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Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia

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Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia -------~~------------- Guide to Reading _ "ain Ideas People to Identify Reading Strategy • Mesopotamia, one of the first civiliza- Sumerians, Akkadians, Sargon, categorizing Information As you read tions, began between the Tigris and Hammurabi this section, complete a chart like the one Euphrates Rivers. shown below to explain the Sumerians' Places to Locate • The Sumerians formed city-states and various contributions to civilization. created forms of communication that Tigris River, Euphrates River, Political Life Cultural Life Inventions affect our lives today. Mesopotamia, Fertile Crescent, Uruk, Babylon KeyTerms Preview Questions city-state, ziggurat, theocracy, empire, 1. How did geography affect the civiliza- patriarchal, polytheistic, cuneiform ~ tions in Mesopotamia? - Preview of Events 2. How did the Akkadian Empire begin? I 2340 B.C. 1792 B.C. Akkadians set up Hammurabi the first empire comes to power The following poem reflects the deep despair of the people of Ur after the burning and sacking of their city: --Ur is destroyed, bitter is its lament. The country's blood now fills its holes like hot bronze in a mould. Bodies dissolve like fat in the sun. Our temple is destroyed, the gods have abandoned us, like migrating birds. Smoke lies on our city like a shroud.~~ -Legacy: TheSearchfor Ancient Cultures, Michael Wood, 1995 Constant conflict marked early civilization in Mesopotamia. Invaders flowed into the flat land of the region, and city fought city for land and water. The Impact of Geography The ancient Greeks spoke of the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers as Mesopotamia, the land "between the rivers." Mesopotamia was at the eastern end of an area known as the Fertile Crescent, an arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. Because this land had rich soil and abun- dant crops, it was able to sustain an early civilization. Mesopotamia was a region with little rain, but its soil had been enriched over the years by layers of silt-material deposited by the two rivers. In late spring, the Tigris and Euphrates often overflowed their banks and deposited their fertile silt. This flooding, however, depended on the melting of snows in the upland CHAPTER 2 Western Asia and Egypt 37 NATIONAL D GEOGRAPHIC Ancient Mesopotamia \ 300E 400E 500E 600E D Fertile Crescent ~ Direction of flow Syrian Desert First Cataract L I ~~PrGYPT Several important cultures and civiliza- Second catara(,. ,~ •• Desert tions developed in Mesopotamia. 1. Interpreting Maps What moun . Third catara:±~r:USH Fifth range forms the eastern border of Cataract' Fertile Crescent? AFRICA 2. Applying Geography Skills In which direction do the Tigris and o 500 miles Arabian I Euphrates Rivers flow? Inwhich direc I I Sea o 500 kilometers tion does the Nile flow? Lambert AZimuthal Equal-Area projegjpn ! mountains where the rivers began. People in the val- Assyria, Akkad, and Sumer. We focus first on the ley could not tell exactly when the floods would Sumerians, the creators of the first Mesopotamian come or how large they would be. civilization. Because of these circumstances, farming in ancient Mesopotamia could be done only when people ~ Explaining What role did geography controlled the flow of the rivers. Irrigation and play in the development of Mesopotamian civilization? drainage ditches-part of a large-scale system of water control-made it possible to grow crops on a The City-States regular basis. The resulting abundance of food enabled large numbers of people to live together in of Ancient 'Mesopotamia cities and made possible the emergence of civiliza- The origins of the Sumerian people remain a mys- tion in Mesopotamia. tery. By 3000 B.C., they had established a number of When we speak of Mesopotamian civilization, we independent cities in southern Mesopotamia, includ- are referring to the achievements of several peoples. ing Eridu, Ur, and Uruk. As the cities expanded, they Ancient Mesopotamia includes three general areas: came to have political and economic control over the 38 CHAPTER 2 Western Asia and Egypt surrounding countryside. They formed city-states, goddesses owned the cities. The people devoted the basic units of Sumerian civilization. much of their wealth to building temples, as well as elaborate houses for the priests and priestesses who Sumerian Cities Sumerian cities were surrounded served the gods. The temples and related buildings by walls. Uruk, for example, was encircled by a wall served as the center of the city physically, economi- six miles (10 km) long with defense towers located cally,and even politically. along the wall every 30 to 35 feet (9 to 10 m). City Priests and priestesses, who supervised the tem- dwellings, built of sun-dried bricks, included both ples and their property, had a great deal of power. In the small houses of peasants and the larger buildings fact, historians believe that in the early stages of the of the city officials,priests, and priestesses. city-states, priests and priestesses played an impor- Although Mesopotamia had little stone or wood tant role in ruling. The Sumerians believed that the for building purposes, it did have plenty of mud. gods ruled the cities, making the state a theocracy- Mud bricks, easily shaped by hand, were left to bake a government by divine authority. Eventually, how- in the hot sun until they were hard enough to use for ever, ruling power passed into the hands of worldly building. People in Mesopotamia were remarkably figures, or kings. creative with mud bricks. They invented the arch and Sumerians viewed kingship as divine in origin. the dome, and they built some of the largest brick Kings, they believed, derived their power from the buildings in the world. Mud bricks are still used in gods and were the agents of the gods. As one person rural areas of Southwest Asia today. said in a petition to his king: "Youin your judgement, you are the son of Anu [god of the sky]. Your com- Gods, Goddesses, and Rulers The most prominent mands, like the work of a god, cannot be reversed. building in a Sumerian city was the temple dedicated Yourwords, like rain pouring down from heaven, are to the chief god or goddess of the city. This temple without number." was often built atop a massive stepped tower called Regardless of their origins, kings had power. They a ziggurat. The Sumerians believed that gods and led armies, supervised the building of public works, ~ History through Architecture Restored ziggurat at Ur, c. 2100 B.C. At the top of a ziggurat was a shrine, which only the priests and priestessescould enter. Describe the technology and resources needed to build a ziggurat. CHAPTER 2 Western Asia and Egypt 39 and organized workers for the irrigation projects on estates and as farmers, merchants, fishers, and crafts- which Mesopotamian farming depended. The army, people. Probably 90 percent or more of the people the government, and the priests and priestesses all were farmers. Slaves belonged to palace officials, aided the kings in their rule. As befitted their power, who used them mostly in building projects. Temple Sumerian kings, their wives, and their children lived officialsmost often used female slaves to weave cloth in large palaces. and grind grain. Rich landowners also used slaves to farm their lands. Economy and Society Although the economy of the Sumerian city-states was based chiefly on farm- ~ Explaining Why were the City-states ing, trade and industry became important as well. considered to be theocracies? The peoples of Mesopotamia were well known for their metalwork, but they also made woolen textiles Empires in Andent Mesopotamia and pottery. The Sumerians imported copper, tin, As the number of Sumerian city-states grew and and timber in exchange for dried fish, wool, barley, the city-states expanded, new conflicts arose. City- wheat, and metal goods. Traders traveled by land to state fought city-state for control of land and water. the eastern Mediter- Located on the flat land of Mesopotamia, the Sumer- ranean in the west ian city-states were also open to invasion by other and by sea to India in Med7&;"'pnea"{, groups. ' Sea F~~"'" the east. The mven- Euphrates To the north of the Sumerian city-states were the tion of the wheel, R. Akkadians (uheKAYedeeeuhnz). We call them a around 3000 B.C., led Semitic people because they spoke a Semitic lan- to wheeled carts, guage. Around 2340B.C., Sargon, leader of the Akka- which made the trans- dians, overran the Sumerian city-states and set up the port of goods easier. first empire in world history. An empire is a large Sumerian city-states contained three major social political unit or state, usually under a single leader, groups: nobles, commoners, and slaves. Nobles that controls many peoples or territories. Empires are included royal and priestly officials and their fami- often easy to create but difficult to maintain. The rise lies. Commoners worked for palace and temple and fall of empires is an important part of history. The Royal Standard of Ur is a box, created about 2700 B.C., that depicts different Sumer- ian scenes. This panel shows a royal . celebration following a military victory. 40 CHAPTER 2 Western Asia and Egypt People In History Attacks from neighboring hill peoples eventually caused the Akkadian Empire to fall. Its end by 2100 Hammurabi B.C. brought a return to the system of warring city- Ruled 1792-1750 B.C. states. It was not until 1792 B.C. that a new empire Babylonianking came to control much of Mesopotamia. Leadership came from Babylon, a city-state south of Akkad, Hammurabi was justly proud of his where Hammurabi (HAemuheRAHebee) came to famous code of laws. As he stated: power.
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