Miscellaneous
What were two advances in technology-
-plows
-weapons
-wheel
-irrigation system
-Sargan- the king
-united with Sumeria under one rule
-lasted about 200 years
-first major world empire
-2154-2334 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Describe the climate of Mesopotamia.
Hot and arid/dry
What did the Mesopotamians believe about their land?
Full of spirits; belonged to the gods (land and everything on it)
-travel from place to place without a home
Nomadic
Create a social pyramid
King
Government officials
Priests
Farmers
Merchants
Slaves
-Hammurabi- king (made a code)
-conquered most of the Mesopotamian lands
-traded and built roads
Babylonian Empire
What was a benefit to the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?
fertile/rich soil; silt
Give an example of how law pertained to women.
-women had little rights
-mostly could not divorce husband
-women could own property
-could work
-small particles of sediments in soil; helped to make soil fertile
Silt
List two new technologies that the people of Mesopotamia used to control the flooding.
Dikes and ditches, tall embankments, canals
-the weakest empire
-built ziggurats
-conquered the Assyrian empire
-lasted 75 years
-created sun dial to tell time
-King was Nebuchdnezzar
Neo Babylonian Empire
What was a drawback to the flooding of the rivers?
Washed away crops; muddy; houses flooded; river changed course; could not predict when it was going to flood
Give two examples of Hammurabi’s Code-
-lying = death
-innocent until proven guilty
-steal from the temple or court- death
-eye for an eye
artificial application of water to land
Irrigation
Define Social Pyramid
-a way of illustrating the social organization of a society
-new weapons used; siege warfare
-dominated the Middle East
-Capital was Nineveh
-expert builders
Assyrian Empire
What kind of livestock did the people of Mesopotamia have?
Goats, lambs/sheep, pigs, cows,
Explain what it means by saying “religious and political power overlapped.”
The king was powerful and received his power from the gods
-an economy that relies on tradition; answers three basic questions: what, how to produce and for whom to produce
Trade oriented economy
What mountains bordered Mesopotamia to the north and east?
Taurus, Zagros Mountains
Give four responsibilities of the king.
-ensure his people’s safety
-organize the labor needed to build ziggurats
-religious leader
-law maker
-leader for his army
-collecting taxes
Describe overseas transport and transport by land
Transport goods on boats/used river boats
-animals (donkeys) pulled sleds; used carts
-created roads
Name two things we know about the ancient Mesopotamian’s religious beliefs.
-believed in many gods
-worshiped in a ziggurat
-where ever the sun touched,was god’s property
-astrology
-an ancient, legendary hero of ancient Mesopotamia
-most important story of Mesopotamia
Gilgamesh