Why is it important for people (especially farmers) to settle nearrivers & streams?

  • ______.

Mesopotamia

  • The region between the ______and the ______is known as ______.
  • One of the first villages to emerge was ______. The villagers were called ______.

What defines the term “Civilization?”

  • ______Traits that are Essential for a Civilization
  • 1. ______
  • Not Just Population growth, but also a ______emerges for a larger area. Farmers, Merchants, Traders bring goods to market in the cities.
  • 2. ______workers became skilled in one particular job.
  • Ex. ______: Workers who made goods by hand.
  • Farmers were able to produce more than what was needed for themselves. They had a surplus of crops and were able to trade their extra goods for a different good or service. (An end to______)
  • 3. ______
  • Enables people to make records of data. Merchants needed accounts of debts and payments.
  • The Sumerians created ______, which is a system of writing with wedge-shaped symbols. (Around 3,000 B.C.)
  • Cuneiform Tablets (see image on left)
  • Imprints of signs, called cuneiform, were made by pressing a wedge-shaped stylus into wet clay.
  • 4. ______
  • The Sumerians were skilled in science & technology.
  • Ex. Invention of the wheel, plow, sailboat.
  • Use of bronze (mixture of ______& ______) —”Bronze Age”
  • 5. ______
  • Having an organizational system to run a city. (This is a ______that is essential for a civilization.)
  • ______is an example of a complex institution.

Polytheism- ______.

  • The Sumerians were ______. They believed that their gods were a lot like them except they were______& ______.
  • Anu- “God of Heaven”
  • Enlil- “God of Clouds & Air”
  • Ea- “God of Water & Floods.
  • Afterlife: Sumerians believed that their souls went to “______,”a gloomy place between the earth’s crust & the ancient sea.

Who ruled Sumer?

  • ______& ______
  • Priests had power because they “______” and keep the city safe.
  • Sumerians began by choosing a strong warrior to lead them into battle. These leaders eventually became kings. Kings became a ______position.

Sumer’s Downfall

  • For 1,000 years (3,000-2,000 B.C.) the city-states of Sumer were at war with one another.
  • All the fighting weakened the city-states so much that they could no longer ward off attacks from outsiders (______).
  • 2,000 B.C. Nomadic raiders swept through ______, leaving it in ruins, thus ending the last of the great city-states.

Turning Point In History: “______”

  • Around 2,000 B.C. a group of nomadic warriors known as the Amorites invaded Mesopotamia.
  • The Amorites established ______as their capital city.

Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.) was a powerful and influential king.

  • Babylon’s civilization was becoming so complex that there was a need for written laws to help resolve disputes.
  • Hammurabi established a collection of laws that became known as “______”
  • Purpose of Hammurabi’s Code
  • There are 282 specific laws.
  • 88 Laws deal with marriage, family, property.
  • 3 Fundamental Principles:
  • 1. ______to punish crimes. (Eye for an Eye)
  • 2. ______(Double Standards existed between social classes).
  • 3. ______had a responsibility for what occurred in society.

Jews & Monotheism

  • Monotheist: ______.
  • The Jews were one of the smallest groups in the ancient Fertile Crescent, but their influence on history was far-reaching.
  • Moses & the Ten Commandments
  • By the laws set forth to Moses, God demanded a high standard of moral conduct from human beings. This emphasis on ______, ______, and an ______with God set Judaism apart.
  • These ideas marked the birth of a set of religious traditions, the impact of which has lasted for thousands of year.
  • Capable Kings:
  • ______, ______, ______-- Their kingdom…______.

Assyrian Empire Rises and Falls (850-612 B.C.)

  • The Iron Age made it possible for the Assyrians to conquer and rule a large empire.
  • Iron ______and Iron ______made for well equipped warriors.
  • The Assyrians were known for their ______because they were the most ______army to date.
  • The Assyrians had shown that it was possible to build an empire based on fear and harsh government.

Persian Empire (550 – 350 B.C.)

  • The Persian Empire was a giant empire that arose in Southwest Asia that was built upon ______and ______. (Unlike the ______)
  • Cambyses successor was ______who governed the fragile empire by using ______power.
  • Darius used two important tools to hold the empire together.
  • Excellent Road System called the “______”
  • ______.—The whole empire had a universal money system to trade with.