Early Civilization in the Middle East

1. 1.2 Early Civilizations in the Middle East to
about 1000 B.C.E
Lesson 6

2. Mesopotamian and
Egyptian Civilizations
• By the 4000 B.C.E large number of people
settled in the river-watered lowlands of
Mesopotamia and Egypt.
• About 3000 B.C.E invention of writing gave
birth to history.
• Daily activities:
• Produce and store food
• Farming along rivers through irrigation
system.
• Built canal system to supply water for crops.

3. 1.2.1 Mesopotamian Civilization

4. Facts about Mesopotamian Civilization
• Mesopotamian (Modern Iraq) Civilization arisen on Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• Region was divided in to two regions south and north.
• Agriculture was possible with rainfall and wells.
• Southern Mesopotamian has high agriculture while northern has low but northern cultivate
more than south.
• Early dynastic city states.
• North: Assyrian, Nineveh and Mari.
• South: Babylonia: Akkad, Nippur, Lagash, Sumer, Ur , Uruk, Larsa, Shuruppak, Isin, Kish,
Babylon.

6. Language
• Semitic Language: Arabic
and Hebrew
• Writing: cuneiform (from
Latin Cuneus, meaning
wedge)
• Task Define: Semitic
language

7. Writing On Clay Tablet: Sumerian invented
writing system.

8. Religion
• Sumerian worshiped many god and goddess.
• Task: Read the page 12 in given worksheet than summarize the information
about Mesopotamian religion in your own words. (10 Mints)

9. Sumerian Religion: Watch the video than write some information about
Sumerian religion including god and goddess names.

10. Task: Read the third paragraph on page 10
than list some achievements of Sumerian.
1. ……………….
2………………..
3………………..
4………………..

11. Babylonia Ruler
• King Hammurabi (1792-1750) B.C.E
• He was famous for the collection of laws (The Code Of Hammurabi)

12. Document: The Code of Hammurabi
• Instructions: Read the document than answer the given questions.

13. Mesopotamian Society
• Hundreds of written records revealed to show how people were living in
Mesopotamian such as (Laws of Hammurabi).
• Laws for international trade.
• Laws for service.
• Laws for business
• Marriage laws
• Individual rights
• Security

14. Babylonian World Map

15. Open
Questions
What can we learn from this map about
how the Babylonia saw the world around
them and their own place in it?
Why do you think this map locates some
of the Babylonians’ neighbors but ignores
other important neighboring cultures?
Why has cartography remained so
important throughout the ages?
Is the subjectivity reflected here confined
to this map. Or is it a general characteristic
of cartography throughout history?

16. Answers
• Babylonia ignored all the cultures including Egyptians and Persians. They
only mentioned some natural features.
• I think these were the part of Mesopotamian civilization and close to
Euphrates and Tigris while the rest of far away.