Ch. 2 - Mesopotamia
ANCIENT WORLD HISTORY NOTES
Chapter 2: Mesopotamia: The First Cities (4000 B.C. - 500 B.C.)
Geography of the Fertile Crescent
1. Tigris-Euphrates
-rivers which begin in modern Turkey and deposit in the Persian Gulf
-provided needed for the early cities which began along their shores
-did not flood in regular intervals
2. Mesopotamia
-Greek word for "land between the rivers"
-where one of the earliest known civilizations of the ancient world began
-where the world’s first cities were formed
3. Fertile Crescent
-region of fertile soil extending from the Nile Valley of Egypt, along the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and south through the Tigris and Euphrates valley
-farming originated here during the 9th millennium BC
Empires of Mesopotamia
4. Sumeria
-Mesopotamian civilization in which the first cities developed
-cities began to battle over control of water and political power
5. City-States
-small politically independent areas
-built for protection against the lawlessness of the region
6. Citadel
-protected area inside the city walls
7. Ziggurats
-a high religious tower built in the center of Mesopotamian cities
-built with a temple structure at the top
-constructed of mud brick
-thought to be used as an altar or as a stairway to the gods
8. Lugal-gal-
-Sumerian leader known as “Big Man”
-probably the first leader of a Sumerian state
9. Puabi-
-Sumerian Queen who had 1,800 others buried with her at the Royal Cemetery of Ur
-some of the tombs were robbed during ancient times, but some (including her’s) remained in tact
10. Leonard Woolley-
-British archeologist known for his excavations of Puabi’s tombs at Ur
-the first to use a more scientific approach to archeology rather than the “treasure hunt” style used by others
-his discoveries gave great insight to the ancient Mesopotamian world
11. Lapis Lazuli
-a deep blue gemstone found in Arabia
-became as expensive as gold in the ancient world
-the first gemstone to be worn as jewelry
12. Standard of Ur
-4,500 year old box found in a royal cemetery in the ancient Sumerian city
-depicts scenes of war and leadership
-found by British archeologist Leonard Woolley in 1922
-one of the earliest artifacts found in Sumerian civilization
13. Cuneiform
-means "wedge shape" or “wedge form”
-a system of writing first used in Mesopotamian and later throughout the ancient Middle East
-originated in Sumer around the ancient city of Uruk about 3000 B.C.
-inscribed on clay and left to harden in the hot sun
-began as pictograph writing and gradual simplified and standardized into symbols
14. Scribes-
-had the position of recording all the important information of the Mesopotamian cities
-well educated in using cuneiform
15. Epic of Gilgamesh
-an epic Akkadian poem centering on the futile human quest for immortality
-it exists in several different volumes, none of which are complete
-centers around the great flood story, similar to the biblical story of Noah
16. Akkadia-
-war like people who lived in the region north of the first Sumerian cities
-conquered the Sumerians
-adopted and even added to the early Sumerian culture
17. Sargon
-known as “the Great” or “True King”
-ruled Akkadia in the northern region of Mesopotamia
-created the world’s first empire by capturing the city-states of Sumer
18. Babylon
-ancient city located in the lower Tigris-Euphrates valley, present day southern Iraq
-it was the capital city of an important early empire, Babylonia
-also an important religious center
19. Gate of Ishtar
-the most important of the eight gates that entered ancient city of Babylon
-in honor of the Sumerian goddess of fertility, love, and war
-recognized by it’s bright blue color and decorated walls
20. Hammurabi
-ruled Babylon between 1792 and 1750 BC
-known as avery capable administrator and a successful warrior
-conquered the Sumarian cities
-his kingdom marks the beginning of the golden age of Semitic culture
21. Code of Hammurabi
-most lasting contribution of Hammurabi
-consists of a code of 282 written laws
-based on the long standing Sumerian principal of an “eye for an eye”
-became a model for future laws
-a stele bearing the code was discovered in Susa, Iran, in 1901
22. Nebuchadnezzar II
-most important of the Chaldean kings, reigning from 605 to 562 BC
-captured and destroyed the Jewish city of Jerusalem, including the temple built by Solomon, and enslaved the Jewish population
-engaged in numerous building projects, especially in the city of Babylon
23. Hanging Gardens
-built by Nebuchadnezzar II to remind his Persian wife of her homeland
-the high terraced garden created a majestic view of the land around it
-many came to view the gardens from across the ancient world
-one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World
24. Tower of Babel
-biblical account refers to a tower to reach heaven causing the confusion of language
-thought to be a seven stage ziggurat built in the 6th and 7th century
25. Assyrians
-decendance of the Akkadian empire
-conquered Mesopotamia in the early 1200s B.C.
26. Ashurbanirpal II
-Assyria reached it’s height under his rule
-developed a learning center within the empire which resulted in scientific and artistic advancements
-library of Ashurbanirpal was not duplicated in the ancient world
-developed magnificent palaces, temples, and gardens
27. Nineveh
-impressive capital city of Assyria (located across the Tigris River from modern Mosul)
-contained more than 7.5 miles of city wall and fifteen gates
-canals brought water to the Gardens of Ashurbanirpal
-the city was eventually destroyed by the Babylonians marking an end of Assyrian dominance in Mesopotamia
28. Cyrus the Great
-founder of the Persian Empire, one of the world’s earliest and most powerful empires
-united and expanded all the Mesopotamian cultures
29. Gifts of the Mesopotamians
-study of plants and minerals (we still use many Assyrian words)
-algebra
-astronomy
-divisions of time (same as we use today)
-produced the authors of the Old Testament
The Origins of Judaism
30. Abraham
-born and lived in the Sumarian city of Ur
-worked as a shepherd and later married his half-sister Sarah
-preached a monotheistic religion, belief in god Yahweh
-led the early Hebrews from Mesopotamia to Canaan
31. Hebrews
-early believers in the monotheistic religion
-early Jews who’s teachings will eventually become basis for three Middle Eastern religions
32. Canaan
-region of land along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea
-fertile soil, fresh water, and rainfall
-also called ”the promise land” “land flowing with milk and honey”
33. Twelve Tribes of Israel
-refers to the groups headed by the great-grandsons of Abraham
-sons of Jacob (called Israel)
34. Moses
-saved from death as an infant by being placed in a basket of reeds and placed in the Nile River
-saved by Ramses II’s daughter and grew up in the home of the pharaoh
-went into hiding after killing an Egyptian guard, beating a Hebrew slave
-negotiated the released of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery
-guided the Hebrews through the Sinai Peninsula to return to Canaan
35. Exodus
-refers to Egypt's harsh treatment of the Israelis and the escape of the Israelites from their bondage
36. Ten Commandments
-basic set of divine laws forming the fundamental ethical code of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
-according to the biblical narrative Moses broke the tablets in anger when he found his people worshiping a Golden Calf
37. Saul
-united the Twelve Tribes, becoming the first king of Israel
-selected for his knowledge and bravery in battle
-fought off the Philistine enemies
-became preoccupied with the power of his leading general, David
-killed himself rather than be captured by the Philistines
38. David
-second and probably the most famous king of Israel
-struggled for power with Saul and later Saul’s heirs after his death
-made Jerusalem the political and religious capital of Israel
-reign was marred by an adulterous affair with Bathsheba to which a son was born
39. Solomon
-son of Bathsheba and successor of King David
-because of his position, ruthlessly eliminating all the potential threats to his rule
-stabilized the military situation and spent excess money on major building projects, including the famous Temple of Jerusalem
-was legendary for his wisdom
40. Torah
-Hebrew word meaning "instruction"
-Jewish holy book
-contains the first five books of the bible
41. Dead Sea Scrolls
-Hebrew manuscripts discovered in caves along the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea
-they were left there by a Jewish community that lived in the area around the time of Christ
-elaborate on the ancient Hebrew stories
-preserved in dry caves for almost 2,000 years, all the scrolls show some damage