Mesopotamia

Who were the Amorites?

"Old Babylonians." Also taken over by the Akkadian empire

Enuma Elish

"When on High", a Mesopotamian myth of creation recounting the struggle between cosmic order and chaos. it is basically a myth of the cycle of seasons.

Characteristics of the Ubaidians

5500 BCE, the Ubaidians, a pre-urban culture lived in large villages, first temples in Mesopotamia, Grow wheat, barley and lentils, raise sheep, goats, and cattle. Ubaidian sites include Lagash, Eridu and Ur.

How did the Mesopotamians advance to civilization?

Individual farms became farming villages then Villages evolved into Towns then Towns grew into Cities (centralized authority) then Cities produced Civilization

What does Mesopotamia mean?

Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning 'between the rivers'.

Who were these ancient rulers in Mesopotamian civilizations and what are they most known for?

Sargon the Great: 2850 BCE Akkadian warlord conquered and united city-states created a dynastic empire Hammurabi: united the southern mesopotamia under his rule, one of the greatest rulers of ancient times, created the CODE OF HAMMURABI, outstanding general, the Patron of the Arts,

Which ancient civilizations inhabited areas within the Fertile Crescent?

Sumerians, Akkadians, and Egyptians lived there

Ancient Mesopotamian people were:

Sumerians, Amorites, Akkadians, Assyrians

What is an important symbol in Mesopotamian culture?

The mountain is an important symbol in Mesopotamian religion, representing the mysterious forces of life which bring rain and fertility.

What two rivers was Mesopotamia between?

The rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates which flow through modern Iraq. The Euphrates also flows through much of Syria.

What is Uruk?

Uruk was an ancient city of Sumer and later Babylonia, situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates river, on the dried-up, ancient channel of the Euphrates Rive

ziggurat Semitic: relating to Hebrew and Arabic language Enuma Elish: "When on High", a Mesopotamian myth of creation recounting the struggle between cosmic order and chaos. it is basically a myth of the cycle of seasons. Gilgamesh: historical king of Uruk, story written on clay table, first written in Sumerian

a rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple, made of mud brick that appear to have served as temples to the ancient gods of Mesopotamia.

What is the Fertile Crescent?

an ancient area of fertile soil and important rivers stretching in an arc from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates

Who were the Sumerians?

between Tigris and Euphrates river, invented urbanization and bronze age technology, spoke a language not related to any other language, invented writing, invented epic hero literature, formed large city-states, constantly at war with each other and others(akkadians) city dominated by shrines, first system of monarchy

Who were the Assyrians?

centered around their capital city of Ashur in the northern area of Mesopotamia, very brutal people,

Who were the Akkadians?

conquered the Sumerians (so really the same location), adopted most of the sumerians culture, spoke semitic language, around 2000 BCE, (babylonian empire), built the ziggurat

Southern Mesopotamia

consisted of marshy areas and wide, flat, barren plains. Cities developed along the rivers which flow through the region. Early settlers had to irrigate the land along the banks of the rivers in order for their crops to grow. Since they did not have many natural resources, contact with neighboring lands was important.

who is Gilgamesh?

historical king of Uruk, story written on clay table, first written in Sumerian

Northern Mesopotamia

is made up of hills and plains. The land is quite fertile due to seasonal rains, and the rivers and streams flowing from the mountains. Early settlers farmed and used timber, metals and stone from the mountains nearby.

Sumerican Society:

non secular (religious), city-states owned by the diety, city-states were theocracies = governed by a priest-bureaucracy. Cities were dominated by shrines or temples.

Semitic

relating to Hebrew and Arabic language

cuneiform

system of writing first developed by the Sumerians