The document provides an overview of Mesopotamian civilization between 6000-500 BCE. It describes how the Tigris and Euphrates rivers formed an fertile region known as Mesopotamia, or "land between two rivers", where the first permanent settlements began. It details the development of Sumerian city-states, the Akkadian and Assyrian empires, and later the Babylonian and Persian empires that dominated Mesopotamia. Key innovations like irrigation, writing systems, legal codes, and religions are examined. The influences of groups like the Hittites, Phoenicians, Lydians and Hebrews on Mesopotamian culture are also summarized.

1. ⋅Grade 8 Soc. Stud.
1st Quarter Chapter 3⋅
Prepared by: Mr. Ronillo H. Mapula

2. Let’s watch this…

3. The Tigris-Euphrates Rivers
 flowed from Turkey and
Iraq up to the Persian
Gulf.
 This served as the cradle
of what is believed as the
earliest civilization.

4. Mesopotamia
 The Greeks referred to
this area.
 means “the land between
two rivers.”

5.  The flow of water of the Tigris-Euphrates was slow
that allowed the heavy deposit of silt accumulate
along the riverbank.
 This raised the level of the riverbeds that made the
rivers overflow their banks often.
 About 6,000 years ago, nomads began to settle In the
southern part of Mesopotamia.
 They built dams and dikes to control the river. They
Constructed irrigation canals that expanded the area
that they were able to plant.
 This led to the increase of population.

6. Geographic Setting
 Mesopotamia is bordered
on the northeast by the
Zagros Mountains and the
edge of the Arabian
plateau on the southwest.
 The southeast stretches
from the Persian Gulf and
northwest to the Anti-
Taurus Mountains.

7. Geographic Setting
 The two rivers were the
lifeblood of this area.
Taming the river meant
survival, it meant life.

8.  Mesopotamia Is situated
on a flat alluvial land that
made it accessible to
different groups of people
who were able to enrich
the lives and culture of the
community.
 This also made the area
vulnerable to invasion and
threats from different
groups like the
Babylonians, the Syrians,
and the Persians.

9. Religion
 The religion of the peoples of Mesopotamia was
polytheistic having more than 1000 deities.
 Anu – The sky god was
considered as the ruler of
the gods.

10.  A ziggurat was a step Pyramid
made of sun-baked bricks or tiles in
which stood a shrine.
 Enlil of Nippur – the
second most powerful god
who was the god of the
wind, cloud, and air.

11. The White Temple and the Great Ziggurat
in the Mesopotamian City of Uruk

12.  They believed that their gods controlled all aspects of
their lives such as peace, health, and facility.
 Each city-state had its own patron God for whom
they built temples called ziggurats.
 They also believed that the gods were
anthropomorphic.
 Anthropomorphic – means that gods possess human
characteristics such as passions and weaknesses.
 They believe that the gods where the cost of natural
disasters such as flooding and famines.

13. The White Temple and the Great Ziggurat
in the Mesopotamian City of Uruk

14.  The general belief among the people of
Mesopotamia that the afterlife was characterized by
gloom can be gleaned from the description of the
House of dust.
 House of dust: “Where dust is their fare and clay
their food “.
 This pessimistic outlook and their view of the
afterlife may have been influenced by ther
geographic environment

15.  In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the struggle of the king to
escape death is recounted in the dangerous journey
he made to find Utnapishtun, the survivor of the
great flood, in order to learn from him the secret of
her lasting life.

16. Government
 Earliest city state emerge in southern
Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE includes:
-Eridu -Uruk
-Bad-tibira -Nippur
-Kush
 The most prominent feature of the city-
state was the temple dedicated to the god
who was believed to own this city and
land around it.

17. Government
 The ruler was called lugal meaning “big
man”.
 In Uruk, his title was en or ensi.
 The ensi was supposed to have been
god's representative on earth as such he
had the divine right to rule.

18. Code of Hammurabi
 The Code of Hammurabi was one
of the earliest and most complete
written legal codes and was
proclaimed by the Babylonian king
Hammurabi, who reigned from
1792 to 1750 B.C.
 The Hammurabi code of laws, a
collection of 282 rules, established
standards for commercial
interactions and set fines and
punishments to meet the
requirements of justice.

19. What is the Code of Hammurabi?
 The black stone stele containing the
Code of Hammurabi was carved from
a single, four-ton slab of diorite, a
durable but incredibly difficult stone
for carving.
 At its top is a two-and-a-half-foot relief
carving of a standing Hammurabi
receiving the law—symbolized by a
measuring rod and tape—from the
seated Shamash, the Babylonian god
of justice. The rest of the seven-foot-
five-inch monument is covered with
columns of chiseled cuneiform script.

20. Code of Hammurabi
Code of Hammurabi
(c. 1700 B.C.E.)
Note: The Code of Hammurabi was a compilation of almost three hundred laws on every
aspect of life. Much can be learned both about Mesopotamian life and ideals through
these laws. It should be kept in mind that we cannot be sure how well enforced these
laws were, but it is safe to say that a powerful king in ancient Mesopotamia thought these
were the laws that would guide a just society. This code was not was not an entirely new
set of laws, but a compilation and revision of earlier law codes of the Sumerians
and Akkadians
Source: http://www.wright.edu/~christopher.oldstone-moore/Hamm.htm

21. Excerpt from Code of Hammurabi
Prologue:
. . . When Marduk (God of Babylon) sent me to rule the people and to bring help to the country, I
established law and justice in the language of the land and promoted the welfare of the people. At that
time I decreed:
Justice
1. If a man brings an accusation against another man, charging him with murder, but cannot prove it, the
accuser shall be put to death.
2. If a man has accused another of laying a spell upon him, but has not proved it, the accused shall go to
the sacred river, he shall plunge into the sacred river, and if the sacred river shall conquer him, he that
accused him shall take possession of his house. If the sacred river shall show his innocence and he is
saved, his accuser shall be put to death.
3. If a man bears false witness in a case, or does not establish the testimony that he has given, if that case
is case involving life, that man shall be put to death.
4. If a man bears false witness concerning grain or money, he shall himself bear the penalty imposed in
the case.
5. If a judge pronounces judgment, renders a decision, delivers a verdict duly signed and sealed, and
afterward alters his judgment , they shall call that judge to account for the alteration of the judgment
which he has pronounced, and he shall pay twelve-fold the penalty in that judgment; and, in the assembly,
they shall expel him from his judgment seat. Source: http://www.wright.edu/~christopher.oldstone-moore/Hamm.htm

22. Excerpt from Code of Hammurabi
Property
6. If a man has stolen goods from a temple, or house, he shall be put to death; and he
that has received the stolen property from him shall be put to death.
14. If a man has stolen a child, he shall be put to death.
22. If a man practices robbery and is captured, that man shall be put to death.
23. If the robber is not captured, the man who has been robbed shall, in the presence
of god, make and itemized statement of his loss, and the city and the governor in
whose jurisdiction the robbery was committed shall compensate him for whatever
was lost.
24. If it is a life that is lost, the city and governor shall pay (one pound) of silver to
his heirs.
26. If a levy-master, or warrant officer, who has been detailed on the king's service,
has not gone, or has hired a substitute in his place, that levy-master or warrant
officer shall be put to death and the hired substitute shall take his place.
Source: http://www.wright.edu/~christopher.oldstone-moore/Hamm.htm

23. Excerpt from Code of Hammurabi
Personal Injury
195. If a son strikes his father, they shall cut off his hand.
196. If a man destroys the eye of another man, they shall destroy his eye.
197. If he breaks another man's bone, they shall break his bone.
198. If he destroys the eye of a plebeian or breaks the bone of a plebeian, he shall pay one mina of silver.
199. If he destroys the eye of a man's slave or beaks a bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half his
price.
200. If a man knocks out a tooth of a man of his own rank, they shall knock out his tooth
201. If he knocks out a tooth of a plebeian, he shall pay one-third mina of silver
209. If a man has struck a free woman with child, and has caused her to miscarry, he shall pay ten shekels
for her miscarriage
210. If that woman die, his daughter shall be killed.
211. If by a blow he has caused a plebian's daughter to have a miscarriage, he shall pay five shekels of
silver.
212. If that woman has died, he shall pay one-half mina of silver.
213. If he struck a freeman's female slave and has caused her to have a miscarriage, he shall pay two
shekels of silver.
214. If that female slave has died, he shall pay one-third mina of silver.
Source: http://www.wright.edu/~christopher.oldstone-moore/Hamm.htm

24. Turning Points in History - Hammurabi's Code of Laws

25. System of Writing
 Cuneiform – came from the Latin word
“cuneus”, meaning wedge.
 The invention of a system of writing was
a response to a need that arose from the
challenges faced by the emerging
agricultural communities in
Mesopotamia.
 The successful unlocking of the secrets
of the cuneiform opened the gates of
information into Sumerian’s life and
culture.
Cuneiform
Behistun Rock

26. System of Writing

27. Spread of Culture
 The Akkadian Empire (/əˈkeɪdiən/) was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia
after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad
(/ˈækæd/) and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian
speakers under one rule.
 The Akkadian Period was named in recognition and Sargon I of Akkad was the
first to successfully united Mesopotamia using bronze weapons and infantry
formations.
 He established the Akkadian dynasty in 2371 BCE which lasted for 200 years.
 Eventually the dynasty collapsed under pressure from the Amorite invasions
from the northwest and on witnesses of Akkad itself.
Akkadian Period

28. Assyrian Empire

29. Chaldean Empire
 The word ''Chaldean'' comes from a Greek
word derived from an Aramaic word, which
was in turn derived from an Akkadian word
''Kaldu.'' This term refers to the Chaldean
culture.
 The Chaldean Empire was a relatively small
state in the Mesopotamian region. It was a
''little sister'' to the Assyrian Empire and
Babylonian Empire.
 Some scholars refer to the Chaldean Empire as
the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and many
references to Babylon do not refer to the city
during the era of the Babylonian Empire. They
refer to the city as it existed and prospered
under the reign of the Chaldeans.
This map shows Chaldea in the context of its
fellow ancient states.

30. Chaldean Empire
 After the defeat of the sea, Babylon once
again became the center of what came to be
known as the Chaldean empire.
 Historically known as Nebuchadnezzar
the Great, he is typically regarded as the
empire's greatest king.
 Nebuchadnezzar II, was the second king of
the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the
death of his father Nabopolassar in 605 BC
to his own death in 562 BC.
 One of the most impressive buildings in
Babylon was the hanging gardens
supposedly built for the wife of
Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar the Great

31. Persian Empire
 The Persian Empire is the name given to a
series of dynasties centered in modern-day
Iran that spanned several centuries—from the
sixth century B.C. to the twentieth century A.D.
 The first Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus
the Great around 550 B.C., became one of the
largest empires in history, stretching from
Europe’s Balkan Peninsula in the West to
India’s Indus Valley in the East.
 Darius the Great, the fourth king of the
Achaemenid Empire, ruled over the Persian
Empire when it was at its largest, stretching
from The Caucasus and West Asia to what was
then Macedonia (today’s Balkans), the Black
Sea, Central Asia and even into Africa
including parts of Libya and Egypt.
Embossed bas relief carvings of servants bringing gifts to the king
on the sidewall of stairs in front of Tachara Palace, also known as
the Palace of Darius, in Persepolis.
Borna Mir/Getty Images

32. Zoroastrianism
 Zoroastrianism is an ancient Persian religion
that may have originated as early as 4,000
years ago. Arguably the world’s first
monotheistic faith, it’s one of the oldest
religions still in existence.
 The prophet Zoroaster (Zarathrustra in
ancient Persian) is regarded as the founder of
Zoroastrianism, which is arguably the world’s
oldest monotheistic faith.
 According to him, the world was governed by
two opposing forces, god and evil. Ahura-
Mazda, god of truth and light , was said to
represent what was good while Ahriman, god
of evil and darkness represented what was evil.

33. New People from Asia Minor and
Surrounding Areas
 Hittites
 Phoenicians
 Lydians
 Hebrews

34. Hittites
 The Hittites were believed to have come
from somewhere northeast of the Black Sea.
 They belong to the group called Aryans
who developed their own distinct language
known as Indo-European.
 Nebuchadnezzar II, was the second king of
the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the
death of his father Nabopolassar in 605 BC
to his own death in 562 BC.
The Hittite King (note the beard is probably innacurate - Hittites
were averse to beards, seeing them as a thing of the Gods),
flanked by a Golden Spearman (palace guard) and a Mesedi
(royal bodyguard). Artwork by Angus McBride.

35. Phoenicians
 The Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic-
Thalassocratic civilization situated on the
western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent
and centered on the coastline of modern
Lebanon, Israel, and Syria.
 The invention of the alphabet system was a
response to a need created by the active
trade that the Phoenicians carried
throughout the region.
 The Alphabet, therefore, made trade easier.
The Phoenician Alphabet

36. Lydians
 The Lydians were significant people in the
region, coming from northern Asia Minor.
 They were the first to introduce the use of
coins in trade.
 The Lydians began to use gold and silver
and shaped them into disks of equal weight.
The value of each coin was stamped into the
metal.
Portrait of Croesus, last
King of Lydia, Attic red-
figure amphora, painted
ca. 500–490 BC.
Ancient Lydians
were the first to
produce the gold
coin.

37. Hebrews
 The Hebrews were a small group of people
in Southwest Asia.
 They were originally nomadic herders from
Mesopotamia who, around 200 BCE traveled
to Canaan that would later be known as
Palestine .
 Significant to the Hebrews was the religion
that they practiced. Known as Judaism, it
was based on the belief in one God or
monotheism.
Hebrews were said to have been led by Abraham.

38. Thank you!