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ART AND ARCHITECTUR

E HISTORY

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MESOPOTAMIA

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The Cradle of civilization• The valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

were the site of the world’s first civilizations.

• The rivers of Southwest Asia supported the growth of civilizations.

• New farming techniques led to the growth of cities.

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• The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the most important physical features of the region known as Mesopotamia.

• Farm settlements in Mesopotamia eventually developed into civilizations.

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MESOPOTAMIA• Mesopotamia means “between the rivers” in

Greek.

• Mesopotamia is part of a larger area of rich farmland called the Fertile Crescent.

• Mesopotamia was divided into two regions in ancient times: northern and southern Mesopotamia.

Where is the Fertile Crescent located?

The Fertile Crescent is located in ___________ .

It is between _________ and the ___________.

Southwest Asia

The Mediterranean Sea Persian Gulf

Where did the name Fertile Crescent come from?The Fertile Crescent is Fertile because lots of plants can grow there. It is known as the Fertile Crescent because it is shaped like a crescent.

What is the Fertile Crescent?

•The Fertile Crescent is a large arc of rich, fertile farmland.

What makes the farmland fertile?• WATER!• The fertile crescent is located between the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf.• Two rivers that flow through the fertile crescent are _______________________.the Tigris and Euphrates

F ertileARM

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• Annual floods on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers brought silt that made the land ideal for farming.

– Silt is a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks.

• Plentiful food led to population growth and the formation of villages.

• Villages later developed into the world’s first civilizations.

• Farmers used irrigation and canals as a way to control river flow.

• Increased amounts of food led to surpluses, which meant that fewer people needed to farm.

• As a result, new occupations developed.

• The population was around 10,000

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Controlling Water

The water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates would rise or fall, depending on the amount of rainfall. Irrigation and canals helped solve flooding and drought problems.

Irrigation

Canals

A way of supplying water to an area of land

Human-made waterways

Farmers also built up the banks of the rivers to hold back the floodwaters.

IRRIGATION

A way of supplying water to an area of land.

• Settlements in Mesopotamia were located near rivers.• At first the water was not controlled, so flooding was a problem.

• People built canals to protect houses from flooding and to movewater to their fields.

• With irrigation systems people were able to grow more food!

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• Irrigation increased the amount of food farmers produced.

• This created a food surplus, or more food than they needed.

• Fewer people needed to farm, so they took on other roles and jobs.

• When workers specialize in a particular task, a division of labor is created.

• Large projects were undertaken, which led to the need for structure and rules.

• Settlements grew in size, creating cities between 4000 and 3000 B.C.

Food Surpluses and Effects

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The Rise of Sumer

GILGAMESHGilgamesh was King of Uruk, a city-state in Sumer.

Gilgamesh was a strong, beautiful, and brave leader.

SARGON

Sargon was the Akkadian creator and emperor. He ruled from 2334-2279 BC.

Sargon created the Akkadian society along the Tigris and Euphrates. It was just north of Sumer, but the Akkadians were not Sumerians. The Akkadians even spoke a different language than the Sumerians. For a long time the Sumerians and Akkadians lived in peace, until Sargon broke the peace.

Sargon broke the peace when he decided he wanted to extend the Akkadian territory. He wanted it to be bigger and stronger. Sargon got many soldiers together to fight the city-states of Sumer. Sargon was the first ruler to have a permanent army. Sargon also established the world’s first empire.

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• The Sumerians developed the first civilization in Mesopotamia.

• The Sumerians created the world’s first advanced society.

• Religion played a major role in Sumerian society.

• Created basic political units called city-states

• Had strong armies

• Built walled cities for protection

POLYTHEISMThe worship of MANY gods.

The Sumerians practiced polytheism. A long time ago the Sumerians didn’t know how to explain things scientifically. They did not know why it rained or snowed. They did not know why lightening struck, or how the plants grew. They explained things by saying the gods had enormous powers. They believed the gods could bring good health and wealth.

*The Sumerians believed that success in areas of life depended on pleasing the gods, so they were VERY religious!

Some Sumerian gods included:

Enlil: Lord of the air

Enki: God of wisdom

Inanna: Goddess of love and war

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• Consisted of a city and all the countryside surrounding it

• The amount of countryside in each city-state depended on its military strength.

• Fought each other to gain more farmland

• Gained and lost power over time

SOCIAL HIERARCHYThe division of society by rank or class.

Hint:Social HIGHERarchy-Some people are higherthan others are.

How was Sumer divided?

KINGSPRIESTS

MERCHANGS/TRADERSWORKING CLASS

SLAVES

The kings of Sumer claimed that the gods chose them to rule.

Because of how important religion wasin Sumer, Priests were very high up.

Below priests were skilled craftspeople, merchantsand traders. Trade was VERY IMPORTANT!

Farmers and laborers made up the working class.

Slaves were at the bottom of social order.

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Cuneiform

• World’s first system of writing

• Cuneiform symbols could represent syllables. Earlier pictographs had represented only objects.

• The Sumerians wrote on clay tablets with a stylus.

Scribes

• Writers

• Kept track of items people traded and wrote down government records

• Scribes could move up in social class.

Invention of Writing Other Uses

• Wrote works of literature, stories, proverbs, and songs

• Wrote poems about the gods and military victories.

• Created epics, long poems that tell the stories of heroes.

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Advances and inventions changed • Sumerian lives.• Development of the wheel

– Used for carts and wagons– Potter’s wheel

• The plow increased farm production.• Sewers under city streets• Math and science

– Number system based on 60– Names of animals, plants, and minerals

• Used medicines for healing and catalogued medical knowledge

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The Sumerian-invented hero, Gilgamesh.

The Sumerian wagon wheel.

The Sumerian chariot.

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Architecture

• Rulers lived in large palaces.

• Most Sumerians lived in houses with many rooms around a small courtyard.

• Mud bricks were the houses’ main building blocks.

• A ziggurat, or pyramid-shaped temple tower, rose above each city.

• Because they didn’t have much building stone at that period of time, they used what they did have, lots of clay, which would explain why the Sumerians mainly built their buildings out of mud-brick or fired brick.

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While the king of a Sumerian city lived in a luxurious palace, most of his people lived in very small thatched houses that were crowded together and separated by narrow alleyways. This was evidence of a distinct social system that was in place in Sumer.

The highest class was the ruling class and priests. The only middle class to speak of was made up of merchants, scribes, and artisans. The majority if a city-state’s people were considered the lower class, and that class was made up mostly of farmers. While these farmers could and did own and work their own land, they were often made to work government-owned land instead.

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Many types of art developed in Sumer.

The Arts

• Sculptors produced many statues of the gods for their temples.

• Jewelry was a popular item made from imported gold, silver, and gems.

• Engraved cylinder seals are one of Sumer’s most famous types of art.• Battle scenes• Show ownership• Highly decorativee

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ZIGGURAT

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ziggurat , form of temple common to the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians.

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The earliest examples date from the end of the 3d millenium BC, the latest from the 6th cent. BC The ziggurat was a pyramidal structure, built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, with a shrine at the summit.

The core of the ziggurat was of sun-baked bricks, and the facings were of fired bricks, often glazed in different colors, which are thought to have had cosmological significance. Access to the summit shrine was provided by a series of ramps on one side or by a continuous spiral ramp from base to summit. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven. Notable examples are the ruins at Ur and Khorsabad in Mesopotamia