MESOPOTAMIA

( Iraq, today)
-Cradle of Civilization
-Land between two rivers- Tigres-Euphrates river system
Bronze Age of Mesopotamia
Civilization
a. Sumer
Euph
b. Akkadian
c. Babylonia
d. Assyria
River

4 Important

1. Mesopotamia Tigres2. Egypt - Nile River

3. India Indus Valley
4. China - Yellow

Iron Age was controlled

a. Neo-Babylonia
b. Neo-Assyria
Dominated Mesopotamia
a. Sumerian
b. Akkadian
c. Assyrian
d. Babylonian
e. Persia

Important Leaders
King Ur
Sargon
Ashuruballi and Tiglah-Pileser
Hammurabi
King Cyrus

The Iron Age, it was controlled by the Neo- Assyrian and

Neo- Babylonian Empires. The Babylonia fell of Babylon in

539 BC to Alexander, the Great in 332 BC and after his

death, it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire

4 Important cities of Mesopotamia Major Territorial States

1. Uruk
2. Nippur
3. Nineveh
4. Assur
Empire

1. Eridu
2. Akkadian Kingdom
3. Third Dynasty of Ur
4. Various Assyrian

Why Mesopotapia
Perish?
1. Calamities
2. Flood
3. Wild animals
4. Invasion
A.
History starts in
Sumer
It was the first and most important civilization in
Mesopotamia
The crucial elements the sets the Sumer apart from
their nomadic neighbors was the practice of irrigation
and farming
Soon villages sprang up, with larger scale, planned
irrigation projects
Made great amount of surplus food
They traded with items that they do not have such as
copper, jewelry and weapons
Trade stimulated the formation of cities

 This was the first place on earth where everyone

did not need to be engage in getting or
producing food
Merchants , traders and artisans, those with skills, and
creative works lived in the cities of Sumer
They traded or made goods in exchange for surplus
food produced in the country side
Some men formed armies to protect their cities
and expand the territories
Around every Sumerian city stood huge walls made of
mud and brick, to protect the city from attack
Sumer lasted for about 3,000-2,000BC. It collapsed
because of frequent wars
Most prominent building temple or the ziggurat
They believe that the place is owned by the gods and
the goddess
Southern Mesopotamia
Priests and priestesses played an important role
in administration, making the state a theocracy
(government by a divine authority)
Their economy, primarily agricultural, but there is also
commerce and industry
Foreign trade are for royal monopoly.they imported
luxury items
They invented the wheel
The constant wars, left many Sumerians in deep despair. It
became open to invasion.

B.

Akkadians

 They are called the Semitic people because of the type

of language they spoke
Sargon, their leader, overran the Sumerian city-states
and established an empire that included most of the
Mesopotamia
They eventually disintegrated and it end brought a
return to warring city-states, until Ur Nammu of Ur ,
succedded in reunifying Mesopotamia

C.Old Babylon (or Amorites)

With the coming of the Amorites, under Hammurabi,
bronze dagger a large group, a Semitic, -speaking semi
nomads, created a new empire they employed a well
army-disciplined army of foot soldiers, who carried axes
spears or copper or bronze. He gained control of
Sumer and Akkad and reunified Mesopotamia.
After his conquest, He called himself Sun of
Mesopotamia (Hammurabi) and Babylon became the
new capital.
He was a man of war and man of peace. He
assimilated the Mesopotamian cultured despite
Sumerians non existing.
An archeologists found his collection of letters, reveals
that he took a strong interest in state of affairs.

 Hammurabi established a set of laws for Mesopotamia.

The concept of law applies to all, or none at
all, is called the Law of Hammurabi

King Nebuchadnezzar's Palace in Ancient Babylon

The Code of Hammurabi / Hammurabi Unites Mesopotamia/Creates

Code of Laws

D.
Persia Old Persian Empire or Achaemenid
Empire was the first empire in Western and Central
Asia, in 6th Century BCE by Cyrus, the Great, the
dynasty draws its name from king Achaemenis, who
once ruled Persia. Cyrus the Great, defeated Kingdoms
of Media and Lydia and the Babylonian Empire to form
the Achaemenid Empire.
The territories conquered:
a. The three continents, Africa, Asia and Europe
b. Iran
f. Syria
c. Iraq
g, Palestine
d. Jordan
h. Lebanon
e. Israel
The disunification of this region was caused by the
invasion of Alexander, the Great, when he took
advantage the weakening empire
Contribution of Persia:
Zoroastrianism, became known religion in the empire

 Official Language : Aramaic

Centralized government

PERSIAN CARPET