Civilization&

Mesopotamia

Early Civilizations

What is civilization?

1. Advanced Cities

◦ Large group living together

◦ Trading center

Characteristics of Civilizations

2. Specialized Workers

◦ Develop skills in a specific kind of work(trader or priest)

◦ Why? Abundant food

Characteristics of Civilizations

3. Complex Institutions

◦ Long-lasting pattern of organization in a community

◦ Examples: Religion Government Economy

Characteristics of Civilizations

4. Record Keeping◦ System of writing

◦ Taxes, laws, religious rituals

◦ Scribes – professional keepers

Characteristics of Civilizations

5. Advanced Technology

◦ Anything that makes life easier

Characteristics of Civilizations

Example of Civilization: Sumer

SumerSpecialized

Workers: soldiers, merchants,

teachers, priests, etc.

Complex Institutions:

formal governments (laws

and officials), priests w/ religious

power

Advanced cities: Uruk – 50,000

Lagash – 10,000 -50,000

Record Keeping: Cuneiform writing

system

Advanced Technology:

3000 BCE wheel, plow, sailboat;

bronze weapons and armor

Civilizations of MesopotamiaFertile Crescent, “land between the rivers”

People: Sumerians

Tigris & Euphrates Rivers

Annual flooding◦ Silt – rich layer of soil

deposited by a river (good for growing crops)

◦ Alluvial Plain – flat landform created by deposit of silt from rivers coming from highlands

Geography

Unpredictable flooding & little rainirrigation ditches

No natural barriers for protectionbuilt city walls

Limited natural resourcestraded grain & cloth for stone & wood

Geography:Disadvantages & Solutions

City-state: city & surrounding area functioning as a country does today

Priests head government 3,000 BCE

Kings head government 2,500 BCE ◦ Create Dynasties - series of

rulers under one family

Government

Ziggurat – walled temple

Akkadian – Sargon of Akkad (2350 - 2150 BCE) defeated city-states of Sumer

1st empire: brings together several independent peoples, nations, or states

Babylonian – Babylon (2000 - 539 BCE)

Government: Forming Empires

Hammurabi’s Code◦Hammurabi

(Babylonian King)

◦1792-1750 BCE

◦Unified code of laws

◦Oldest known legal system

◦Stressed justice & punishment based on social class

Laws

Polytheism: belief in two or more gods (kings representatives of gods)

Human-like, but immortal & powerful

Humans were servants

Built ziggurats & offered sacrifices to please gods

Religion

Society/CultureKing

s, Priests, LandholdersMerchants

Farmers

Slaves

Sumerian

Social Hierarch

y

Society/Culture Arithmetic, Geometry

◦ Helped in building projects

Architecture◦ Arches, columns, ramps,

pyramid shape

Cuneiform◦ Writing system◦ Pictograph – symbols

stand for words

Cuneiform