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Questions and Answers
What title did Sargon assume as leader of Akkad?
Which of the following periods is NOT classified under the Babylonians?
What principle does the Code of Hammurabi follow?
What was a key agricultural crop harvested by the Sumerians?
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Which of the following groups was subject to forced labor in Sumerian society?
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What was a significant result of the Amorite attack on Ur around 1800 BCE?
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Who continued Sargon's legacy after his death?
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Who were the leading scholars responsible for translating cuneiform tablets?
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What was the first written law implemented by the Sumerians?
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What was unique about Lydian coins?
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Which god did the Babylonians associate Hammurabi with?
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What system did the Sumerians use as the basis for telling time?
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Which material was NOT listed as an invention by the Sumerians?
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The Code of Hammurabi was discovered in which year?
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What significant belief did the Sumerians hold regarding the solar system?
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What was the significance of Sargon I in history?
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What type of government did the Sumerians primarily establish?
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Which city-state was associated with the moon god Nanna?
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How did the Sumerians resolve issues related to flooding and drought?
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What was the significance of the number 60 in Sumerian culture?
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Which structure served as a religious and administrative center in Sumerian city-states?
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Who were considered the highest in the social stratification of Sumerian society?
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What was the primary role of temple priests in Sumerian society?
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Which of the following was NOT one of the major Sumerian cities?
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Study Notes
The Akkadian Empire
- Sargon I, a rebel leader of the Akkadian, a Semitic tribe, established the first empire in world history in 2334 BCE.
- The Akkadians migrated to the city-state of Kish in Sumeria.
- Sargon I conquered neighboring cities including Syria, Palestine, Magan (present-day Oman), Elam, and the northern part of Mesopotamia.
- He assumed the title "God of Agade" the Akkadian capital.
- Sargon's grandson, Naram-Sim, continued his legacy until King Gudea of Ur invaded the Akkadian Empire in 2100 BCE.
The Babylonians
- The Babylonians are categorized into three periods: Old Babylonians, Neo Babylonians or Chaldeans, and Babylonians during the Persian Empire.
Hammurabi
- Hammurabi was the fifth ruler of the Babylonian Empire.
- Hammurabi's codification of laws, known as "The Code of Hammurabi," is what made the Babylonian Empire well-known.
- The "Code of Hammurabi" was written on an eight-foot-tall slab of stone, discovered by J. de Morgan in Susa in 1901.
- Hammurabi was considered the prophet of Marduk, the Babylonian god.
- His political and religious power made him very powerful.
The Hammurabi Code
- The Hammurabi Code followed the principle of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".
- The principle implied that any wrongdoing done to another would be returned in the same manner.
- The clay tablet containing the Code depicted Ishtar, the goddess of justice, entrusting the written law to Hammurabi.
The Sumerian civilization
- The Sumerian Civilization emerged between 3500 BCE and 3000 BCE.
- They are considered the earliest inhabitants of Mesopotamia and the first people to build a civilization.
- The Sumerians practiced theocracy, a system of government where priests ruled in the name of God or gods.
- Sumerians believed gods controlled their health, peace, livestock, harvest, and success in life.
- Priest-kings acted as intermediaries between the people and gods.
- Temple priests led the construction of dikes and irrigation systems and served as spiritual advisors.
Ziggurat
- Ziggurat was the basic structure found in every Sumerian city-state.
- The high-walled mountain-shaped temple, located at the heart of the city, served as a stairway leading to the home of their gods and goddesses.
Major Sumerian Cities
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Ur
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Uruk (Erech)
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Lagash
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Kish
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Nippur
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Eridu
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City boundaries were defined by canals, boundary stones, and temples dedicated to their patron god.
Patron Gods
- Eridu--Enki (god of waters)
- Nippur--Enlil (god of air)
- Uruk--Inana
- Sippar---Utu (the sun god)
- Ur and Nammu--Nanna (god of moon)
Sumerian Gods
- Anu: God of heaven
- Ki: God of earth
- The gods were collectively known as Anunnaki, meaning "offspring of the lord."
- Sumerians associated the god Anu with the number 60, forming the basis for their sexagesimal system of timekeeping (60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 360 degrees in a circle).
Priest-Kings
- Priest-kings' knowledge of astrology was seen as a key to their closeness to the deities.
- They implemented laws to maintain peace and order within the city-state.
- They solved problems related to flooding and drought by organizing public labor for the construction of dikes, irrigation systems, and ziggurats.
- They devised a calendar based on the lunar cycle of 28 days.
Sumerian Social Hierarchy
- The social stratification was based on occupation.
- The highest social classes included soldiers, tradesmen, and craftsmen.
- Farmers constituted the most common class.
- Slaves, employed as weavers, porters, and millers, occupied the lowest social class.
- Houses were arranged according to occupation and social stratification, with commoners inhabiting the outer portions of the city.
Sumerian Agriculture
- The Sumerians harvested wheat, barley, garlic, lettuce, and dates.
- Their irrigation system provided a vital support for agriculture.
- Frequent and unpredictable flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers required constant repairs and removal of silt from dikes and reservoirs.
- Political leaders imposed forced labor, exempting those who could afford to pay the government.
Cuneiform
- Cuneiform was the Sumerian system of writing.
- Georg Friedrich Grotefend, a German scholar, and Sir Henry Rawlinson, a British army officer, are credited with translating cuneiform tablets.
- Scribes used a stylus to write on soft clay tablets, which were either sun-dried or baked afterward.
Cuneiform Writings
- Archaeologists have excavated and deciphered numerous clay tablets, which contain important documents such as laws, prayers, hymns, business contracts, receipts, inventory of granaries, and literary works.
- Literary works include epics, magical incantations, and scientific texts encompassing mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.
- Ur Nammu implemented the first written law around 2100 BCE.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
- The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest recorded epics.
- It describes how the Sumerians survived a disastrous flood in their history.
Sumerian Inventions
- Wheel
- Arithmetic
- Sexagesimal System for timekeeping
- Concepts of geometry used in public buildings
- Irrigation systems
- Sumerian boats
- Lunisolar 12-month calendar (calendar based on the movements of the sun and moon)
- Leather, saws, chisels, hammers, braces, bits, nails, pins, rings, hoes, axes, knives, arrowheads, swords, glue, daggers, waterskins, bags, harnesses, armors, quivers, boots, sandals, harpoons, and beer (from barley).
Sumerian Astronomy
- The Sumerians were the first to believe in the heliocentric (helios-sun; centro-center) view of the solar system.
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Description
Test your knowledge on the Akkadian and Babylonian empires, focusing on key figures like Sargon I and Hammurabi. Discover the historical significance of their achievements, including the establishment of the first empire and the famous Code of Hammurabi. Dive into the transitions between different periods of Babylonian history.
