Introduction-
Mesopotamia is important to learn about because there are a lot of facts that teach you what it is and it could involve something in the future with your life if you have a certain job that includes it. This page will tell you everything you need to know about Mesopotamia and its sources to go with it. You can find this information in the sites that I have cited for you. I hope you understand it and it helps with your knowledge !
Social-
People in a civilization belong to different social classes and do different types of jobs. A civilization has science and the arts. It also has a government, values, and beliefs. People first stayed in Mesopotamia around 7000 B.C. These people hunted. They also raised animals for food. People started to farm around 4000 B.C. They did this in the valley between the two rivers.
People in a civilization belong to different social classes and do different types of jobs. A civilization has science and the arts. It also has a government, values, and beliefs.
By using irrigation, farmers could grow large amounts of food. The people of Mesopotamia had extra food. As a result, not everyone needed to farm. Some people could become artisans. An artisan is a person who makes a good, such as cloth, tools, or weapons. Soon people began to live together in places that helped them trade goods. Before long, small villages grew into cities. By 3000 B.C., many cities had started and grown in Sumer. Sumer is the region in southern Mesopotamia.
People in Sumer were divided into social classes. The upper class included kings, priests, warriors, and government workers. People in this class were powerful and wealthy. The middle class had farmers, fishers, and artisans. It was the largest group. Enslaved people made up the lowest class. They had no money and no power.
The basic unit of Sumerian life was the family. Men were the head of the family. Women ran the home and cared for the children.
The people of Babylon also made advances in science. Chaldean astronomers studied the stars, planets, and the moon. The Chaldeans made the first sundial to measure time. They also were the first to use a seven-day week.
Political-
The city-states of Sumer often fought each other. By 2400 B.C., the fighting weakened these city-states. The kingdom of Akkad was in northern Mesopotamia. Akkad's leader, Sargon, and his armies fought the city-states of Sumer. One at a time, Sargon defeated them all. He then united Akkad and Sumer to form an empire. An empire is a group of different lands under one ruler. The empire of Sargon was the first known empire ever formed. In time, the empire grew to include all of Mesopotamia. It lasted for more than 200 years.
A people called the Amorites lived in a region west of Mesopotamia. They took over Mesopotamia in the 1800s B.C.
Hammurabi was a fair ruler. He made a law code for his empire. A code is a system or set of laws. The Code of Hammurabi had laws for many different things. For example, it had laws for crimes, farming, and marriage. The code had a punishment for each crime.The code called for “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” What does this mean? If a man knocked out the teeth of someone, then the man would have his own teeth knocked out as punishment. The Code of Hammurabi shaped later law codes. These later codes included those of Greece and Rome.
Nineveh was the major city of the Assyrian Empire. This city was located along the Tigris River. The empire was ruled by a king. It was divided into regions called provinces. Roads connected the provinces. The king chose a person to rule each province. These people were under the control of the king.
The Assyrian Empire lasted for about 300 years. Around 650 B.C., the Assyrians began to argue about who would be the next ruler. Their arguments turned into fights. This weakened the empire. While the Assyrians were divided, a group of people called the Chaldeans fought the Assyrians and defeated them.
The Assyrians used law codes. These codes had harsh punishments. The Assyrians worshiped the same gods as the Babylonians. The Assyrians built large temples and palaces. They also wrote stories. They put these works in a large library in Nineveh. It was one of the first libraries in the world.
The Chaldeans took over the lands held by the Assyrians. They moved the capital to Babylon. The empire of the Chaldeans is sometimes called the New Babylonian Empire. King Nebuchadnezzar as the first ruler. After he died, his son took control. His son was named Nebuchadnezzar.
After the Sumerian city states begin to rise the Bronze Age Begins.
In 12000 b.c. The Bronze Age ends.
Hammurabi became a king of the Babylon empire.
Sargon conquers Sumerian city-states.
The people of Sumer were called Sumerians. They built many cities. The cities of Sumer had deserts around them. Deserts were hard to travel across. As a result, each city stood alone. As cities grew, they gained control of the land around them. In this way, they formed city-states. Each city-state had its own government. It was not part of a larger nation. Historians believe that each city-state was surrounded by a large wall. Sometimes Sumerian city-states fought each other. During times of peace, they traded with each other.
Religious-
The Assyrians used law codes. These codes had harsh punishments. The Assyrians worshiped the same gods as the Babylonians. The Assyrians built large temples and palaces. They also wrote stories. They put these works in a large library in Nineveh. It was one of the first libraries in the world.
The Sumerian people worshiped many gods. This type of belief is called polytheism. Each city-state, though, claimed one god as its own. To honor this god, the city-state built a large temple called a ziggurat. A temple is a building used to worship a god or many gods.
To control the floods, the people of Mesopotamia built dams. A dam is a wall that stops the flow of water. They also dug canals. A canal is a ditch that lets water flow to the fields. Watering crops using canals is called irrigation.
Intellectual-
The people of Babylon also made advances in science. Chaldean astronomers studied the stars, planets, and the moon. The Chaldeans made the first sundial to measure time. They also were the first to use a seven-day week.
A major trade route went through Babylon. As a result, many caravans passed through the city. A caravan is a group of traveling merchants. The merchants bought goods in Babylon. These goods included cloth, baskets, and jewelry. Babylon grew rich from this trade.
The Assyrians used law codes. These codes had harsh punishments. The Assyrians worshiped the same gods as the Babylonians. The Assyrians built large temples and palaces. They also wrote stories. They put these works in a large library in Nineveh. It was one of the first libraries in the world.
The Chaldeans took over the lands held by the Assyrians. They moved the capital to Babylon. The empire of the Chaldeans is sometimes called the New Babylonian Empire. King Nabopolassar was the first ruler. After he died, his son took control. His son was named Nebuchadnezzar.
Technological-
The Assyrians forced the people they defeated to pay them money. This forced payment is called a tribute.
They made their weapons out of iron. Before this, people made weapons out of tin or copper. Iron is much stronger than tin or copper.
The Assyrians did a large amount of trading. They brought in wood and metal from far away. They used these materials to make buildings, tools, and weapons.
Neolithic Age Ends and the Agricultural Revolution Begins.
People first stayed in Mesopotamia around 7000 B.C. These people hunted. They also raised animals for food. People started to farm around 4000 B.C. They did this in the valley between the two rivers.
A flood is when water overflows from a river onto land. Floods could destroy crops, but they also left the land covered with silt. Silt is a rich soil. It is good for farming.To control the floods, the people of Mesopotamia built dams. A dam is a wall that stops the flow of water. They also dug canals. A canal is a ditch that lets water flow to the fields. Watering crops using canals is called irrigation.
King Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon. He made it the largest and richest city in the world. Large walls surrounded the city. The city had many temples and palaces. The king also built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. These gardens had many levels. The plants were watered by an irrigation system.
The Assiryans made laws that if you didn't do it you would have bad consequences.
Enviormental-
Mesopotamia is the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. It is located in Southwest Asia. The first known civilization started there.
The Assyrians did a large amount of trading. They brought in wood and metal from far away. They used these materials to make buildings, tools, and weapons.
The Assyrians lived in northern Mesopotamia. They built a large, powerful army. Around 900 B.C., this army started to take over Mesopotamia. The Assyrians destroyed towns.
The Sumerians were the first people to use the wheel. They were also the first to use sailboats and wooden plows. In addition, they were the first to make bronze out of copper and tin.
Sources cited-
~ www.acientmesopotamians.com
~ www.livius.org
~ www.acient.eu
~ www.mesopotamia.co.uk
~ www.rivervalleycivilizations.com
~ www.livius.org
~ www.acient.eu
~ www.mesopotamia.co.uk
~ www.rivervalleycivilizations.com