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SUMERIANS AND BABYLONIANSWG1.3
THE SUMERIANS
The first great Mesopotamian civilization was the Sumerian, which developed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. (3000-1600 B.C)
POLITICALPower of the Priests Sumer’s earliest
governments were controlled by temple priestsFarmers believed they
needed blessings for success of their crops
Priests were the middle man for the Gods and priests demanded portion of farmer crops as tax
POLITICAL
Later followed
Hereditary rulers:
when the power is
passed down to
family members
Sargon
POLITICALThe Sumerians developed city-state,
which were independent cities that only united when there was a common threat.
ACHIEVEMENTS:Through these city-states the Sumerians
were able to tackle the problem of the large scale flooding from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. They used math and science skills to
build a system of dikes and reservoirs to control the floods.
Cities were built with clay bricks not wood (no forests) and high walls
RELIGIONPolytheistic: Belief in Many
Gods (3,000!!!)Gods could be angered at any
moment and to keep them happy Sumerians:Built impressive ziggurats or
temples to sacrifice food, wine and animals
Souls of the dead wandered in the land of no return
SUMERIAN SOCIETY
Kings and Priests
Wealthy merchants
Ordinary Sumerian people
Slaves
WOMENCould hold property
Join lower ranks of priesthood
There were few women scribesScholars think that
girls were not allowed to attend schools
INTELLECTUALEpic of Gilgamesh
Myths and legends recorded in this long poem
One of the earliest works of literature in the world
Gilgamesh was a real man, ruling in the city-state of
Uruk. The Epic is a tale about his adventures with his half-brother Ekindu. He searches for answers from the gods
about the meaning of life and death.
Gilgamesh
WRITING: Sumerians developed the world’s first
writing system using:Pictograms were simple pictures that
were limited in their uses.Cuneiform used symbols to symbolize
spoken sounds, which was developed to keep track of their complicated governments
They used a stylus (a writing tool) made from sharpened reed and clay tablets that were baked in a kiln or dried in the sun
THE FERTILE CRESCENT
Arc of land between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea in Southwest Asia
ONE LAND…TWO RIVERS
Mesopotamia means = “land between the rivers”Tigris River and
Euphrates RiverBoth rivers flooded
once a year and left thick bed of silt.Silt: rich, new soil
farmers could plant and harvest enormous quantities of wheat and barley
THE BABYLONIANS
The Babylonians conquered the Sumerians around 1800 B. C. and adopted much of the Sumerian culture.
POLITICAL:
The Babylonians were ruled by hereditary rulersThe most famous is King
Hammurabi, who developed one of the first code of laws called The Code of Hammurabi.
LAW CODES
This was a collection of 283 laws. The code established different legal classes
and specified the rights of his subjects. The code included legal ideas of the time,
like:Punishments based on social classesRetribution- “an eye for an eye”
LAW CODES
important rights extended to womenwomen were not equal to men in the eye of the law but they were granted fundamental rights
this was very unusual for the time The most advanced feature was that the
laws were clearly stated and also how the laws were to be applied
SOCIAL:
Babylonians were divided into classes by birthRulers, high priests, middle
class, farmers and slaves Hammurabi’s code strongly
protected the nobles, even at the expense of all others
SHARED:Religion: Both the Sumerians and the
Babylonians religion was polytheistic, meaning having many gods
These gods: kept the cycle of seasons goingmaintained the world’s existence
Because of this priests were honored and religious leaders were very important political leaders.
III. CHARACTERISTICS SHARED BETWEEN THE SUMERIANS AND BABYLONIANS:
Ziggurats: A stepped pyramid, with flat stacked terraces
made with clay bricksThey had ramps leading to the top either
straight up the side or by going around the entire structure
These structures were dedicated to the gods or goddesses to watch over the cities
There are two famous ruins:UrKhorsabad