world history chapter2

Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia

1.Around 2340 B.C.,the Akkadians, a people north of the Sumerian city-stares, took control of the Sumerian city-states,took control of the Sumerian city-states and established the first empire in world history. 2.The leader of Akkadian Empire was Sargon. 3.In 1972 B.C.,the city-state of Babylon took control of Sumer and Akkad.The Babylonian ruler was Hammurabi. 4.The Code of Hammurabi was a collection of written laws based on a system of strict justice. 5.The Code of Hammurabi covered: -Criminal offenses -Duties of public officials -Consumer protection laws -Marriage and family 6.Mesopotamian society was patriarchal-men dominated society.

City-states of Ancient Mesopotamia

1.Sumerian cities,such as Eridu,Uruk,and Ur,gained political and economic control of Mesopotamia. 2.zthe basic units of Sumerian society were independent city-states. 3.Much of the wealth of the cities was dedicated to building temples dedicated to the God or goddess of the city.These temples were often built atop a massive stepped tower called a ziggurat. 4,Priests and priestesses held a great deal of power,making the state a theocracy, a government by divine authority. 5.Farming was the basis of the economy of Sumerian city-states. 6.Sumerian metalworkers used copper,gold and silver to make tools and jewelry. 7.Sumerians discovered how to make bronze by adding tin to copper,Bronze is a hard metal used for making tools and weapons. 8.The invention of the wheel in 3000 B.C. Made the transport of goods much easier. 9.Sumerian society was divided into three major social groups:nobles,commoners,and slaves.

The creativity of the Sumerians

1.The Sumerians are credited with many techological innovations that affect our lives today. 2.Around 3000 B.C., the Sumerians created a system of writing known as cuneiform ("wedge-shaped").People used a stylus or other tool to make wedge-shaped impressions on clay tablets, which were then baked or dried in the sun. 3.Writing was important because it allowed Mesopotamian peoples to keep records and communicate ideas with others. 4.Examples of Sumerian technology and innovation: -Wagon wheel -Potter's wheel -Sudial -Arch used in construction -Bronze metalworker -Advances in mathematics,geometry,and astronomy

Geography and Religion

1.The first civilization began in a valley known as Mesopotamia,which was between the Tigris and Euphrate Rivers. 2.Mesopotamia(today's Iraq) was located in the Fertile Crescent, an area of good farmland located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. 3.The Sumerians created the first civilization in Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C. 4.Mesopotamian were polytheistic, and believed in nearly 3000 gods and goddesses.