Unit 3: Mesopotamia
Major Events Time Line
a. 4,000 BCE: People by the Euphrates River begin to irrigate crops.
b. 3,000 BCE: The first writing system is used in Sumer.
c. 2,371 BCE: Sargon of Akkad unites the Sumerian city-states into the world’s first empire.
d. 1792 BCE: Hammurabi’s Code is developed in the Babylonian Empire
e. 668 BCE: The Assyrian Empire reaches its peak under Ashurbanipal.
f. 605 BCE: Nebuchadnezzar II leads the Chaldean Empire to its peak.
g. 550 BCE: The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, is largest in the world.
GRAPES
Geography
-The majority of cities depended on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
-The Zagros and Cacaucus Mountains isolate Mesopotamia from people to the north and east of them.
-The Mediterranean, Black, Caspian, and Red Seas (and the Persian Gulf) all served as sea connections between Mesopotamia and surrounding areas.
-Sumerians created buildings and writing tablets out of the mud that was plentiful in the Fertile Crescent.
Religion
-Sumerian religion was polytheistic; with each city-state worshipping its own god.
-The main gods created and ruled the world: the god of the sky, wind, hills, and fresh water.
-Ziggurats served as huge temple complexes
-Priests became powerful as the people sought to please the gods by donating to temples
-People believed the gods could influence their lives; and that the afterlife was gloomy
-Later, the Persians believed in Zoastrianism. This was a monotheistic religion that emphasized a battle between good and evil.
Achievements
-System of writing helps record keeping.
-The Epic of Gilgamesh becomes the world’s first empire.
-The wheel and the plow are developed to help farming and trade.
-Ashurbanipal collects writings and builds a library
-Nebuchadnezzar II builds the Hanging Gardens
Political System
-First empire is created
-Code of law is developed
-Empire is divided into smaller units for easier rule
-Early empires used policies of terror and fear to control captured peoples.
-Later empire used policies of toleration to control captured peoples.
-All empires were ruled by monarchies.
Economic System
-Tribute is used to support empires.
-Agriculture flourished in the Fertile Crescent
-Minted coins help business and the government
-Royal Road links the Persian Empire
-Merchants trade between city-states and other civilizations
Social System
-Kings and priests were at the top of the upper class.
-Landowners, government officials, and rich merchants made up the lower upper class.
-Free people, farmers, and artisans were the middle class.
-Slaves were the lowest class; although they could buy their freedom.
Key Understandings
-The world’s first civilization emerged in the fertile plains between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers - we call this area “Mesopotamia.”
-The city-states of Mesopotamia – Kish, Akkad, Ur, Nineveh, and others – all shared a common Sumerian culture.
-The Sumerians developed the world’s first writing system – cuneiform, the wheel, and the plow.
-Improvements in farming permitted food surpluses – which led to the emergence of cities as centers of power and culture.
-Sargon creates the world’s first empire after uniting the Sumerian city-states.
-Hammurabi creates the world’s first unified law code that applied to all in his empire (not equally, but all classes were expected to follow them)
-Mesopotamians were polytheistic, believed each ziggurat housed a god, and created a powerful class of priests.
-Mesopotamians allow slavery to support their economy (slaves gotten through conquest).
-Sail invented to improved travel over sea.
-Writing is used primarily for record keeping, but it also used for literature (the Epic of Gilgamesh)
-Earlier Mesopotamian empires used cruelty to control their populations while later empires used policies of toleration.
Vocab
Mesopotamia: land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Floodplain: flat land bordering the banks of a river
Silt: fine, fertile soil carried by rivers and deposited on nearby lands
Arid: climate type marked by hot summers and limited rainfall
Drought: long period of little or no rainfall when it is difficult to grow crops
Currents: concentrated flowing water
Swell: increase in size or volume
Civilization: advanced form of culture that developed in cities
City-state: political unit made up of a city and its surrounding lands
Ziggurat: temple built atop a series of increasingly smaller platforms
Polytheism: belief in many gods and goddesses
King: highest-ranking leader of a group of people who passes down power to his children
Pictographs: pictures or drawings that represent a word or idea
Cuneiform: first known writing system, which used wedge shaped symbols
Scribes: people who specialized in writing and record keeping
Empire: group of territories and peoples brought together under one supreme ruler
Fertile Crescent: region stretching from the Persian Gulf northwest up the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and west over to the Mediterranean Sea
Code of law: written rules for people to obey
Justice: fair treatment of all the people, based on the law
Tribute: payment made in return for protection
Exile: forced removal from one’s homeland, often to lands far away
Toleration: practice of allowing people to keep their traditions and beliefs
Provinces: government divisions like states
Royal Road: road used for government purposes in ancient times
Emperor: person who rules an empire
Governor: person chosen to rule over a territory
Policy: course of action chosen by the government
Minted coins: coins that are issued by the government and are official money
Sumerian culture: common culture practiced throughout the Mesopotamian city-states
Sargon: King of Akkad who created the world’s first empire by conquering Sumer
Akkadian Empire: world’s first empire; existed in the Fertile Crescent from c. 2,371 BCE to c. 2,171 BCE.
Babylonian Empire: second Mesopotamian empire; existed in the Fertile Crescent from c. 2,000 BCE through 1,500 BCE.
Hammurabi: Babylonian king who created a single code of laws for his empire
Assyrian Empire: third Mesopotamian empire; controlled the Fertile Crescent and eventually Egypt from c. 1,300 BCE through 609 BCE; known for its army and cruelty
Ashurbanipal: Assyrian king who ordered the construction of a huge library in his capitol of Nineveh
Chaldean Empire: fourth Mesopotamian empire; controlled Mesopotamia from c. 609 BCE through 550 BCE; also known as the Neo-Babylonian Empire
Nebuchadnezzar II: Chaldean king who ordered the creation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and forced the Jews to relocated to Babylon
Persian Empire: fifth Mesopotamian empire; control Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Media, and Egypt from c. 550 BCE through c. 330 BCE; known for a policy of toleration
Cyrus the Great: founded the Persian Empire, established rights for people in his empire, and allowed the Jews to return to Judah
Cambyses: Persian king and son of Cyrus who expanded into Egypt
Darius: Persian king who expanded into India, divided the empire into provinces, built the Royal Road, and established minted coins as currency
Xerxes: Persian king who was known for loving luxury and for failing to conquer Greece
Phoenicia: Mesopotamian region known for extremely good sailors, the alphabet that would be used by the Greeks/Romans, and their purple dye.
:
a. 4,000 BCE: People by the Euphrates River begin to irrigate crops.
b. 3,000 BCE: The first writing system is used in Sumer.
c. 2,371 BCE: Sargon of Akkad unites the Sumerian city-states into the world’s first empire.
d. 1792 BCE: Hammurabi’s Code is developed in the Babylonian Empire
e. 668 BCE: The Assyrian Empire reaches its peak under Ashurbanipal.
f. 605 BCE: Nebuchadnezzar II leads the Chaldean Empire to its peak.
g. 550 BCE: The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, is largest in the world.
GRAPES
Geography
-The majority of cities depended on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
-The Zagros and Cacaucus Mountains isolate Mesopotamia from people to the north and east of them.
-The Mediterranean, Black, Caspian, and Red Seas (and the Persian Gulf) all served as sea connections between Mesopotamia and surrounding areas.
-Sumerians created buildings and writing tablets out of the mud that was plentiful in the Fertile Crescent.
Religion
-Sumerian religion was polytheistic; with each city-state worshipping its own god.
-The main gods created and ruled the world: the god of the sky, wind, hills, and fresh water.
-Ziggurats served as huge temple complexes
-Priests became powerful as the people sought to please the gods by donating to temples
-People believed the gods could influence their lives; and that the afterlife was gloomy
-Later, the Persians believed in Zoastrianism. This was a monotheistic religion that emphasized a battle between good and evil.
Achievements
-System of writing helps record keeping.
-The Epic of Gilgamesh becomes the world’s first empire.
-The wheel and the plow are developed to help farming and trade.
-Ashurbanipal collects writings and builds a library
-Nebuchadnezzar II builds the Hanging Gardens
Political System
-First empire is created
-Code of law is developed
-Empire is divided into smaller units for easier rule
-Early empires used policies of terror and fear to control captured peoples.
-Later empire used policies of toleration to control captured peoples.
-All empires were ruled by monarchies.
Economic System
-Tribute is used to support empires.
-Agriculture flourished in the Fertile Crescent
-Minted coins help business and the government
-Royal Road links the Persian Empire
-Merchants trade between city-states and other civilizations
Social System
-Kings and priests were at the top of the upper class.
-Landowners, government officials, and rich merchants made up the lower upper class.
-Free people, farmers, and artisans were the middle class.
-Slaves were the lowest class; although they could buy their freedom.
Key Understandings
-The world’s first civilization emerged in the fertile plains between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers - we call this area “Mesopotamia.”
-The city-states of Mesopotamia – Kish, Akkad, Ur, Nineveh, and others – all shared a common Sumerian culture.
-The Sumerians developed the world’s first writing system – cuneiform, the wheel, and the plow.
-Improvements in farming permitted food surpluses – which led to the emergence of cities as centers of power and culture.
-Sargon creates the world’s first empire after uniting the Sumerian city-states.
-Hammurabi creates the world’s first unified law code that applied to all in his empire (not equally, but all classes were expected to follow them)
-Mesopotamians were polytheistic, believed each ziggurat housed a god, and created a powerful class of priests.
-Mesopotamians allow slavery to support their economy (slaves gotten through conquest).
-Sail invented to improved travel over sea.
-Writing is used primarily for record keeping, but it also used for literature (the Epic of Gilgamesh)
-Earlier Mesopotamian empires used cruelty to control their populations while later empires used policies of toleration.
Vocab
Mesopotamia: land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Floodplain: flat land bordering the banks of a river
Silt: fine, fertile soil carried by rivers and deposited on nearby lands
Arid: climate type marked by hot summers and limited rainfall
Drought: long period of little or no rainfall when it is difficult to grow crops
Currents: concentrated flowing water
Swell: increase in size or volume
Civilization: advanced form of culture that developed in cities
City-state: political unit made up of a city and its surrounding lands
Ziggurat: temple built atop a series of increasingly smaller platforms
Polytheism: belief in many gods and goddesses
King: highest-ranking leader of a group of people who passes down power to his children
Pictographs: pictures or drawings that represent a word or idea
Cuneiform: first known writing system, which used wedge shaped symbols
Scribes: people who specialized in writing and record keeping
Empire: group of territories and peoples brought together under one supreme ruler
Fertile Crescent: region stretching from the Persian Gulf northwest up the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and west over to the Mediterranean Sea
Code of law: written rules for people to obey
Justice: fair treatment of all the people, based on the law
Tribute: payment made in return for protection
Exile: forced removal from one’s homeland, often to lands far away
Toleration: practice of allowing people to keep their traditions and beliefs
Provinces: government divisions like states
Royal Road: road used for government purposes in ancient times
Emperor: person who rules an empire
Governor: person chosen to rule over a territory
Policy: course of action chosen by the government
Minted coins: coins that are issued by the government and are official money
Sumerian culture: common culture practiced throughout the Mesopotamian city-states
Sargon: King of Akkad who created the world’s first empire by conquering Sumer
Akkadian Empire: world’s first empire; existed in the Fertile Crescent from c. 2,371 BCE to c. 2,171 BCE.
Babylonian Empire: second Mesopotamian empire; existed in the Fertile Crescent from c. 2,000 BCE through 1,500 BCE.
Hammurabi: Babylonian king who created a single code of laws for his empire
Assyrian Empire: third Mesopotamian empire; controlled the Fertile Crescent and eventually Egypt from c. 1,300 BCE through 609 BCE; known for its army and cruelty
Ashurbanipal: Assyrian king who ordered the construction of a huge library in his capitol of Nineveh
Chaldean Empire: fourth Mesopotamian empire; controlled Mesopotamia from c. 609 BCE through 550 BCE; also known as the Neo-Babylonian Empire
Nebuchadnezzar II: Chaldean king who ordered the creation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and forced the Jews to relocated to Babylon
Persian Empire: fifth Mesopotamian empire; control Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Media, and Egypt from c. 550 BCE through c. 330 BCE; known for a policy of toleration
Cyrus the Great: founded the Persian Empire, established rights for people in his empire, and allowed the Jews to return to Judah
Cambyses: Persian king and son of Cyrus who expanded into Egypt
Darius: Persian king who expanded into India, divided the empire into provinces, built the Royal Road, and established minted coins as currency
Xerxes: Persian king who was known for loving luxury and for failing to conquer Greece
Phoenicia: Mesopotamian region known for extremely good sailors, the alphabet that would be used by the Greeks/Romans, and their purple dye.
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Lessons by Topic |
Day 1 - Mesopotamian Geography: u3d1cw_geography_of_mesopotamia.docx
Day 2 - Irrigation: u3d2cw_irrigation_in_mesopotamia.docx Day 3 - Sumerian City-States: u3d3cw_sumerian_city_states.docx Day 4 - Empires: u3d4cw_empires_.docx Day 5 - Sumerian Inventions: u3d5_cw_sumerian_inventions.docx Day 6 - Mesopotamian Religion and Social Strucure: u3d6cw_mesopotamian_religion_and_social_structure.docx Day 7 - Mesopotamian Writing: u3d7cw_mesopotamian_writing.docx Day 8 - The Epic of Gilgamesh: u3d8cw_the_epic_of_gilgamesh.docx Day 9 - Mesopotamian Art: u3d9cw_mesopotamian_art.docx Day 10 - Hammurabi's Code (D1): u3d10_cw_hammurabis_code__d1_.docx Day 11 - Hammurabi's Code (D2): u3d11_cw_hammurabis_code__d2_.docx Day 12 - Amazing Race Review: u3amazingracereview.docx |