Mesopotamia, located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern-day Iraq, was the site of some of the earliest human civilizations beginning around 3500 BCE. It had a favorable environment for agriculture due to natural levees and floodplains created by seasonal flooding. Mesopotamian civilizations such as the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians developed systems of irrigation, law, writing, mathematics, and organized religion centered around gods like Ishtar and Enki. Writing began as pictograms and evolved into the cuneiform script, while legal codes like Hammurabi's established early systems of law.

1. Mesopotamia: “The Cradle of Civilization”

2. Earliest Civilization: the Fertile Crescent earliest of all civilizations permanent settlements Mesopotamia Greek for “between the rivers” Tigris River and Euphrates River present day Iraq Lasted for approximately 3000 years Its peoples were the first to invent the wheel work with metal devise a written law code irrigate fields devise a system of writing develop mathematics

4. Geographic Conditions Little rainfall Hot and dry climate Wind and rain storms muddy river valleys in winter catastrophic flooding in spring Arid soil containing little minerals No stone or timber resources

5. Then why live in Mesopotamia? NATURAL LEVEES : embankments produced by build-up of sediment over thousands of years of flooding

6. Natural Levee create a high and safe flood plain make irrigation and canal construction easy provide protection the surrounding swamps were full of fish & waterfowl reeds provided food for sheep / goats reeds also were used as building resources

7. Religion Polytheistic over 3600 gods and demigods Kingship created by gods king’s power was divinely ordained Gods lived on the distant mountaintops Each city was ruled by a different god Kings and priests acted as interpreters they told the people what the god wanted them to do by examining the liver or lungs of a slain sheep Ishtar, goddess of fertility, war, sex Enki, god of water, life, mediation Enlil – supreme god of air Shamash sun god and giver of law

8. Ziggurats Temples dedicated to the god of the city Made of layers of mud bricks in the shape of a pyramid On platforms due to constant flooding Temple on top god’s home beautifully decorated a room for offerings of food and goods Temples evolved to ziggurats a stack of 1-7 platforms decreasing in size from bottom to top Famous ziggurat was Tower of Babel over 100m above ground and 91m base Ziggurat of Ur -2000BCE

9. Political structure - early form of democracy Frequent wars led to the emergence of warriors as leaders Eventually rise of monarchy Followed leadership of god of the city interpreted by a council of leading citizens or priests or leader of the city - king Government

10. Sumerians Southern Mesopotamia 3500-2000 BCE Irrigated fields and produced 3 main crops barley, dates and sesame seeds built canals, dikes, dams and drainage systems developed cuneiform writing invented the wheel Abundance of food = increase of population First city of the world Developed a trade system with bartering mainly barley but also wool and cloth for stone, metals, timber, copper, pearls and ivory Individuals could only rent land from priests controlled land on behalf of gods most of profits of trade went to temple The Sumerians were not successful in uniting lower Mesopotamia Ruins of Babylon in present day Baghdad Sumerian city of Lagash

11. Akkadians Akkad- northern Mesopotamia 2340 – 2180 BCE Leader Sargon the Great unified lower Mesopotamia after conquering Sumerians in 2331 BCE Established capital at Akkad Spread Mesopotamian culture Akkadians conquered by invading barbarians by 2200 BCE Bronze head of Sargon

12. Babylonians 1830-1500 BCE KING HAMMURABI Conquered Akkad and Assyria Built walls to protect the city canals and dikes to improve crops Economy based on agriculture and wool Individuals could own land Artisans and merchants could keep most profits and even formed guilds Grain used as the medium of exchange emergence of currency : shekel = 180 grains of barley; mina = 60 shekels Mina was eventually represented by metals - one of first uses of money still based on grain Hammurabi’s Legacy law code Babylonians reunited Mesopotamia in 1830 BCE central location dominated trade and secured control YET AGAIN, Mesopotamia was not unified for long…

13. Code of Hammurabi 1800 BCE To enforce his rule, Hammurabi collected all the laws of Babylon in a code that would apply everywhere First and most extensive law code from the ancient world Code of 282 laws inscribed on a stone pillar placed in the public hall for all to see Set of divinely inspired laws; as well as societal laws Punishments were designed to fit the crimes as people must be responsible for own actions Origin of “eye for an eye…” If a son struck his father, son’s hand would be cut off Consequences for crimes depended on rank in society Poor = hand off, nobles = pay a fine Hammurabi receiving law code from sun god Shamash

14. City of Assur - became important trading and political centre After Hammurabi’s death, Babylon fell apart and kings of Assur controlled more of surrounding area and came to dominate Made conquered lands pay taxes food, animals, metals or timber Rule by fear first to have a permanent army made up of professional soldiers estimated 200 000 men Iron changed lifestyles in Mesopotamia replaced wooden wheels and applied to horse drawn chariots Superior weapons States began to revolt Assyrian Empire collapsed by late 7th century BCE By 539 BCE, Mesopotamia was part of the vast Persian Empire Led by Cyrus the Great Persian Empire dominated for 800 years until Alexander the Great Assyrians 1100 -612 BCE

15. Development Of WRITING

16. Development of Writing Click here to see the development of writing from pictograms to cuneiform Pictograms: picture to show meaning Ideograms: signs to represent words / ideas Phonetics: signs to represent sounds *Phonetics are the basis of most writing systems

17. Writing - 3500 BCE Allowed transmission of knowledge the codification of laws records to facilitate trade/farming CUNEIFORM meaning “wedge shaped” Wet clay tablets with the point of a reed dried in the sun to make a tablet Scribes only could read and write served as priests record keepers accountants Spread to Persia and Egypt vehicle for the growth and spread and exchange of ideas among cultures

18. Gilgamesh - The First Epic Poem Over 4000 thousand years old, written on 12 clay tablets Epic battle between Enkidu -wild man, good heart and Gilgamesh – controlling king The two became friends and had adventures Made the gods angry so they killed Enkidu – Gilgamesh wanders the underworld in grief Why important? Earliest known author – Sin-leqi-unninni Mentions great flood similar to story of Noah’s Ark

19. Royal Tombs of Ur Excavated from 1922 to 1934 Extravagant jewelry of gold, cups of gold and silver, bowls of alabaster, and extraordinary objects of art and culture Jewellery from Royal Tombs of Ur 3000 BC Great Death Pit mass grave containing the bodies of 6 guards and 68 servants drank poison to accompany the kings and queens in the afterlife

20. Mathematics and Science Mesopotamia, specifically Babylon used a mathematical system based on sixty Some parts of the ‘base-sixty’ system still remain today 360 degrees in a circle 60 seconds in a minute 60 minutes in 1 hour Calendar based on cycles of the moon number of days between the appearance of two new moons was set as a month 12 cycles made up a year

21. Legacies of Mesopotamia Codified laws Ziggurats – places of worship Cuneiform writing Irrigation Metal working, tools Trade networks Transportation – the wheel Mathematics and calendar Prosperous living based on large scale agriculture