Success Story
Mesopotamia became a powerful civilization because of its....
Surplus food production
Mesopotamia means
land between two rivers
Define Patriarchal society
Men had absolute power and were decision makers
Form of writing
Cunieform
Temple in mesopotamia
Ziggurat
Floods provided......
fertile soil for agriculture
Mesopotamia is present day
Iraq
Jobs in Mesopotamia
farmer, weaver, fisherman, potter, scribe, priest, king, govt official, trader, musician, artisan
First ruler to unite city states and establish an empire
Sargon of Akkad
Role of priest
Honor Gods and perform rituals and sacrifice
3 Inventions related to agriculture
Plow, irrigation systems, calendar, wheel
Name the landforms around Mesopotamia
Mediterranean sea- West and North
Persian gulf - South
Tigris and Euphrates River
Taurus and Zagros mountains North and East
Syrian desert- West
Define Tradition oriented economy (Daily Double)
Work was divided, and goods were exchanged in this type of economy.
Jobs might be passed down from parent to child, and farm plots might be shared communally by neighbors.
Hammurabi's accomplishments
Created Hammurabi's code- first law and order
present days law system inspired from this
What did Mesopotamians buy and sell?
They sold: Oils, grains, and woven textiles
They bought from others: wine, precious metals, jewels, and timber(wood)
Importance of trade in Mesopotamia (Daily Double)
get items that they did not produce
meet other outside cultures
traveled to trading centers through land and sea
Climate of Mesopotamia
dry and arid. Droughts, or extended periods with little or no rainfall, were common
Role of women
Weren't taught to read or write
household chores, raise kids, weave clothing, midwives
Name all empires that ruled Mesopotamia
Akkadian
Babylonian
Assyrians
Neo- Babylonians
Persian
Life of slaves
Enslaved people were at the bottom of the social pyramid
Some enslaved people were free after three years but some were enslaved forever
Why was Mesopotamia a prime target for invasion?
Fertile land, lack of natural barrier for protection, close to rivers and water bodies, surplus food production
How did Mesopotamians overcome the lack of natural resources?
controlled flood
irrigation system for steady supply of water
city walls and army for protection
trade to get other resources
agricultural innovation for successful farming
Challenges faced by traders n land and sea route
long distance to travel,
Sea travel was rough because of weather and pirates
lack of water, threat from thieves
Role of King
organized labor needed to build and maintain ziggurats and other important buildings.
The king created laws, collected taxes, and established and led the army
The king’s officials were in charge of administrative duties.
Importance of Calendar in Mesoptamia
Mesopotamians created calendar system to help improve their agriculture in their region. The calendar helped them understand the seasons and know about floods.
Their calendar was based on the moon cycle instead of the modern day calendar which is based on the Earth’s movement around the sun.
The calendar had 12 months and 30 days in each month.