that the Jews were scattered throughout Europe.
European anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages and the
Holocaust of WWII forced many Jews to emigrate to the
United States and many began to return to Israel.
This led to the formation of the state of Israel by the
United Nations in 1948 ending the second Diaspora. Many
Jews consider any Jew not living in the Holy Land to still
be in the Diaspora.
The Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem
The most important of all Jewish monuments
It is the remnants of the Temple of Solomon
after its destruction by the Romans in 70 A.D.