Ø Why Is It Important for People (Especially Farmers) to Settle Near Rivers & Streams?

Civilization & Empires WORLD HISTORY NOTES In Southwest Asia DATE: ______

 Why is it important for people (especially farmers) to settle near rivers & streams? o ______.  Mesopotamia o The region between the ______and the ______is known as ______. o One of the first villages to emerge was ______. The villagers were called ______.

 Sumer o Sumer was neither a city nor a country. Rather, it was a collection of separate cities with a common way of life. They shared a common culture. o Historians believe that Sumerians built the world’s first ______.

 What defines the term “Civilization?” o ______Traits that are Essential for a Civilization  1. ______o Not Just Population growth, but also a ______emerges for a larger area. Farmers, Merchants, Traders bring goods to market in the cities.  2. ______workers became skilled in one particular job. o Ex. ______: Workers who made goods by hand. o Farmers were able to produce more than what was needed for themselves. They had a surplus of crops and were able to trade their extra goods for a different good or service. (An end to______)  3. ______o Enables people to make records of data. Merchants needed accounts of debts and payments. o The Sumerians created ______, which is a system of writing with wedge-shaped symbols. (Around 3,000 B.C.) o Cuneiform Tablets (see image on left) o Imprints of signs, called cuneiform, were made by pressing a wedge- shaped stylus into wet clay.

 4. ______o The Sumerians were skilled in science & technology. o Ex. Invention of the wheel, plow, sailboat. o Use of bronze (mixture of ______& ______) —”Bronze Age”  5. ______o Having an organizational system to run a city. (This is a ______that is essential for a civilization.) o ______is an example of a complex institution.

Fertile Crescent Sumerian Disadvantages Solutions  Polytheism- ______. o The Sumerians were ______. They believed that their gods were a lot like them except they were______& ______. . Anu- “God of Heaven” . Enlil- “God of Clouds & Air” . Ea- “God of Water & Floods.

o Afterlife: Sumerians believed that their souls went to “______,”a gloomy place between the earth’s crust & the ancient sea.

 Who ruled Sumer? o ______& ______o Priests had power because they “______” and keep the city safe. o Sumerians began by choosing a strong warrior to lead them into battle. These leaders eventually became kings. Kings became a ______position.

 Sumer’s Downfall o For 1,000 years (3,000-2,000 B.C.) the city-states of Sumer were at war with one another. o All the fighting weakened the city-states so much that they could no longer ward off attacks from outsiders (______). o 2,000 B.C. Nomadic raiders swept through ______, leaving it in ruins, thus ending the last of the great city-states.  Turning Point In History: “______” o Around 2,000 B.C. a group of nomadic warriors known as the Amorites invaded Mesopotamia. o The Amorites established ______as their capital city.  Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.) was a powerful and influential king. o Babylon’s civilization was becoming so complex that there was a need for written laws to help resolve disputes. o Hammurabi established a collection of laws that became known as “______” . Purpose of Hammurabi’s Code . There are 282 specific laws. . 88 Laws deal with marriage, family, property. . 3 Fundamental Principles:  1. ______to punish crimes. (Eye for an Eye)  2. ______(Double Standards existed between social classes).  3. ______had a responsibility for what occurred in society.

 Phoenicians o Around 1100 B.C. the Phoenicians were the most powerful traders around the Mediterranean Sea. o 300 Phoenician cities sprouted up around Africa’s Mediterranean Sea o The highly prized ______for which the Phoenicians were renowned was extracted from a gland of the murex snail. Each snail yielded only a drop of yellow liquid, which darkened on exposure to light. Processing required slow simmering for about two weeks. Up to ______snails were needed for each pound of dye. o Phoenician Contribution: Around 900 B.C. the Phoenicians developed a ______with 22 symbols (versus the 600 symbols in Cuneiform). . The ______is born!!

 Jews & Monotheism o Monotheist: ______. o The Jews were one of the smallest groups in the ancient Fertile Crescent, but their influence on history was far-reaching. o Moses & the Ten Commandments . By the laws set forth to Moses, God demanded a high standard of moral conduct from human beings. This emphasis on ______, ______, and an ______with God set Judaism apart. . These ideas marked the birth of a set of religious traditions, the impact of which has lasted for thousands of year. o Capable Kings: . ______, ______, ______-- Their kingdom…______.

 Iron Age Begins o Shift from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age . The ______(People living in Asia Minor minor) gradually learned the complicated process of ______iron (this takes place over from 1500 to 1200 B.C.). o Why make the change from Bronze to Iron? . ______. An iron sword could pierce through a bronze shield. . Iron is a more ______. Easier for people to obtain=cheaper too! . The development of iron paved the way for an “______.”

 Assyrian Empire Rises and Falls (850-612 B.C.) o The Iron Age made it possible for the Assyrians to conquer and rule a large empire. o Iron ______and Iron ______made for well equipped warriors. o The Assyrians were known for their ______because they were the most ______army to date. o The Assyrians had shown that it was possible to build an empire based on fear and harsh government.  Persian Empire (550 – 350 B.C.) o The Persian Empire was a giant empire that arose in Southwest Asia that was built upon ______and ______. (Unlike the ______) . In 550 B.C., Persian King Cyrus defeated several neighboring kingdoms to mark the beginning of the ______Empire. . In 11 years (550-539 B.C.) Cyrus conquered all of the Fertile Crescent and most of Asia minor. . Cyrus believed that when his army marched into a defeated city, that there would be

no ______or destroying of any buildings/temples. Above: Cyrus . Cyrus believed that it was wise leave local customs and religions alone. o King Cyrus was killed in 530 B.C. and then his son, ______, took over for 8 years. Cambyses died of a wound suffered by a sword.

o Cambyses successor was ______who governed the fragile empire by using ______power. . Darius used two important tools to hold the empire together. . Excellent Road System called the “______” . ______.—The whole empire had a universal money system to trade with.