SECTION 3: THE LEGACY OF MESOPOTAMIA

I. Hammurabi’s Code

-Hammurabi ruled __________________________ from about 1792

to 1750 B.C. He set down rules for everyone in his empire to follow.

These rules are known as _________________________________.

The Code told the people of Babylonia how to settle conflicts in all

_________________________________________.

-Hammurabi’s Code, which was based partly on earlier

____________________ codes, contained ________ laws organized

into categories such as trade, labor, property, and family.

-Hammurabi’s Code was based on the idea of “_________________

_________________.” In other words, punishment should be similar

to the crime committed.

-However, the code did not apply ______________ to all people. The

harshness of the punishment depended on how important the victim

and the lawbreaker were. The higher the class of victim, _________

_______________________________________________________.

II. The Art of Writing

-Writing first developed in _____________________________

around _________________ B.C. Long before Hammurabi issued his

code, the people of _________________ had developed a system of

writing.

-Writing met the need _______________ had to keep ___________.

-Since only a few people could write, it was one of the most valuable

skills in the ancient world. ____________________ held positions of

great respect in Mesopotamia.

-The scribes of Sumer recorded sales and _____________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________.

-None of these records were written on _______________, however.

________________ had not yet been invented. Instead, the scribes

of Mesopotamia kept their notes and records on _______________.

-The Tigris and Euphrates rivers washed __________ down from the

mountains each year, and scribes shaped the soft, wet _______ into

tablets. When the ____________ dried, it was a permanent record.

-Like most inventions, writing developed _____________________.

Long before the Sumerians invented writing, they used shaped

pieces of clay as _____________ or _________________ to keep

records of how many animals were bought and sold or how much

food had been grown. By_____________ B.C., this form of

recordkeeping had developed into writing.

-At first, written words were symbols that represented ___________

___________. As people learned to record ideas as well as facts, the

symbols changed.

-Eventually, scribes combined symbols to make groups of wedges

and lines known as ___________________.

SECTION 3: THE LEGACY OF MESOPOTAMIA

I. Hammurabi’s Code

-Hammurabi ruledBabylonfrom about 1792 to 1750 B.C. He set

down rules for everyone in his empire to follow. These rules are

known as Hammurabi’s Code. The code told the people ofBabylonia

how to settle conflicts in all areas of life.

-Hammurabi’s Code, which was based partly on earlier Sumerian

codes, contained 282 laws organized into categories such as trade,

labor, property, and family.

-Hammurabi’s Code was based on the idea of “an eye for an eye.” In

other words, punishment should be similar to the crime committed.

-However, the code did not apply equally to all people. The

harshness of the punishment depended on how important the victim

and the lawbreaker were. The higher the class of victim, the greater

the penalty was.

II. The Art of Writing

-Writing first developed inMesopotamiaaround 3100 B.C. Long

before Hammurabi issued his code, the people ofSumerhad

developed a system of writing.

-Writing met the need Sumerians had to keep records.

-Since only a few people could write, it was one of the most valuable

skills in the ancient world. Scribes held positions of great respect in

Mesopotamia.

-The scribes ofSumerrecorded sales and trades, tax payments, gifts

for the gods, and marriages and deaths.

-None of these records were written on paper, however. Paper had

not yet been invented. Instead, the scribes ofMesopotamiakept

their notes and records on clay.

-The Tigris andEuphratesrivers washed clay down from the

mountains each year, and scribes shaped the soft, wet clay into

tablets. When the clay dried, it was a permanent record.

-Like most inventions, writing developed over time. Long before the

Sumerians invented writing, they used shaped pieces of clay as

tokens or symbols to keep records of how many animals were

bought and sold or how much food had been grown. By 3100 B.C.,

this form of recordkeeping had developed into writing.

-At first, written words were symbols that represented specific

objects. As people learned to record ideas as well as facts, the

symbols changed.

-Eventually, scribes combined symbols to make groups of wedges

and lines known as cuneiform.