2. OLDEST CIVILIZATION
Land between the rivers of
Euphrates and Tigris was
known as Mesopotamia which
is the present-day Iraq
Birthplace of the first
river valley civilization
Between Zagros and Anti-
Taurus mountains in northern
end, and the Arabian plateau
and Persian Gulf
7. Greeks called Mesopotamia
from word mesos meaning
'middle' and potamos means
'rivers'
Mesopotamia was part of the
Fertile Crescent the rich
soil of the region and its
shape gave it the name
fertile crescent
9. Mesopotamia was a flat
plain with a hot, dry
climate. its land was
fertile because of the
rivers that flowed through
it
Terrain made attractive to
neighboring places
Lack of natural barriers
As a result invaders
attacted the region
11. SUMERIANS
Moved into the southern
part of mesopotamia about
3500 BCE
They were farmers and city
builders
They built cities
tributaries along the river
Each Sumerian city became
independent city-state
Each city-state has its own
god
12. 2000 BCE, the temple had
become a ziggurat
A ziggurat is a massive
tower that dominated the
city
Temple and its priests
owned a large portion of the
city's territory, but they
did not rule the city.
Control over politics was
in the hands of the king was
a war leader
14. The king is the supreme
ruler in the city
King held much land, like
other high-ranking people
called nobles
Land of the nobles was
worked on by slaves as well
as free men and women called
clients
Free citizens known as
commoners also owned land
15. Outstanding contributions to
civilization
Highly creative people
First people known to use
wheels
Wheeled carts and sail
Wheels on war chariots
First people on earth to
invent writing 3000 BCE
System of writing is called
cuneiform meaning 'wedge-
shaped'
17. Skilled mathematicians,
proven by their invention of
mathematical ideas called
sexagisimal, which is the
division of a circle into
360 degrees, an hour into 60
minutes, and a minute into
60 seconds
Arithmetic and geometry to
survey lands and re-
establish property lines
18. Improvements in farming.
the plow was also their
invention
Built complex irrigation
systems to channel water
Calendar comprising of 12
months to keep track of the
seasons
About 2500 BCE, invaders
conquered the city-states of
sumer
Their achievements left a
lasting mark on the new
invaders
19. AKKAD
A city north of mesopotamia
2350 BCE
Sargon founded the first
empire ever recorded in
history
He extended the irrigation
system and flood control of
mesopotamia
He also protected trade
caravans through the
assistance of his armies
21. Akkadians borrowed the
sumerian civilization
They adapted cuneiform for
writing
They translated the
religious, scientific, and
literary works of the
sumerians
As a result, Akkadians
absorbed sumerian religious
beliefs and ideas about
government and society
22. Laters rulers lacked the
abilities of Sargon, and
civil war came
For a brief period, Ur-
Nammu, king of the ancient
city of Ur reunited the
city-states
About 2050 BC
He compiled the first known
code of laws
His code summarized
sumerian ideas of justice
25. 2000 BCE a group of nomads
invaded mesopotamia,
attacking the rich cities in
the river valleys
Amorites built a small
village of babylon along the
euphrates river
Boasted a giant ziggurat
dedicated to the chief
babylon god marduk
1700 BCE king of babylon,
hammurabi
27. HAMMURABI EXPANDED THE
SUMERIAN LEGAL CODE
About 1700 BCE hammurabi
who came from syria
Capital was the city of
babylon which means 'gate of
the gods'
He was one of the great
rulers of ancient times
Outstanding general, an
able administrator, and
patron of the arts
29. Code of hammurabi
discovered in 1901 by a team
of french archaeologists
digging at susa the present-
day iran
Found three pieces of black
stone with writings on them
that when put together will
form an eight-foot column
Scholars believed that the
code was first developed by
the sumerians
31. CODE OF HAMMURABI
His goal was "to cause
justice to prevail in the
land, to destroy the wicked
and the evil, to prevent the
strong from oppressing he
weak and to further the
welfare of the people"
Code contained 282 laws
under headind such as trade,
family labor, real estate,
and personal property
33. THE HITTITES
Rebellions and invasions
weakened the babylonian
empire after hammurabi's
death in 1600 BCE
Hittites adapted babylonian
cuneiform and ideas of
government and religion
Experts military strategy ,
skillful diplomacy
Expert on metalworks
34. Hittites lost their
military advantage
The most feared and hated
invaders to the fertile
crescent after 1200 BCE were
the assyrians
35. ASSYRIANS
They settled in tigris
valley
Built a city-state named
after their chief god, Assur
1100 BCE
Possessed a highly
disciplined army. once a
city is conquered they show
no mercy
37. "I cut off their heads, and
like heaps of grain, i piled
them up"
700 BCE they captured
babylon they tortured and
beheaded prisoners, enslaved
women and children
Empire divided into
provinces, each ruled by a
governor responsible to the
king, who had absolute power
38. They collected taxes from
conquered people
They built a capital at
nineveh
Assyrian king ashurbanipa
built a library
40. CHALDEANS
Medes and Chaldeans joined
the oppressed people within
assyrian empire in 612 BCE
to capture and destroy
nineveh
Medes occupied the
highlands north of
mesopotamia
Chaldeans established empire
in the mesopotamian proper
41. During the reign of
nebuchadnezzar, the
chaldeans extended their
empire over the fertile
crescent
Nebuchadnezzar built
babylon as a symbol of power
His palace was splendor
by the famous hanging garden
of babylon
44. Chaldeans advanced the
study of mathematics and
astronomy
They believed that the
position of the stars and
planets, and the movement of
comets determined the fates
of individuals
45. They suffered civil wars
after the death of
nebuchadnezzar in 539 BCE,
the chaldean empire fell
into the hands of invading
persians
46. PERSIANS
Became a powerful force in
the fertile crescent region
20 years they onquered
fertile crescent
Through the leadership of
cyrus the king of persia
Cyrus was a remarkable
military leader and a wise
ruler
48. Darius, cyru's son-in law,
completed the task of
organizing tha vast persian
empire
He divide the empire into
provinces or satrapies. each
satrapy was ruled by a
governor or satrap who
collected taxes and
administrative laws.
50. As a way of checking,
Darius sent a royal
inspectos called "the eyes
and ears of the king" into
provinces
But soon the empire fell
into the hands of the Greeks
and to Alexander the Great
