Mesopotamia:A Brief History

1. Sumerian Civilization

2. The Kingdom of Assyria

3. The Kingdom of Babylon

1. Sumerian Civilization• The Sumerian Civilization was the world’s

first civilization

• They used aquaculture and grew barleyand wheat

• Urbanization was a major feature of thiscivilization

• In the cities, social organization becamemore complex

• Each city had its own king

• Around 2000 BCE another group, the Akkadians, began to conquer Sumerian territories

• In 1750 BCE, the Sumerian civilizationcollapsed, but it has lasted for 3,000 years!

2. The Kingdom of Assyria• The Assyrians captured Sumerian

territories and created their own empire

• Instead of each city having its own king, the Assyrians unified their empire underone king and one centralized government

The Sumerian System

• At times, there was trade betweenSumerian cities

• But there was also war between them at times!

The Assyrian System

• In order to control its population and scare its enemies, the Assyrian Empire became a militaristic society

• Assyrian art reflected their militaristicvalues

• In 627 BCE Babylon, a region controlledby a city of the same name, invaded and conquered the Assyrian Empire

3. Babylon• Babylon is most famous for its hanging

gardens

• They are one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World

The Pyramids at Giza (Egypt)

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Mausoleumat Halicarnassus

The Colossus of Rhodes

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

3. Babylon• Babylon controlled a huge territory, but a

new empire was approaching

• Cyrus the Great, founder of the PersianEmpire, created an enormous army and began his conquest

• The result? He conquered Babylon and other empires and created the largestempire the world had ever seen

• The conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE marked the end of Mesopotamian civilization