Bell Ringer

1
Bell Ringer

• Complete the provided Mesopotamia map
  identification worksheet

2

• The worlds first civilizations all began in
  river valleys.

• The first civilization began in an area known as
  Mesopotamia.

3
Mesopotamia

• Name means land between the rivers.
• Rivers Tigris and Euphrates flooded once per
  year, leaving behind fertile soil ideal for
  farming.
• Entire area is part of the Fertile Crescent
  an arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea in the
  west, through Mesopotamia, to the Persian Gulf in
  the east.

4

• The first society to develop in the Fertile
  Crescent was Sumer.

• Surrounding deserts and the lack of natural
  barriers attracted outsiders to Mesopotamia and
  made the Sumerians vulnerable to attack.

5
Lasting Contributions of Sumer

• Writing
• Sumerians made the worlds first writing system,
  a system of wedges and lines called cuneiform.
• Phoenicians simplified cuneiform to a 22 letter
  alphabet.
• Phoenician merchants spread the alphabet
  throughout the Mediterranean world.
• The alphabet influenced Greek, Latin, English.

6
Lasting Contributions of Sumer (contd)

• Religion
• The Sumerians, just like many other ancient
  civilizations, were polytheistic, meaning they
  believed in many gods.
• Each god had power over different forces of
  nature or parts of the peoples lives.
• Sumerians believed that people were just the
  servants of the gods.
• The ziggurat was a religious structure or temple
  where sacrifices to the gods were made.

7
The Babylonians

• By 2000 B.C.E., Mesopotamia was governed by a
  group of people called Amorites.
• Capital City ? Babylon, located near present day
  Baghdad, Iraq.
• The people were known as the Babylonians.
• Babylonian culture was greatly influenced by the
  Sumerians.

8
Hammurabis Code

• From 1792-1750 B.C. (B.C.E), Babylon was ruled by
  a king named Hammurabi.
• He is known for establishing the worlds first
  organized, written law code, which was based on
  old Sumerian laws.
• These laws helped to establishthe eye for an
  eye principle.

9
Hammurabis Code (contd)

• Hammurabi had the law posted all over Babylon for
  everyone to read.
• The point of the law was to keep the strong from
  taking advantage of the weak.
• The code included civil and criminal law, land,
  trade, as well as military and family law.
• Turning Point in History

10
Exit Ticket

• Develop a Hammurabis Code for our school
• Your code should include at least 5 laws and
  consequences
• Think about things that are important to keep
  order in a school.
• Be realistic! Nothing ridiculous, please