ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

(MODERN IRAQ)
Introduction: Origin & Development
• Mesopotamia-Greek word meaning:
– The flat land between two rivers (Tigris
& Euphrates)
– Also means ‘Fertile Crescent’
(traditional Garden of Eden)
– Initially inhabited by nomads- Semitic
language Family (Hebrew & Arabs)
– Late became builders & Farmers in the South
– Civilization begun 3500BC in the cities of
Sumer, Kish, Ur, Nippur, Uruk & Umma
 Geography:
• Land:
– Steep and difficult with temp raising to
38 in summer and rainfall low- 10inches
– Rain unpredictable
• Spring- rivers flooded the valley
– Rain re news soil fertility
– Snow melt, not rain (little vs. lots of snow,
fast melt vs. slow melt)
–
 Economic life:
• Crops grown: wheat, barley, vegetables-
onions, leeks, & dates
• Animals reared: Donkeys, cows, goats,
pigs & sheep
• Surplus produces allowed Sumerians to
result to other activities. Resulting to:
• Production of bricks
• Invention of potter wheel
• Pottery
• Use of bronze
 Challenges:
• Control of flooded rivers
• Keeping up a stable irrigation system
• Keeping off enemies –
 Socio-political system/Government
Each Sumerian city was independent of others
Characterized war-
Cities emerged same time & overlapped with
time
Rivalry- land, water & trade, mainly land &
water

 Leader- Highest priest (priest-king)- theocratic

Priests had supreme authority-
Sumerians believed that the land & city-state
was owned by gods and priests ruled on behalf
of the gods
 Social Structure
 Based on level of dependency & freedom
enjoyedNobles (Kings, Priests, Palace officials)

Free Clients (Dependent
on the Nobility

Commoners (Free Citizens) Protected by law

Slaves (Foreigners, prisoners

of wars
criminals, debtors)
 Social System Cont’d…..
Women protected by dowry
Men had absolute power
 sickness- caused by magic & evil spirits
Education:
Only the rich kids went to school particularly the boys
Maths, Botany, linguistics & writing

 Religion:
Polytheist society- divided among functions tried to
control the earth
 rain, sun, storms, water, wisdom
Ziggurat-
 Cont’d……
Desert
Feudalism system:
Petty-statism:
Polarization:
 Political Organizations:
 Two main political settings:
 Confederate city-state
Initially organized as city-state
 Loose confederate city/states – 100
square

 Empire
Emerges when people are conquered & are
absorbed into a larger political system


 Political Organizations:
 Famous Kings:
Sumerian Empire – Lugal Zagge
Akkadian - Sargon Akkad
Guti – Ur- Nammu
Old Babylon Empire- Hammurabi
Assyrian
Persian Empire unit- Satrapy or Province
 Genesis of Civilization:
Started by Sumerian who settled on the lower
Tigris-Euphrates
Created a form of writing Cuneiform
Development of dykes, canals & irrigation ditches
irrigation
First to use fertilizer & invent glass
Use of silver as a means of exchange
Invent the wheel, cart & carriage

Formulated laws- based on ‘tit for tat’ or lex

talionis
Believed in Heroism- example of Hero stories-
Gilgameshas- recorded in Epic of Gilgamesh
 Akkadian - Sargon (2300-2200):
 Overthrew Sumerian govt
 Retained social & administrative systems of
Sumerian
 Characterized by invasion of foreign lands
 Authoritarian regime-
 Faced by external attacks & internal revolts
 Guti Empire:
 Nomad community from Zagros mountains
 Destroyed urban set up & imposed militaristic
system
 Features:
 Decline in trade
Anarchy as result of military coups & counter
coups
Only one successful king- Ur-Nammu (2113-
2000)

 Collapse of the empire attributed to foreign

attacks & division of the country by two powers
 Amorites (Old-Babylonian)-
 Hammurabi (1792-1750)
 Systematized law (Hammurabi code)
 Composed of 300 laws set in a public place
 Royal taxation
 Compulsory military services
 Treason & sedition – serious offense
 Protected women & children- dowry property of
the women

 Amorites (Old-Babylonian)-
Just society
 Economy of willing buyer & seller
 Law of partnership, title deeds, wills &
interest
 Encouraged working on farms to ensure self-
sufficiency
 Assyrians - King Sennacherib
 Brutal & militaristic people- destroyed rather
than built
 Methods used to establish govt were ruthless-
instill fear & obedience

 Building constructed
 Administrative & military center for population
control to minimize rebellion
 Propaganda- make people fear the king
 Assyrians - King Sennacherib
 Characteristics:
 Commerce & industry not promoted- lowered
dignity of soldiers
 Agriculture main stay
 Trade was for non-Assyrians
 Intellectual contributions- military & health
provision for military
 Art
Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Resurgence
 King Nebuchadnezzar (Medes- Iran)
 Astrologers- divided the sky into 12 parts
(Zodiac)
 Invented 7 day week
 Divided day into 120 minutes
 Charted the movements of planets & eclipses of
the sun & moon
 Invented 360 degree-circle
 King Nebuchadnezzar militarism led to
formation of Hebrew Empire (Judah)
 Enslaved them in Neo-Babylon
 Hebrew (Israelites, Jews)
 History contained in the Torah
 Trace their origin in Sumerian city- Ur
 1950 BC – Abraham made covenant with
God- Ur
 Ur under attack by the Elemites (Iran)
 Migrated to Palestine
 12 tribes migrated to Egypt – 1600 BC under
Hyksos
 After Hyksos were overthrown – Hebrews
were enslaved – Biblical bondage
 Moses led them & led them to Canaan arrived
in Canaan – Joshua (1200BC)
 Hebrew Cont’d……
 Moses led them & led them to Canaan
arrived in Canaan – Joshua (1200BC)
 Followed by the leadership of the judges
which ended in 1020 BC- Saul united the two
tribes
 Followed by David & Solomon built the
temple (First Temple)
 Solomon was extravagant – caused to cede
20 cities in Galilee in lieu of payment leading
to hostility with his subjects
 Hostility continued during leadership of
Solomon’s son- Rehoboam
 Hebrew Cont’d……
 The rise of two nations in Israel- Israel & Judah
 Israel (North of Palestine) & Judah (South)
 Divided Kingdom resulted to idolatry
 Division led to attacks by foreigners – Israel
(Assyrians) & Judah (Chaldeans)
 Attacks scattered the Hebrews all over the world
resulting to 10 lost tribes of Israel
 Nebuchadnezzar II & Israel
 Hebrews (Judah) were incarcerated in Babylon
 Conspired with King Cyrus of Persian overthrew Neb
 Mesopotamia became a province of Persia & some
Hebrews returned to Israel
 Those who remianed in Babylon (Disapora) – refers
to Jews living outside Israel
 Hebrew Cont’d……
 The return of the Jews:
 Jews from Judah tried to rebuild the temple
but never succeeded coz of constant attacks

 Attacked by Alexander the Great, King

Antiochus (Syria), Herod (Roman)

 King Herod renamed it Judea & destroyed

when the Jews tried to rebel leading to second
wave of Jews migration to Europe

 Hebrew Cont’d……
 Jews & Discrimination:
 1096- Christian crusade persecuted &
discriminated non-Christians
 Jews required to wear a badge or special
clothes that would categorize them as Jews
 Lived in separated communities- Ghettos
 Jews lost right to own land & became money
lenders & peddlers
 England & France expel Jews – settled in
Poland & Germany
 Hebrew Cont’d……
Enlightenment Age (1700s) & Plight of Jews:
 Period marked by ideas of liberty & equality- in
Europe

 Resulted into tolerance of Jews, emancipation

and acceptance of Jews as citizens in individual
European countries
1800s- Anti-semitism re-emerged when writers-
Germany tried to proof that Jews were inferior to
Aryans
 1849 a Jewish French army officer accused of
treason

 Hebrew Cont’d……
Enlightenment Age (1700s) & Plight of Jews:
 Then Jews decided only solution to anti-
semitism was a Jewish independent state
 Creation of Zionist movement
 Zionist movement begun by buying land in
Palestine & established farms in Tel-Aviv
 During WWII – anti-semitism in parts of Europe
lead to the death of 6 million Jews
 Israel – created in 1948 (Britain & US)
 Jewish religious & national identity could be
developed
 PERSIAN EMPIRE
 Established by Cyrus the Great
 Leader of Southern Persian tribes but
considered himself leader of Asia Minor
 Succeeded by Cambyses- conquered Egypt
 Darius- conquer Greece
 Key Contributions:
 Religion – Zoroastrianism (600BC) & Mithraism
(400BC)