MESOPOTAMIA( Iraq, today)

-Cradle of Civilization

-Land between two rivers- Tigres-Euphrates river system

Bronze Age of Mesopotamia

4 Important Civilizationa. Sumer

1. Mesopotamia Tigres-Euphb. Akkadian

2. Egypt - Nile Riverc. Babylonia

3. India -Indus Valley d. Assyria

4. China -Yellow River

Iron Age was controlled

a. Neo-Babylonia

b. Neo-Assyria

Dominated Mesopotamia

Important Leadersa. Sumerian

King Ur

b. Akkadian

Sargon

c. Assyrian

Ashuruballi and Tiglah-Pileser

d. Babylonian

Hammurabi

e. Persia

King CyrusThe Iron Age, it was controlled by the Neo- Assyrian and Neo- Babylonian Empires. The Babylonia fell of Babylon in 539 BC to Alexander, the Great in 332 BC and after his death, it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire4 Important cities of MesopotamiaMajor Territorial States

1. Uruk

1. Eridu

2. Nippur

2. Akkadian Kingdom

3. Nineveh

3. Third Dynasty of Ur

4. Assur

4. Various Assyrian EmpireWhy Mesopotapia Perish?1. Calamities

2. Flood

3. Wild animals

4. Invasion

A. History starts in Sumer

It was the first and most important civilization in Mesopotamia

The crucial elements the sets the Sumer apart from their nomadic neighbors was the practice of irrigation and farming

Soon villages sprang up, with larger scale, planned irrigation projects

Made great amount of surplus food

They traded with items that they do not have such as copper, jewelry and weapons

Trade stimulated the formation of cities

This was the first place on earth where everyone did not need to be engage in getting or producing food

Merchants , traders and artisans, those with skills, and creative works lived in the cities of Sumer

They traded or made goods in exchange for surplus food produced in the country side

Some men formed armies to protect their cities and expand the territories

Around every Sumerian city stood huge walls made of mud and brick, to protect the city from attack

Sumer lasted for about 3,000-2,000BC. It collapsed because of frequent wars

Most prominent building temple or the ziggurat

They believe that the place is owned by the gods and the goddess

Southern Mesopotamia

Priests and priestesses played an important role in administration, making the state a theocracy (government by a divine authority)

Their economy, primarily agricultural, but there is also commerce and industry Foreign trade are for royal monopoly.they imported luxury items

They invented the wheel

The constant wars, left many Sumerians in deep despair. It became open to invasion.

B. Akkadians

They are called the Semitic people because of the type of language they spoke Sargon, their leader, overran the Sumerian city-states and established an empire that included most of the Mesopotamia

They eventually disintegrated and it end brought a return to warring city-states, until Ur Nammu of Ur , succedded in reunifying Mesopotamia

C. Old Babylon (or Amorites) With the coming of the Amorites, under Hammurabi, bronze dagger a large group, a Semitic, -speaking semi nomads, created a new empire they employed a well army-disciplined army of foot soldiers, who carried axes spears or copper or bronze. He gained control of Sumer and Akkad and reunified Mesopotamia. After his conquest, He called himself Sun of Mesopotamia (Hammurabi) and Babylon became the new capital.

He was a man of war and man of peace. He assimilated the Mesopotamian cultured despite Sumerians non existing.

An archeologists found his collection of letters, reveals that he took a strong interest in state of affairs. Hammurabi established a set of laws for Mesopotamia. The concept of law applies to all, or none at all, is called the Law of Hammurabi

King Nebuchadnezzar's Palace in Ancient Babylon

The Code of Hammurabi/ Hammurabi Unites Mesopotamia/Creates Code of LawsD. Persia Old Persian Empire or Achaemenid Empire was the first empire in Western and Central Asia, in 6th Century BCE by Cyrus, the Great, the dynasty draws its name from king Achaemenis, who once ruled Persia. Cyrus the Great, defeated Kingdoms of Media and Lydia and the Babylonian Empire to form the Achaemenid Empire.The territories conquered:

a. The three continents, Africa, Asia and Europe

b. Iran

f. Syriac. Iraq

g, Palestined. Jordan

h. Lebanone. Israel The disunification of this region was caused by the invasion of Alexander, the Great, when he took advantage the weakening empire

Contribution of Persia: Zoroastrianism, became known religion in the empire

Official Language : Aramaic Centralized government

PERSIAN CARPET