Geography & Sumerian Origins
Modern-day Iraq sits inside this region whose name translates to "land between the rivers.
What is Mesopotamia?
The religious worldview holding that many gods controlled nature and possessed human qualities.
What is polytheism?
The famous Babylonian king who created the first written code of 282 laws for people to read. "An eye for and eye".
Who is Hammurabi?
The ancient ancestors of the Jews (2000–1500 BC) whose writings formed the foundation of the Bible.
Who are the Hebrews?
The initial legendary leader whose foundational work launched the great eastern empire.
Who is Cyrus?
The curved strip of rich, flood-enriched soil stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.
What is the Fertile Crescent?
The wedge-shaped writing system pressed into clay tablets to keep track of business records and laws.
What is cuneiform?
A brutal military power known for utilizing iron weapons, slavery, and terror to control captured soldiers.
What are the Assyrians?
The first five books of scripture containing the core laws and teachings of the faith.
What is the Torah?
The administrative regional governors appointed by kings to help manage a massive international territory.
What are Satraps?
The earliest civilization in southern Mesopotamia known for creating the first major urban culture.
What is Sumer?
The greatest surviving story from early literature, preserved on clay tablets.
What is the Epic of Giligamesh?
The empire that created a calendar based on moon phases and built one of the Seven Ancient Wonders.
Who are the Chaldeans?
The formal religious tradition focused on prayer, dietary rules, and obedience to divine law.
What is Judaism?
The dynamic duo of imperial rulers—one who built a permanent paid army, and his son who unsuccessfully tried to conquer Greece.
Who are Darius/Xerxes?
Independent political units consisting of a city and its surrounding land, each with its own government.
What are city-states?
This group established the kingdom that King Hammurabi later united to form the Babylonian Empire.
Who are the Amorites?
The specific ruler who captured Jerusalem, rebuilt Babylon, and constructed the Hanging Gardens.
Who is Nebuchadnezzar?
The historical journey where Moses led the enslaved population out of bondage in Egypt.
What is the Exodus?
The sprawling geopolitical dominion governed by Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes featuring grand gold-decorated columned halls and roads.
What is the Persian Empire?
Massive stepped pyramid structures built by Sumerians where powerful priests held great authority.
What are ziggurats?
Conquerors from modern-day Turkey who used 3-man, horse-drawn chariots to overthrow the Babylonians.
Who are the Hittites?
Seafaring traders who dominated Mediterranean commerce and developed a foundational alphabet.
Who are the Phoenicians?
The forced scattering of the Jewish population outside of Judah after foreign conquerors destroyed Solomon's Temple.
What is Disporia?
When comparing the different contributions across all these groups in this unit, from early writing systems to vast imperial road networks, these accumulated achievements mark the permanent transition from basic farming villages into complex urban what?
What is civilization?