Mesopotamia• The name Mesopotamia means ____________________________________
• Mesopotamia lies within the _________________________________ – an area of rich, fertile farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began
• It is bordered to the north by the ___________River, and to the South by the ____________________River.
• These were the rivers of ________ and _________
• Flood waters brought beneficial ___________________ from the mountains in spring
• The same floods were unpredictable and swept away people and animals
• Floods on these rivers left behind Silt: ________________________________________________________________
• This ________ made the land of
Mesopotamia extremely _________________ for growing crops
• When you have excellent conditions for growing crops (warm climate, good
soil, access to plenty of water) what is possible.....?
_______________________________
Mesopotamia – The Sumerians• Surplus made it possible for the growth of _____________
• The ________________ established the world’s first permanent _____________________________ right here in Mesopotamia
• Their first cities had about 10,000 people but as time passed some grew as large as _________
• These____________________ acted as individual countries even though they were cities
• What kept city-states from uniting under one government or ruler? __________________
• Unfortunately, not all of the Sumerian city-states were BFFs
• City-states would continually fight over who had controlled the
___________________ and the rights to ___________ on the river
• By 3500 BC, __________ was the most powerful of the city-states
• Uruk and Ur fought for dominance as well
• Uruk’s king ___________________________ became a legendary figure in Sumerian Literature
• In Sumer_____________________ was a central part of life in the city-states.
Mesopotamia – The Sumerians
• Sumerians practiced Polytheism: ________________________________________________________________
• Ziggurats: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
• The Ziggurats were terraced with __________ that lead to the top where a ___________was located.
SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS
• Writing – Evolved from a series of pictures/symbols called ________________, to Cuneiform: ___________________________________________
• Math – Developed a system that used _____ as a base.
• This led to the understanding of 12 ____________ in a year;
60 _______________in a minute; and 60 ___________in an hour.
Mesopotamia – The Sumerians• Technology
• Wheel: ______________________________________________________• Plow: _______________________________________________________• Sewers• Bronze for tools• Makeup and jewelry
Mesopotamia – The Babylonians• Constant ______________ between City-States in Sumeria weakened them
• They manly fought over the rights to ___________, _________, and money
• Because they were weak, the _______________________ were able to conquer them by the year 1759 BC.
• Empire: __________________________________________________________________
•The center of the Babylonian empire was the beautiful city of ____________
• Its central location made it a center for trade for:Caravans: _______________________________________________________Bazaars: ________________________________________________________
Mesopotamia – The Babylonians• ____________________became King and created the Babylonian Empire by uniting the cities of ______________ and conquering parts of ________________________
• As one of the most influential leaders in Mesopotamia he conquered territory and developed a set of laws to govern it = _____________________________________
• There were _______ laws; its creation allowed ______, __________, _________, and all others to read and understand the laws that governed their lives in Babylon
Examples:• Code 21: If a man has broken into a house he shall
be killed before the breach and buried there
• Code 196: If a man has knocked out the eye of a patrician, his eye shall be knocked out.
• The Babylonian Empire was eventually conquered by the Persians, paving the way for the rise of....
_________________
Mesopotamia – The AssyriansADVANCES
• The ________________________ _____, ____________, slingers, _____________, and ____________
• _____________ ___________ were their major advantage over foes
• The city of ______________ became a city of great learning and housed tablets from _____________ and _________________
DOWNFALL• Very______________________, so had few ________
Mesopotamia – The Chaldeans(Babylon Rises Again!)
• Chaldeans reestablished _____________________ (New Babylonian Empire)
• _______________________________________ rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city and built the Hanging Gardens for his wife
• Many small _________________ from within weakened them
• Ultimately conquered by the ____________________ by 612 BC
ADVANCES DOWNFALL• Accurate __________ calendars
• Raised ________ for honey
• Sundials
• Poor _____________________ weakened them, and they eventually fell to Persia
Mesopotamia – The Phoenicians• The land on the western fringe of the Fertile Crescent was home to
wealthy ______________ society known as the ______________________
• Phoenicia had few _________________, but it did have ______________. Cedar trees were prized for their _______________, a valuable
trade item• Phoenicia’s overland trade routes were blocked by
__________________and ___________________________ so they had to look to the _________ for a way to trade
• Motivated by a desire for trade, the people of Phoenicia became expert ___________________________ - They built one of the world’s finest
________________ at the city of _________
• Fleets of fast Phoenician trading ships sailed to ports all around the
__________________________________
• The Phoenicians founded several new colonies - ____________________ was the
most famous of these, and later became one of the most _________________ cities
on the Mediterranean
• Phoenicia grew wealthy from trading: ___________, silverwork, ______________________, glass items, _____________, and items dyed purple
Mesopotamia – The Phoenicians• To record their activities, Phoenician traders developed
one of the world’s first Alphabet :________________________________________________________________________________________________
• This development made ______________ much easier and had a major impact on the ______________ and ______________ world
• Our alphabet is based on the Phoenicians!
ADVANCES DOWNFALL• Created valuable good from glass, iron, and cedar
• World’s finest ______ builders
• Founded the city of ______________
• The ______________
• Attacks by King _______________ weakened
the Phoenicians
• Eventually conquered when ___________ the _______ swept through the Fertile
Crescent in 332 BC