UNIT 9

MESOPOTAMIA
IN THIS UNIT YOU
WILL

Learn where early civilisations

developed
Understand the importance of
riveres in early civilisations
Learn about the political
organisation of Ancient Egypt
and Mesopotamia
Learn about the society and
culture of early civilisations
RIVER CIVILISATIONS

MESOPOTAMIA WAS LIKE OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD,

SUCH AS EGYPT, INDIA AND CHINA AN AREA IN WHICH
THE FLOODING OF GREAT RIVERS FERTILISED THE LAND
AND AGRICULTURE DEVELOPED. AS A RESULT SMALL
 MESOPOTAMIA
ENVIRONMENT AND HISTORY

SEVERAL IMPORTANT CIVILISATIONS DEVELOPED IN THE

MIDDLE EAST PLAINS ALONG THE TIGRIS AND
EUPHRATES RIVERS. THIS AREA WAS LATER CALLED
MESOPOTAMIA, WHICH MEANS BETWEEN THE RIVERS
IN GREEK
 MESOPOTAMIA
CITY STATES AND EMPIRES
S U MER

Many people lived in Mesopotamia in independent

city
From states.
3500BCThethe
region belongedlived
Sumerians to different empires
in walled city
oversuch
states a long
asperiod
Ur andofLagash
time
 MESOPOTAMIA
CITY STATES AND EMPIRES
AK KAD

KING SARGON I CREATED AN AKKADIAN EMPIRE

AFTER 2300BC AND CONQUERED SUMER
 MESOPOTAMIA
YLON CITY STATES AND EMPIRES
BAB

Many people
BABYLON lived in Mesopotamia
WAS ORIGINALLY in FROM
A CITY STATE. independent
1800 ITS
city states.
RULERS The region
CREATED belonged
A GREAT toTHAT
EMPIRE different empires
STRETCHED
overMEDITERRANEAN
ACROSS TO THE a long period ofCOAST
time AND EGYPT
 MESOPOTAMIA
SS YR IA CITY STATES AND EMPIRES
A

AFTER 1350BC THE ASSYRIANS CREATED A GREAT

EMPIRE THAT STRETCHED ACROSS TO THE
MEDITERRANEAN COAST AND EGYPT
 MESOPOTAMIA
RS IANS CITY STATES AND EMPIRES
PE

EAT
G R
TH E
DE R
E X AN
AL
IN 539 BC THE PERSIANS CONQUERED MESOPOTAMIA AND IT
BECAME PART OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. MESOPOTAMIA WAS
LATER CONQUERED BY THE GREEKS (ALEXANDER THE GREAT)
 SOCIETY AND POLITICAL
SYSTEMS

The city states of Sumer were ruled by high priests

r a c y to
c
The empires when theyrm theocreated-
were
o c i ety, were ruled by
h e
e tpolitical o f s religious oth authority
their kings that se t
held ty p e and d b
We u ibe this erson ha er
What does
r
desc e same p litical po
e th po
w
w he r a nd
us also military leaders
theocracy mean?
Theylig
re
o
were
i

GUDEA OF LAGASH
 MESOPOTAMIA
HIERARCHICAL SOCIETY

KING

ARISTOCRACY
THE RULING
PRIESTS
ELITE
HIGH OFFIC IALS
SCRIBES INTERMEDIA
TE GROUPS
MERCHANTS
FARMERS LOWER
LEVEL
ARTISANS
SLAVES BASE
 MESOPOTAMIA
CO M PL ET E HIERARCHICAL SOCIETY
NOW, GRAM OF
IA
TH E D H E
T
P O TA MIAN KING
MESO ETY BY
SOCI E LF
YO U R S

THE RULING
ELITE

INTERMEDIA
TE GROUPS
LOWER
LEVEL

BASE
 T RY TO WHERE IS THE MILITARY AND RELIGIOUS
W ,
NO
S O ME OF LEADER?
IFY
IDENT IFFERENT IS HE THE SAME SIZE AS THE OTHER
TH E D IN THE FIGURES?
E S
CLASS ARD OF FIND WARRIORS AND CHARIOTS IN THIS
STAND R SCENE
U
FIND THE DEFEATED ENEMIES
THE STANDARD
OF UR
THE MILITARY
AND RELIGIOUS
THE
LEADER
NOBLEMEN

THE WARRIORS THE DEFEATED

ENEMIES
 E M A IN MESOPOTAMIA
R E TH ITIES IN
H A
E
T W ACTIV THE ECONOMY
W
O M IC A MIA? IN
N T
ECO MESOPO O WORK
U T ES T S)
IN UP
(2 M GRO

AGRICULTURE: THE RIVERES WERE ESSENTIAL. CROPS

WERE IRRIGATED WITH WATER FROM CANALS, AND DYKES
WERE BUILT TO PREVENT THE RIVERS FROM FLOODING. THEY
GREW CEREALS AND VEGETABLES

LIVESTOCK: THEY KEPT SHEEP AND COWS

CRAFTS: THEY PRODUCED WOOL FOR CLOTH, POTTERY,

METAL WORK AND JEWELLERY

TRADE: PRODUCTS WERE EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE

REGIONS
 MESOPOTAMIA: CULTURE
R ONO
AST Y
M
MESOPOTAMIANS OBSERVED THE STARS AND INVENTED A LUNAR
CALENDAR
AT
HEM
MAT
ICS
MESOPOTAMIANS INVENTED NUMBERS, AND COULD COUNT AND
WEIGH OBJECTS

IN G
Mesopotamia,
I T
WR escritura
explicacin de la
cuneiforme.
escritura cuneiforme.
APPEARED IN MESOPOTAMIA AFTER 4000 BC. SMALL PICTURES
(3:06)
REPRESENTED
By Hernn PrezOBJECTES
del OR ANIMALS AND EVOLVED INTO . AT
Hammurabi's code of law
Pulgar
FIRST, WRITING WAS USED FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, BUT
R
& the Israelite connection
TU AFTER IT RECORDED POEMS AND STORIES
E R A
(2:54)
LITEByEAshraf Ezrat
Hammurabis Code
LONG POEMS LIKE THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH WERE WRITTEN (2000
(2,55)
BC). THE Cougarcast
By CCMS WAS THE WORLDS FIRST WRITTEN LAW (1750 BC)
 MESOPOTAMIA: CULTURE

SCULPTUR
E

STATUES RELIEFS

CARVED RELIEFS
STATUES SHOWED KINGS, SHOWED HUNTING
GODS AND PRIESTS SCENES OR MILITARY
VICTORIES

COMPARE THESE TWO CAN YOU SEE

AND NOW,
RELIEFS.ANY DIFFERENCE
WHAT DIFFERENCES CANTHESE TWO
BETWEEN
YOU APPRECIATE?
 MESOPOTAMIA:
ARCHITECTURE

IMPORTANT INNOVATIONS IN MANY BUILDINGS WERE

MESOPOTAMIAN MADE FROM ADOBE (DRIED
ARCHITECTURE WERE THE CLAY) BRICKS, AND HAVE
ARCH AND THE DOME SINCE DISAPPEARED.
HOWEVER, SOME PALACES
AND TEMPLES HAVE
PALACES HAVE IMPRESSIVE SURVIVED
TEMPLES
FACADES, WERE GROUPS OF BUILDINGS. THEY INCLUDED
COURTYARDS,
ZIGGURATS,
PRIVATE ROOMSWHICH
AND WERE PYRAMID-SHAPED TOWERS WITH
LIBRARIES SEVERAL LEVELS