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    Mesopotamia and Egypt

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    LikhitaKaranam
    Civilization emerged in several early societies around 3500 BCE, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and Mesoamerica. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerians established large urban settlements like the city-state of Ur, with complex social hierarchies, governments, religions, and a writing system. The Akkadian Empire later conquered Sumer under Sargon the Great, spreading Sumerian culture. Hammurabi then established the Babylonian Empire, codifying laws. Mesopotamian civilization made advances in irrigation, architecture, trade, literature, science, and mathematics. In Egypt, early dynasties like the Old Kingdom built the pyramids, while the

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    Mesopotamia and Egypt

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    LikhitaKaranam
    35 views32 pages
    Civilization emerged in several early societies around 3500 BCE, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and Mesoamerica. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerians established large urban settlements like the city-state of Ur, with complex social hierarchies, governments, religions, and a writing system. The Akkadian Empire later conquered Sumer under Sargon the Great, spreading Sumerian culture. Hammurabi then established the Babylonian Empire, codifying laws. Mesopotamian civilization made advances in irrigation, architecture, trade, literature, science, and mathematics. In Egypt, early dynasties like the Old Kingdom built the pyramids, while the

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    Civilization emerged in several early societies around 3500 BCE, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and Mesoamerica. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerians established large urban settlements like the city-state of Ur, with complex social hierarchies, governments, religions, and a writing system. The Akkadian Empire later conquered Sumer under Sargon the Great, spreading Sumerian culture. Hammurabi then established the Babylonian Empire, codifying laws. Mesopotamian civilization made advances in irrigation, architecture, trade, literature, science, and mathematics. In Egypt, early dynasties like the Old Kingdom built the pyramids, while the

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    35 views32 pages

    Mesopotamia and Egypt

    Uploaded by

    LikhitaKaranam
    Civilization emerged in several early societies around 3500 BCE, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and Mesoamerica. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerians established large urban settlements like the city-state of Ur, with complex social hierarchies, governments, religions, and a writing system. The Akkadian Empire later conquered Sumer under Sargon the Great, spreading Sumerian culture. Hammurabi then established the Babylonian Empire, codifying laws. Mesopotamian civilization made advances in irrigation, architecture, trade, literature, science, and mathematics. In Egypt, early dynasties like the Old Kingdom built the pyramids, while the

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    CIVILIZATION

    • CHARACTERISTICS
     LARGE URBAN SETTLEMENTS (CITIES)
     VARIED AND COMPLEX SOCIAL STRUCTURE

    • AS MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN


    NONAGRICUTURAL AS IN AGRICULTURAL
    OCCUPATIONS
    HIGHLY ORGANIZED GOVERNMENT
    COMPLEX RELIGIOUS BELIEF SYSTEM
    WRITING SYSTEM
    PIONEER CIVILIZATIONS
    • MESOPOTAMIA
     “LAND BETWEEN TWO
    RIVERS”
    TIGRIS RIVER
    EUPHRATES RIVER
    • EGYPT
     THE GIFT OF NILE
    • INDIA
     INDUS VALLEY
    • CHINA
     HWANG HO
    • MESOAMERICA
    – CENTRAL AMERICA
    – PERU
    SUMER • POPULATION BEGAN TO
    GROW AROUND 3500 BCE
    – NEW VILLAGES APPEARED
    – ESTABLISHED VILLAGES GREW
    IN SIZE AND ABSORBED
    NEIGHBORING TERRITORY
    – PROCESS LED TO THE
    CREATION OF 12 CITY-STATES IN
    REGION
    • CITY STATE: URBAN CENTER
    AND SURROUNDING
    COUNTRYSIDE
    • EACH HAD OWN RULER, OWN
    LAWS, OWN ARMY
    • DID NOT GET ALONG WELL
    WITH EACH OTHER—FOUGHT
    CONSTANTLY
    SUMER

    - Each city-state had a marketplace, temples,


    and houses.

    - Walls around each city-state protected the


    citizens from outside invaders.
    SUMER
    Society
    - Society was made of different classes.

    - Nobles were the wealthiest class, they


    owned all of the land.

    - Some nobles were relatives of the king


    and priests.
    SUMER

    - Most people were commoners.

    - Commoners were merchants, scribes, farmers,


    skilled workers.

    - Commoners could become wealthy by buying land.


    SUMER

    - Clients were the 3rd class of people in Sumer.

    - Clients were people who worked for nobles or


    priests.

    - They were sometimes given land to work on, but


    not own.
    SUMER

    - Slaves were the 4th and lowest class in Sumer.

    - Most slaves were prisoners of war, some were


    slaves due to punishment.

    - Slaves could buy freedom if they could earn or


    borrow money.
    SUMERIAN CITY-STATE (UR)
    Irrigation – bringing water from the river (Tigris
    & Euphrates) and water their crops.

    - Built canals and water raising devices to


    water fields.

    - Built dikes to stop floods and hold water


    in lakes.
    SARGON THE GREAT OF
    • AKKAD
    AKKAD
     NORTH OF SUMER (CENTRAL
    MESOPOTAMIA)
     INHABITANTS ORIGINALLY FROM
    ARABIA
    • MIGRATED TO REGION AROUND
    5000 BCE
    • LIVED NEOLITHIC LIFESTYLE FOR
    MOST PART
    • DIVIDED INTO HOSTILE TRIBES
    • SARGON THE GREAT (2300
    BCE)
     UNITED AKKAD UNDER HIS
    RULE
    SARGON’S EMPIRE
     INVADED AND CONQUERED
    SUMER

     THEN INVADED AND


    CONQUERED MEDITERRANEAN
    MIDDLE EAST

     CREATED WORLD’S FIRST


    EMPIRE

     UNINTENTIONAL CULTURAL
    MISSIONARY

     CARRIED SUMERIAN
    CULTURE TO NEW LANDS IN
    THE MIDDLE EAST
    POLITICAL INSTABILITY
    • SARGON’S EMPIRE COLLAPSED
    AROUND 2130 BC

    • SUMERIAN CITY-STATE OF UR BRIEFLY


    RISES TO DOMINANCE

    • UR DESTROYED BY AMORITES IN 2000


    BC AND REGION IS PLUNGED INTO
    ANARCHY
     AMORITES WERE NOMADIC PEOPLE FROM
    ARABIA
     1800 BCE—CITY-STATE OF BABYLON (NOW
    CONTROLLED BY AMORITES) CREATES “OLD
    BABYLONIAN EMPIRE”
     UNDER KING HAMMURABI
     ENCOMPASSED MOST OF MESOPOTAMIA AND
    MEDITERRANEAN MIDDLE EAST
    MESOPOTAMIAN RELIGION I

    • CENTER OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION

    • POLYTHEISTIC
    – BELIEVED IN NUMEROUS GODS AND GODDESSES, EACH
    WITH A SPECIAL FUNCTION

    • GODS WERE CRUEL, VINDICTIVE, AND PETTY


    – WENT THROUGH GREAT LENGTHS TO KEEP THEM
    APPEASED

    • NEVER MADE A MINOR OR MAJOR DECISION WITHOUT


    CONSULTING GODS FIRST
    MESOPOTAMIAN RELIGION II
     BUILT HUGE TEMPLE
    IN CENTER OF CITY-
    STATE TO PATRON
    GOD

    • ZIGGURAT

    • PATRON GOD OWNED


    ALL LAND IN CITY-
    STATE…ZIGGURAT
    PRIESTS
    ADMINISTERED IT FOR
    HIM-BECAME VERY
    WEALTHY AND
    POWERFUL AS A
    RESULT
    BABYLON
    Babylonians – ruled Mesopotamia
    from 1900 to 1700 B.C.E.

    Hammurabi – the greatest Babylonian


    King.
    HAMMURABI’S CODE
    • ONE OF EARLIEST WRITTEN LAW CODES

    • TELLS MUCH ABOUT MESOPOTAMIAN SOCIETY


    WOMEN WERE LEGALLY SUBSERVIENT TO MEN

    ALL FAMILY MEMBERS WERE COMPLETELY UNDER


    THE POWER OF THE MALE HOUSEHOLD HEAD

    BASED ON LEGAL PRINCIPLE OF “EYE


    FOR AN EYE, TOOTH FOR A TOOTH”
    RESULTED IN BRUTAL PUNISHMENTS

     DEGREE OF INEQUALITY BUILT INTO THE


    CODE
    PUNISHMENT VARIED ACCORDING TO THE
    SOCIAL STATUS OF BOTH THE PERPETRATOR
    AND VICTIM
    NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S
    BABYLON
    CUNIEFORM WRITING
    • MEANS “WEDGE-SHAPED”

    • SYMBOL WRITING ON CLAY


    TABLETS

    • UNDERWENT EVOLUTION OVER


    TIME FROM PICTOGRAMS TO MORE
    ABSTRACT CHARACTERS

    • SYMBOLS STOOD FOR CONCRETE


    OBJECTS AND ABSTRACT
    CONCEPTS

    • NEARLY 2000 DIFFERENT


    CHARACTERS IN ALPHABET

    • TOOK YEARS OF SPECIALIZED


    TRAINING TO MASTER
     RESULT THAT FEW COULD
    READ OR WRITE
    OTHER SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENTS
    • BRICK ARCHITECTURE

    • BRONZE TOOLS AND WEAPONS

    • ENGAGED IN TRADE
    – BETWEEN CITY-STATES
    – WITH AFRICA AND ASIA

    • INVENTED FIRST MONEY

    • ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS FOR TRAINING


    PRIESTS AND SCRIBES

    • CREATED AN ELABORATE LITERATURE


    – EPIC POEM (GILGAMESH)
    – WISDOM LITERATURE

    • INVENTED MEDICINAL DRUGS

    • HAD ACCURATE LUNAR CALENDAR


    ANCIENT EGYPT

    • Nile River
    – Provided abundant
    and reliable source
    of water
    – Flooded every year
    and fertilized its
    valley with silt
    – Made possible a rich
    and diverse
    agriculture
    OLD KINGDOM
    • Zoser, self-styled “king”
    from Upper Egypt
    unites all villages along
    Nile River under his rule
    in 2900 BC

    • 2900-2100 BC

    • Destroyed in 2100 for


    two reasons
    – Civil war
    – Economic burden of
    building and
    maintaining
    pyramids
    MIDDLE KINGDOM
    • Anarchy, 2100-2000 BC

    • Strong rulers emerge again around


    2000 BC
    – Reassert united rule
    – Restored order

    • 2000-1800 BC
    – Cultural life revives
    – Economic prosperity revives
    – Trade links established with
    Palestine, Syria, and Crete

    • Invasion of Hyksos in 1800 BC


    results in their takeover of Lower
    Egypt
    MIDDLE KINGDOM
    - A rise in the middle class
    (there were neither nobles nor
    peasants)
    Types of jobs in the middle class
    - scribes
    - traders
    - government workers
    - land owners
    NEW KINGDOM
    • Ahmose I, “warrior
    pharaoh” from Upper
    Egypt drives Hyksos
    out of Lower Egypt in
    1600 BC

    • Egypt reunited again


    under a native ruler

    • 1600-1100 BC
    EGYPTIAN RELIGION I

    • Gods took various forms


    – Animals (cats and crocodiles)
    – Forces of nature (Nile)
    – Half human/half animal creatures

    • Pharaoh considered a god


    – Human incarnation of Horus, Amon-
    Re, and Osiris
    – All-powerful/ word was law
    – Laws and commands expected to
    preserve ma’at (justice and harmony)
    – Viewed as shepherd of his people
    EGYPTIAN RELIGION II
    • Strong belief in afterlife, as witnessed by
    – Construction of pyramids
    – Mummification of dead
    – Tomb art

    • Priests recited prayers to ensure continued


    existence of dead person’s soul (ka) in the
    afterlife
    – Copied them on walls of tombs in
    hieroglyphics

    • Originally believed that only pharaoh and his


    family could attain immortality
    – Access to afterlife became more
    “democratic” as time went on

    • Afterlife contained same pleasures that


    people enjoyed on earth but without the pain
    The Egyptians created the calendar so
    that they knew when the river was going
    to flood.

    Inundation – The Annual flooding, this


    was from May to September.

    - During this time the people worked on


    building projects.
    Emergence – Water returns to the river ,
    this was from September to February.

    During this time people traped water in


    ponds and planted seeds in mud.

    Drought – February to May, during this


    time the river is normal.

    - People harvest their crops.


    A Surplus of Food

    - Surplus of wheat, barley, and dates used


    for trade.

    - Mediterranean coast-traded for cedar and


    pine timber.
    *used for boats and furniture

    - African coast- traded for ivory, ebony, pet


    monkeys.
    OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
    • Amazing engineering skills in
    building pyramids

    • Effective system of
    mathematics

    • Accurate 365-day solar


    calendar

    • Doctors could correctly


    diagnose a large number of
    illnesses, understood that
    unclean conditions caused
    infection, and had some
    knowledge of anatomy
    RESULTS OF EMPIRE
    • Greatly enriched Egypt

    • Led to the creation of a


    professional army

    • Increase the power of


    priests
    – Temples received a
    percentage of the
    spoils of conquest

    • Accelerated Egyptian
    cultural and commercial
    contacts with other
    regions in the Middle
    East and Africa

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