Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Mesopotamia "The Land
Between the Rivers"
- Interaction w/
Environment
- Valleys of Tigris
+ Euphrates
- Little Rain --> develop
irrigation (6,000 BCE)
- Increase in
Food Supply
- increase in migrants (esp. Semites)
- Sumer (S. Mesop)
= population
center
- First Cities emerge
(4,000 BCE)
- 3,200~2,350 BCE cities
evolve into City-States
- gov. sponsored
building projects +
irrigation
- attacks from others -->
wall building + military
development
- cooperation of noble
families --> kingships
- Politics
- Beginnings of Empire
- Sargon of Akkad
(2,370-2,315 BCE)
- coup against King of Kish
- seize trade routes +
natural resources
- weakens + collapses
2,000 BCE
- Hammurabi
(1792-1750 BCE)
- centralizes bureaucracy + regulates taxation
- capital = Babyon
- Hammurabi's Code: law of
retribution _ importance of
social status
- crumbles in the face of
Hittite assault (1595 BCE)
- Later Mesopotamian Empires
- Assyrians (N. Mes.)
(1300-612 BCE)
- Cities: Assur + Ninevah
- Powerful Army: professional
officers (based on merit),
chariots, archers, iron weapons
- Unpopular rule -->
rebellions --> end 612 BCE
- New Babylonian Empire
(600-550 BCE)
- Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BCE)
- Hanging gardens of palace =
wealth + luxury
- Economy
- Economic specialization + Trade
- Bronze (copper + tin) -->
weapons + agricultural tools
- iron (1000 BCE) = cheaper + widely
available --> tools + weapons
- Wheel (3500 BCE) --> trade;
carts can carry more
- shipbuilding --> maritime trade
increases --> network develops
- Society
- Emergence of Stratified Society
- Cities = more opportunities to
accumulate wealth
- 4 classes
- King (hereditary) + nobles (royal
family + supporters)
- Priests + Priestesses =
temple communities have
large incomes + staff
- Free commoners (peasants),
dependent clients (no property); pay
taxes + labor on building projects
- slaves (POWS, criminals, debtors) +
domestic servants
- Patriarchy
- Hammurabi's code : men = head of household
- Women get fewer
rights after 2000 BCE
- 1500 BCE wearing veils
- Culture
- development of written
cultural traditions
- Cuneiform becomes standard
- Reed stylus pressed in clay + baked
- mostly commercial + tax documents
- Education = vocational for
scribe / gov. official
- literature: astronomy, mathematics, abstrac
- religious texts +
literature like Gilgamesh
- Influence on others
- Hebrews, israelites, Jews
- Pastoral nomads btwn
Mesopotamia + Egypt 2mi BCE
- Settle in some cities
- Abraham leads group to
Palestine (1850 BCE)
- Descendents borrow law of
retribution / Hammurabi's Code +
flood story from mesopotamia
- Migrate to Egypt in 1700
BCE then back to
Palestine w/ Moses
- 12 tribes = Israelites
- Mesopotamian
style monarchs in
Jerusalem (capital)
- David (1000-970 BCE)
- Solomon (970 - 930 BCE)
- Moses + Monotheism
- 10 commandments =
moral + ethical standards
- Torah = teachings
(1000-400BCE)
- conquered by Assyrians
- A. conquer I in north + Judah in
S. + destroy Jerusalem
- Deportees return to Judea -->
become known as Jews (586 BCE)
- prophets --> incrase devotion
- Build Jewish community in Judea
w/ strong group identity
- Phoenicians
- 1st settlers 3000 BCE
- develop into kingdoms of
independent city-states
- little agriculture; live on trade
+ communications networks
- overland trade to Mesopotamia --> influence on culture
- Maritime trade most important`q
- get raw materials + trade for
manufactured goods
- Early alphatecial script (1500 BCE)