Mesopotamian Civilization PDF

THE RISE AND FALL OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION GEOGRAPHY, SOCIETY, GOVERNANCE, RELIGION, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND DECLINE OBJECTIVES Explain how the Mesopotamian civilization was formed, and how it flourished with emphasis on their development in river valleys as the geographic context of their emerge...

THE RISE AND FALL OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION GEOGRAPHY, SOCIETY, GOVERNANCE, RELIGION, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND DECLINE OBJECTIVES Explain how the Mesopotamian civilization was formed, and how it flourished with emphasis on their development in river valleys as the geographic context of their emergence; Assess how the Mesopotamian civilization organized their government and other societal institutions; Compare and contrast the different social classes in Mesopotamian society; Discuss the role played by religion on the kind of political system that developed in the Mesopotamian civilization; Compare and contrast the various achievements, contributions, and legacies of Mesopotamian civilization with focus on their inventions and technology; and INTRODUCTION TO MESOPOTAMIA Mesopotamia, meaning "the land between the rivers," refers to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, located in modern-day Iraq. Mesopotamia is part of the region known as “The Fertile Crescent”, arc of land between Persian Gulf and Mediterranean. The yearly flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers left rich soil. Known as the "Cradle of Civilization," it is where some of the earliest human societies formed, beginning around 4000 BCE. The region gave rise to some of the first urban centers, writing systems, and complex societies. FORMATION AND FLOURISHING OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION The first civilization in Mesopotamia was Sumer. Sumer developed between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, benefiting from fertile soil due to regular flooding and irrigation. About 5,000 years ago, the ability to control and direct water from the rivers allowed villages create surplus food which led to large populations. This villages grew into busy Sumerian cities like Uruk, Ur, and Babylon. Mesopotamians traded extensively with neighboring regions, exchanging goods like grains, textiles, and pottery for metals, stones, and timber. They developed cuneiform, one of the earliest writing systems, to record transactions, laws, and literature. THE FERTILE CRESCENT MESOPOTAMIA ENVIRONMENT POSES 3 DISADVANTAGES: 1.Floods are unpredictable; sometimes no rain 2. Land offers no barriers to invasion 3. Land has few natural resources; building materials scarce SOLVING PROBLEMS THROUGH ORGANIZATION People living in Mesopotamia had to worked together; find solutions to environmental challenges: -build irrigation ditches to control water and produce crops -build walled cities for defense -trade grain, cloth, and tools for raw materials—stone, wood metal Organization, leadership, and laws are beginning of civilization. MESOPOTAMIA’S CIVILIZATION Many cities formed in a southern region of Mesopotamia known as Sumer. Sumerian cities were city-states, with their own governments. A city-state consisted of a city and all the countryside surrounding it. Each is a city-state was an independent political unit. Each city has temple (ziggurat) and priests appeal to a specific god. The amount of countryside in each city-state depended on its military strength. To protect themselves, the city- states built walls around themselves. City-states fought each other to gain more farmland. City-states gained and lost power over time. The constant warfare among the different city-states led to exchange products and ideas with other cultures, called cultural CITY-STATE OF UR GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETAL ORGANIZATION Each city-state was independent ruled by kings claiming divine authority. Kingship was hereditary rule; kings maintained order and defense. Each city-state had it own law code. One of the famous was the Code of Hammurabi, which outlined property rights, contracts, family law, and criminal justice. Priests (religious leaders) held significant power in managing temple estates. ROLE OF RELIGION IN MESOPOTAMIAN SOCIETY Mesopotamian religion worshiped many gods (polytheism). The gods were closely tied to the forces of nature. Mesopotamians worshipped many gods governing different aspects of life. Gods and goddess behave as humans do and people are gods’ servants. Keeping the gods happy was very important in the uncertain world of Mesopotamia. Priests recorded sacrifices on clay tablets instead of papyrus. Kings were seen as representatives of the gods on Earth. They believed in life after death but it was bleak and gloomy. The worship of gods and goddess inspired the construction of temples called “ziggurats”. In the absence of granite and limestone, ziggurats were constructed of sunbaked or fired bricks. Ziggurats served as political and administrative centers. Religious beliefs influenced law and governance. ZIGGURATS Ziggurats are large temples dedicated to the god of the city. It was made of layer upon layer of mud bricks in the shape of a pyramid in many tiers (a stack of 1-7 platforms decreasing in size from bottom to top) due to constant flooding and from belief that gods resided on mountaintops. Temple on top of the ziggurats served as the god’s home and was beautifully decorated. Inside of the temple was a room for offerings of food and goods. GOVERNMENT IN MESOPOTAMIA Each Mesopotamian city-state had a ruler who was seen as the chief servant of the gods. This is a form of theocracy. A theocracy is a government headed by religious leaders. Government was important because natural resources were often scarce. TRADE Due to Mesopotamia’s location, the region is very short of useful minerals such as stone for building, precious metals and timber. This had the effect of stimulating trade with neighboring regions, and beyond. Early in Mesopotamia’s history food surpluses and craft goods were exchanged for mineral resources. Later, Mesopotamian merchants ventured further afield, with trading contacts being developed with peoples in Syria and Asia Minor Iran and the Indus civilization in the west, and in the east. Trade was based on a regulated system of exchange a given amount of seed would be worth so many ounces of silver, for example. These relative values were enshrined in the law codes. LIFE IN SUMERIAN SOCIETY Society was divided into different rank or class. Kings, landholders, and some priests made up the highest level in Sumerian society. Kings were at the top of the order because they claimed to be chosen to rule by the gods. Wealthy merchants ranked next. The vast majority of ordinary Sumerian people worked with their hands in fields and workshops. At the lowest level of Sumerian society were the slaves. Some slaves were foreigners who had been captured in war. Others were Sumerians who had been sold into slavery as children to pay the debts of their poor parents. Debt slaves could hope to eventually buy their freedom. SOCIAL CLASS STRUCTURE King and Nobles: Kings at the top, with nobles and high officials. Priests: Managed religious and temple affairs. Commoners: Merchants, artisans, and farmers worked the land and traded goods. Slaves: Captured prisoners of war or enslaved debtors worked on estates. Comparison: Elites held wealth and power; commoners and slaves had limited rights. INVENTION OF WRITING The Mesopotamian invented the first writing system called “cuneiform”. Cuneiform symbols could represent syllables. Earlier pictographs had represented only objects. They wrote on clay tablets with a stylus. Writers kept track of items people traded and wrote down government records. The writers also called scribes could move up in social class. Eventually, the cuneiform led to other uses like the creation works of literature, stories, proverbs, and songs. Other wrote poems about the gods and military victories. Later writers created epics, long poems that tell the stories of heroes. CUNEIFORM GILGAMESH EPIC TABLET: FLOOD STORY WRITTEN IN CUNEIFORM MANY TYPES OF ART DEVELOPED IN MESOPOTAMIA Architecture The Arts Rulers lived in large Sculptors produced many palaces. statues of the gods for their temples. Most Sumerians lived in houses with many rooms Jewelry was a popular item around a small made from imported gold, courtyard. silver, and gems. Mud bricks were the Engraved cylinder seals are houses’ main building one of Sumer’s most blocks. famous types of art. Battle scenes Show ownership Highly decorative ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS The Mesopotamians invented wheel, sail, and plow; first to use bronze They invented the cuneiform to record laws, literature, and trade. They built ziggurats, irrigation systems, and city walls. They also develop arches, columns, and ramps for building. They created base-60 system for time; developed early forms of algebra and geometry. They iinvented the idea of a circle containing 360 degrees and the hour containing sixty minutes They wrote the Epic of Gilgamesh reflects their FALL OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION Invasions: Succumbed to Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians. Environmental Factors: Soil degradation and agricultural decline. Internal Conflict: Wars between city-states weakened their defenses. Final Fall: Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE marked the end of their dominance. CONCLUSION Mesopotamia laid the foundation for future civilizations with its advancements in writing, law, and technology. Its legacy continues to influence modern society in mathematics, literature, and governance. Despite their fall, Mesopotamian culture had a lasting impact on the world.