try thishillcrestdiv2.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/3/5/12354032/...try this 1. examine the information in...

Try This 1. Examine the information in the picture series on pages 6 2 - 6 3 . Mal<e a two-

column chart . In the first co lumn, list all the stages—or changes—^you see, in

order. In the second co lumn, speculate on how each change must have affected

people's lives.

2 . With a partner, discuss how the events described in the chart did or did not

contribute to a more civilized life for people.

3. In your opinion, wh ich was the most important step in gett ing civilization started: invention of fire, tools for hunt ing, the beginning of fa rming , technology for travel , or the beginning of cities? Remember to support your opinion.

slep. What tool do you think had the greatest effect? W here would you build a city? In what kind of place could a lot of people live together, get the food they need, and do all the

activities that always g o o n in cities?

If you! visited the land where the world's first cities appeared, you might be surprised. You'd find a hot, dry place—almost a desert. On ly a few trees dot the landscape, and you wouldn't see any stone or other building materials.

About five thousand years ago, an ancient farming people turned this harsh environment into an abundant garden. Their agricultural settlenients grew into the world's first great cities. And within these cities, the world's first civilization burst into life. We call the land of this incredible people Mesopotflmifl [me-suh-puh-TAY-mee-uh].

In thisVhapter, you y i l l see how the environment of Mesopotamia helped civilization flourish. You'l l see how contact with other peoples benefited Nlesopotamians but also brought conflict to the land.,^ " 1 L ^ ' . ^ 4

t •

Farming technology consists of the tools w e

make and use to grow food.

The Fertile Crescent was an arc of land in the Middle

East that had good soil, a hot cl imate, and water.

Lond BeFiueen Rivers C i v i l i za t ion develops o n l y w h e n

people have p lenty of food , a n d o n l y farmers c a n produce p len ty o f food . T h e people w h o settled i n Mesopotamia took fu l l advantage of a ferti le l and a n d hot c l imate by deve lop ing their f a rm ing methods a n d f a r m i n g technology. T h e y created a n abundance of food never seen before.

A Fertile Valley Mesopotamia was part of the area k n o w n as the Fertile Crescent. T h i s arc of l and stretched f rom the nor the rn end of the Pers ian G u l f to the Ni le River va l ley i n Egypt . T h e Ferti le Crescent was a n ideal place for f a rm ing . A l o n g the r ivers , the l and was r i ch i n edible p lants , especial ly f ru i t , whea t , a n d barley. F ish a n d birds were p len t i fu l . Pigs, sheep, a n d goats l i ved i n the w i l d . Over t ime , people learned to domesticate [duh-MES-T IH-kate ] , or tame, the a n i m a l s a n d w i l d p lants so that they w o u l d h a v e a steady supply of food .

The Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers begin in the mountains of Turkey Water

rushes down to the hills below, picking up fertile silt and carrying it to the

valley floor What other river valley do you know of that has good farmland?

6 6 I Ancient Worlds

I

Mesopotamia is the anc i en t n a m e for the p la in , or large flat area that stretches between the T igr is ITY-gris] R iver o n the east a n d the Euphrates [yoo-FRAY-tees] R iver o n the west . These r ivers begin i n m o u n t a i n s to the n o r t h a n d f low th rough the va l ley towards the Persian Gu l f . I n anc ien t t imes , the s i l t ( f ine sand) carr ied downs t ream by the r ivers

bu i l t u p a long the r iverbeds, c reat ing exce l lent , fert i le so i l .

Near the gulf , the r ivers sp l i t i n to smal ler s t reams, creat ing a m a r s h y area ca l led a delta. Besides at t ract ing p len ty of w i ld l i f e for h u n t i n g a n d f i sh ing , the m a r s h y s w a m p s p rov ided reeds that made exce l lent mater ia ls for building houses.

The name

"Mesopotamia , " which comes to us from Creek, means "the land betweei two rivers."

Sm I'

^Mesopotamia

Sumer - 2500 BCE Babylon - 1700 BCE

; Assyria - 625 BCE Chaldea - 600 BCE

Asla<

Egypt iurdan ' - -c- 'J

Saudi/VatM

This map shows the modern political boundaries of the area shown in the map above. Most of Mesopotamia lay in the ?rea w e now know as Iraq [ih-RAK].

When w e speak of Mesopotamian civil ization, w e really mean the four civilizations that existed on the Mesopotamian plain: Sumer [SOOM-ur ] , Babylor [BAB-ih-lon], Assyria [uh-SEER-ee-uh], and Chaldea [kal-DEE-uh]. Find these civilizations on the map and identify the date w h e n each began. What pattern do you see?

Mesopotamia: Cradle of Civilization

Investigate All over the wor ld , cities have flourished along river valleys. In an atlas, find of the world's largest cities. How many of these cities are located beside a ri' What conclusion can you make?

This c l i m a g r a p h [KLY-muh-graf] shows the average

monthly temperatures and rainfall for Baghdad [BAG-dad ] , Iraq. Many scientists believe that the climate of

Baghdad is just like Mesopotamia's was 5000

years ago. The annual prec ip i ta t ion [prih-sip-uh-

TAY-shun] of Vancouver is 1167 m m . How does this

compare with Baghdad's?

Precipitation can be rain, snow, or hail .

A Hot, Dry Climate T h e ear ly farmers of Mesopotamia f o u n d the hot , d ry c l imate of the region to be b o t h a bless ing a n d a curse. It p rov ided the heat that m a n y p lants need to th r i ve but not the

ra in fa l l . I n sp r ing , f ields f looded after the s n o w mel ted i n the m o u n t a i n s . W h e n the water was gone, i n late summer , the fields a n d crops baked i n the h o t s u n .

40 r

Baghdad, Iraq (annual precipitation: 138 mm)

30

20

10

mm n 200

180

160

140

120

TOO

A 80

60

40

20

I F M A M I I A 5 0 N D

6 8 Ancient Worlds

Make a Climagraph The two pieces of information that tell us the most about the climate of a region are its precipitation and temperature patterns. By looking at both pieces of information together, we can see what the weather wi l l be like at any time of year.

The table below shows the average monthly precipitation and temperature for Vancouver, BC . Follow the steps below to make a c l imagraph of Vancouver.

Temperature r c ) Precipitation (mm) This table shows the January 3.0 150 temperature and ;

• F e b m a ^ 4 7 : 1 2 4 p r e c i p i t a t i o n for Vancouve^ British

..^"5^. ; Columbia . After you

Apri l 8.8 75 j^ayg rnade your

May 12.1 62 c l imagraph, decide

J u n e i s l 4 6 w h i c h form of

J u l , ; 3 6 p r e s e n t a t i o n - t a b l e ' - or c l imagraph—

W 17.4 38 ^ 3 k e s t ^

September 14.3 64 ' information easiest

October W6 115 to understand.

November 6.(5 170

D e c e m b e r 3 . 5 " 178

Annual * 1167 . , , ,

1. Start by making a graph like the one for Baghdad. Label the twelve months across the bottom. Label the temperature units along the left side in red. Label the precipitation units in blue along the right. Write the annual precipitation at the top.

2 . Make a dot in the first column, 'to show the temperature for January. Mark the temperature for each month the same way. Connect the dots with a red line.

3. In the first co lumn, use a ruler to draw a line showing the total precipitation for January. Do the same for every month . Fill in every bar wi th blue.


roughout history, people have settled along river systems because these

areas have such rich soil. Unfortunately, this also puts them in the f lood p la in— the area of land

:hat floods when the river overflows its banks.

Try This 1. Compare the temperatures and precipitation of Baghdad and Vancouver. What

differences do you notice between the two cl imates? How are these two climates similar to and different from the climate where you live? Make a cl imagraph for your community to help you answer this question.

2 . What characteristics of the environment and landscape of Mesopotamia made it suitable for the development of a civilization? What factors of the environment and landscape worked against the people?

You may want to make a chart like this one to help organize your thinking.

Suitable for development | Unsuitable for development

vfter people learned to build dams and irrigation systems iuch as the Assyrian method

shown below, they could control the spring floods. This made the flood plain a much safer place to live

and farm. Why was a stone attached to the pole?

People have used dams for many purposes. This dam

was owned by a Canadian mining company. It once

held back poisonous waste from a mine in Spain. When

the dam broke, the waste poured onto nearby

farmland.

Adapting the Environment Except for spr ingt ime f loods, Mesopotamia was a d ry l a n d . After the f loodwaters f lowed away , the people were left w i t h sun-baked g r o u n d . T h e biggest cha l lenge for the farmers was to cont ro l the f low of water so that the fields w o u l d ne i ther f lood nor bake. O n l y i n th i s w a y ' cou ld they make sure the i r crops w o u l d surv ive .

T h e people f o u n d ways to Irrigate [ IR-uh-gate] the l a n d , or b r ing water to thei r f ields. At first, people dug away parts of the r iverbank so that the water w o u l d f lood on to the i r l a n d . T h e y bu i l t dams to m a k e pools a n d d ipped water out of t h e m w i t h buckets t ied to poles . T h e y bu i l t dikes (a low ear then w a l l ) to direct the f low of water. Later, they created a comp lex ne twork of i r r igat ion ditches a n d cana ls . T h i s i r r igat ion system forced people to w o r k together because they h a d to m a i n t a i n the cana l s for t he good o f eve ryone . ^

7 0 Ancient Worids

T h e network of cana l s brought greater c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d cooperat ion a m o n g towns , as w e l l . T h e cana l s a n d r ivers became the roadways of the Mesopotamians .

As it tu rned out , t he methods used by the Mesopotamians created an even more d i f f icu l t p rob lem . Because of the fa rmers ' success, food grew p len t i fu l l y . T h e popu la t ion increased, a n d so d id the need for water . T h e desert soi l con ta ined a lot

o f sa l t , however . T h e i r r igat ion caused th i s salt to rise to the surface of the so i l . T h e ex t ra salt po i soned the p lants . T h e more the people i r r igated the i r f ie lds w i t h water f r o m the r ivers , the salt ier the soi l became . After a few h u n d r e d years o f i r r iga t ion , the soi l c o u l d n o longer produce crops . T h e people o f these c i t ies e i ther d ied off or m o v e d to more fert i le l a n d . N e w cit ies w o u l d arise at the n e w loca t ion .

Trace the series of causes and effects that , in turn, brought to an end the powerful cities of Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, and Chaldea . Do you think it's possible to predict long-term consequences and avoid them? Why or why not?

- f i r s t

- Ef f ert .

- Effect -

The water drew the salt in the

soil to the surface.

- Cause '

- Effect -

The soil became less fertile.

Traders moved to other cities, which in turn

became powerful.

- Effect Cause

Think For Yourself • By irrigating the land, the people of Mesopotamia made the land too salty to produce food. It is easy to look back in t ime to make judgments about others' mistakes. But what about us- today? Are w e having some impacts on our environment that could cause problems in the future? Think about the following actions of people:

I • A family buys a second car.

1. • A student makes a lunch that includes a disposable plastic container.

I In a two-column chart, list at least one consequence for each action. Then add •Wee more actions and consequences. '

Mesopotamia: Cradle of Civilization 71

C o n F d C i o n d C o n f l i c F Mesopotamian w o m e n

njoyed several f reedoms, "hey could o w n property id slaves, run businesses, and take part in t rading.

The communities thrived partly through the hard

ork of slaves. Some people were made slaves after

being captured in battle. Others sold themselves or

leir children into slavery to cover their debts.

\s economy is its wealth and resources.

ike the h is tory of al l c i v i l i za t ions , J Mesopotamia 's h i s tory can be

described as a series of contacts a n d conf l i c t s . E a c h of t he four ma jo r c i v i l i za t ions—Sumer , Baby lon , Assyr ia , a n d Cha ldea—rose to power , t h r i ved , a n d t h e n dec l ined .

Mesopotamia Thrives Because there was p lenty of food in Mesopotamia , some people cou ld make a l i v i ng by creat ing goods or se l l ing thei r services i n exchange for surplus food . People began to d e v e l o p s k i l l s i n l e a t h e r w o r k , pottery, carpentry , w e a v i n g , a n d meta lwork . T h e y learned to make gold r ings , statuettes covered w i t h lapis lazul i [ LAH-pis I .AH-zuh- ly ] (a b lue gemstonc ) , a n d shel l conta iners for make-up . By t rad ing these goods, people cou ld make a good l i v i ng—the economy t h r i ved .

W i t h its m a n y r ivers a n d canals , the region soon became a centre o f trade. T h e Sumer ian traders sai led up a n d d o w n the T igr is a n d Euphrates Rivers in sma l l boats made of reeds

w i t h goatsk in sails . T h e y also traded w i t h thei r ne ighbours th roughout the Med i te r ranean . Ca ravans a n d long sh ips powered by square sails a n d oars carr ied bu i ld ing stone f rom Af r i ca , copper f r o m C y p r u s , gold f rom Egypt , a n d cedar f rom L e b a n o n . I n trade, the Sumer ians offered w o o l , c l o t h , jewel lery , o i l , a n d grains .

Baby lon th r i ved as a t rad ing centre because i t lay at the centre of the m a i n trade routes. Baby lon i an caravans t ravel led to Persia and Asia Minor . The i r sh ips traded a long the r ivers a n d a long the coasts of Arabia a n d Ind i a .

Trade w i t h nearby lands brought more t h a n goods. People also learned about one another 's language, j re l ig ion , a n d i n v e n t i o n s . For ' e xamp le , new ways of m a k i n g pottery a n d n e w tools for f a r m i n g spread qu i ck l y th rough the Medi ter ranean after they appeared in Mesopotamia . T h i s " t rade" i n ideas helped the Mesopotamian society f lour i sh .

72 Ancient Worlds

The B ^ l o n i a n s were one of the first peoples to exchange money for goods. The sheke l [SHEK-ul] was a silver, copper or gold co,n that weighed the same as 180 grains of b^dey A X [MEE nuh] was worth 60 shekels, and a t a l e n t was worth 60 m,nas. How many grains of barley was a talent w o r t h '

The Sumerians used a b a r t e r s y s t e m to buy and

sell goods. Goods were •• ' exchanged for their value in

sacks of grain.

Scr ibes, people I who sell their I writ ing skills for a

living, kept records and accounts on clay tableU.


he peoples of Mesopotamia traded goods with people

roughout their corner of the world. Did Sumerians trade heir goods for raw materials

or finished goods? Why?

Asia Minor Trade in Mesopotamia ^ -.V "-. Sumer ' ' Copper

Copper \v ^;^c^

|pwpllpry Mediterranean Sea

/Lebanon -d^^ _ 'Cedar ^ ^ W o o l . - r , clolh

Mot.ilwork

Copper Indus Valley

Wood " Ivory

Carnelian

Africa

Stone •

< -iJermn Cull

Arabia Copper Tin

'(^incient Stories V o y a g e t o N i p p u r

The Mesopotamians were the first people to leave a written record of their civilization. Thousands of clay tablets tell us about their daily lives. By piecing together the fragments of information, we have gradually come to understand what life was like in Mesopotamia. One writer, Elizabeth Lansing, used this knowledge to create a fictional account of the journey of a Sumerian trader from his home city ofErech along the Euphrates River to another Sumerian city, Nippur [NlP-poor]. As you read, you'll notice that the trader seems to be gathering information. Think about why he might be doing so.

The riverbanks were wide bands of green, dotted with date palms and thick patches of reeds. Near the half dozen cities that lay between Erech and Nippur the belts of green broadened out into cultivated fields and pastureland, vineyards, and groves of fig

trees. These lands were the property of each wal led city. Their size and state of cultivation were an indication of the city's prosperity

The river itself was a lively place, for the muddy waters of the Euphrates provided the broad highway between one

Sumerian city and another. Many of the craft were long trading vessels, such as the one in which the man f r o m i r e c h journeyed. Among them were vessels capable of travelling long distances. Sometimes, aided by a huge square-shaped sail, they ventured far out on

' 4 Ancient Worlds

the wide waters of the Mediterranean Sea to the west to bring cedars from Lebanon or stone and precious metals from the lands to the north. Smaller basket-like boats were more c o m m o n . They crowded the waters, particularly near the wharves of each walled c i ty . . . .

In the fields and vineyards surrounding the walled cities that he passed, workers were gathering in the harvest . . . . Both men and beasts we r? taking the harvest to the temple compound within the c i ty There the harvest would be allotted [divided into shares] and distributed to the people . . . .

The stranger's boat was approaching Nippur. The high walls of Sumer's cultural city rose splendidly above the broad fields that stretched away for miles on either side of the river. . . . The traffic thickened as the long, high-decked boat drew nearer to Nippur. . . .

The logs of cedar heaped along the wharf told [the trader] that Nippur was trading with the northern provinces, where the trees grew in the great forest of the mountains. The bars of gold and

copper were evidence that Nippur was in touch with the lands to the east. He took careful note of these signs of prosperity. Later he would hire a scribe to write his obse iWteos with a stylus [reed pen] on a soft bit of c lay He himself could not write; that was an art for the learned men and was perhaps beneath his dignity as a member of his king's household.

Once beyond the dock area, the stranger fol lowed a hard-packed dirt roadway leading toward the Nanna Gate . . . . Like the wharf area, it swarmed with activity. A cloud of dust rose above the laden donkeys; herds of sheep and goats were being pushed and prodded along in the direction of the gate. Wheeled carts„heaped

with goods and produce, rattled past, drawn by oxen or pairs of donkeys. The c rowd grew thicker as the massive gate loomed closer.

A shouted order sent the entire throng scurrying back. A two-wheeled military chariot drawn by four donkeys swept out from the city. A driver, wearing a bronze helmet, stood on the axle, supporting himself by gripping a fleece-covered headboard. He guided the donkeys with long leather reins f ixed to their noses by a ring. After the chariot, marching four abreast and wearing leather tunics, came a detachment of foot soldiers. Their highly polished short swords and shields gleamed in the sun. This was a guard detail , one of the many that watched over the city. The stranger, from his place in the shadow of the gate, observed that the soldiers looked tough and hardy, a fact that would interest his king.

From Elizabeth Lansing, "A Stranger

in Nippur," The Sumerians: Inventors

and Builders, (Toronto: McGraw-Hill

Book Company, 1971), 54-61

The trader scunies out of the way to avoid being trampled by the military chariot coming through the Nanna Gate.


Try This 1. Look back through "Voyage to Nippur" to find out what the trader found

interesting. Put the following items in the first column of a two-column chart. Add your own findings. Then , in the second co lumn, describe what each discovery told the trader about Nippur.

Competit ion for the growing wealth of the

Fertile Crescent brought conflict.

he battleship M/ssoun'fires its guns during the Gulf War, a

var fought in the Middle East near the former lands of

/lesopotamia. As in the battle pictured on the clay tablet

shown on the next page, this A'ar was a fight over land and

resources. Compare the technologies of war shown in

these two pictures.

W h a t t h e T r a d e r S a w

pastureland, vineyards, and groves of fig trees

vessels in the harbour that could travel long distances

cedar logs heaped along the wharf

bars of gold and copper

• a wharf area busy with people moving goods and animals towards the city

• people moving out of the way quickly when a military chariot arrives

2. Think, pair, share. Think about the following question and write down your thoughts. "What made Nippur a good place for people to build a c i ty?" Discuss your ideas with a partner. Then , with your partner, meet wi th another pair of students to share your ideas.

Conflict and Warfare As y o u saw previously , trade a n d other peaceful contact en r i ched the c i v i l i za t ion of Mesopotamia . Bu t

other contact led to warfare . W h e n a c i v i l i za t ion traded regular ly w i t h its ne ighbours , it usua l l y f lour i shed . But i f it h a d m a n y st rong enemies , it was

usua l ly doomed .

1/ ^

H o w was conf l ic t a part of l i fe i n Mesopotamia? We cou ld use m a n y types of i n fo rmat ion to f ind out . Th ree that he lp us discover the stories of the anc ien t w o r l d are art i facts , chronologies , a n d maps .

re Ancient Worids

Artifacts Help Tell the Story Look at the fo l l ow ing art i facts to learn more about conf l ic t i n Mesopotamia . W h a t special k inds of i n fo rmat ion do you learn by s tudy ing pictures of art i facts a n d thei r capt ions?

This re l ief (carving on a stone surface) was

found at the palace of Ashurbanipal at Niniveh

[NIN-uh-vuh] , Each soldier has a different task. What

are they?

^N M ° f Ashumazirpal II in Nimrud [NIM-rood], shows an Assyrian soldier killing a captive. Some captives were killed; others became slaves or labourers

Mesopotamia: Cradle of Civilization 7 7

The Standard of Ur [UR] (made about 2 7 0 0 BCE) was probably the sounding board of a lyre, a mini harp. This inlay of shell and lapis lazuli shows a banquet with animals and men carrying goods. The other side of the standard shows a scene of w a r W h y would a banquet and a war be shown together?

Chronologies Help Tell the Story Chronologies [kruh-NOL-uh-)eez] list impor tant events or deve lopments over a per iod o f t ime . T h e y a lways l ist the events i n order, f r o m earl iest to mos t recent . Some chronologies are set u p as t ime l ines , w h i c h he lp us see t h e events spaced out i n re lat ion to one another . As y o u read the fo l l ow ing chrono logy , t h i n k about its strengths a n d weaknesses as a source o f i n f o r m a t i o n . 1

Ancient Worlds

A Chronology of Mesopotamian Empires

f rom the north move into the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys, farming

villages and towns. They begin raising animals , growing crops, and irrigating

fields. In times of severe drought , herders w h o live on the edge of the

desert move into the cultivated areas and al low their herds to feed on the crops in the fields. This usually leads

to confl ict .

3 5 0 0 BCE The use o l f l B B i I nsures a food supply lor the^^rowing cities. Artisans and merchants living in

the cities help trade expand. Cities give rise to the SiAnerian civilization.

3 0 0 0 B C E Under t h ' S I H H H H | kings, cities become c i ty-states .

A city-state is independent and does not belong to a country.

Trade grows with cultures in Anatolia [a-nuh-TOLE-ee-uh], Syria [SEER-ee-

uh ] , Persia [PUR-zhuh], and the Indus [IN-dus] Valley. Confl ict among the

city-states over water and land lead to a constant state of warfare.

2 3 0 0 Bci'^lWKKKKtKKKtM dee-uns] overpower the Sumerians,

uniting the whole region into the first Mesopotamian Empire. A short period

of peace follows.

i H I I H H H R i S i i m e r i a n s revive and conquer the region. Art and writ ing flourish, and some of the great structures are built

WKKKKKKFoCi under Hammurabi [ham-uh-RAH-bee], Babylon gains control . The economy thrives throughout Mesopotamia. Astronomy and the arts flourish before Babylon is conquered by the Hittites [HIT-tites].

H H H B H B R T A chaotic age lasts for centuries. Several empires rise and fall, but none can create a lasting empire because tribes on the edges of Mesopotamia continue to attack.

B i H H H H P ^ ' ^ chariots and iron weapons, Assyria rises to a position of power over the region, ruling its neighbours as far away as Egypt.

p T i e Chaldeans defeat the Assyrians. A new Babylonian empire emerges. Nebuchadnezzar [neb-uh-kud-NEZ-ur] brings Babylon new glory and takes the Israelites captive.

m i H J I I ^ m i l l l J J H ^ r r c e n t u r i e s foreign rule begin with the Persian capture of Babylon in 590 BCE.


Maps Help Tell the Story Maps can he lp us unders tand the h i s to ry of an area. For examp le , we can see h o w pol i t i ca l boundar ies change over t ime , or h o w a n area's l and fo rms make it vu lnerab le to i n v a s i o n . We can also use maps to present special ized i n f o r m a t i o n such

as the locat ion of na'toral resources or sett lements . As y o u e x a m i n e the m a p below, t h i n k about the strengths a n d l im i ta t ions of the i n f o r m a t i o n i n maps .

This city map shows the major features of Nippur,

the sacred city of Sumer. It is based on a map of the city

created about 1 300 BCE. Find the Nanna Gate , wh ich

is the gate used by the fictional trader in the

Ancient Stories feature on pages 7 4 - 7 5 .

Try This 1. Think, pair, share. Think about the following question and write down your

thoughts. "In what ways was contact both good and bad for Mesopotamia?" Discuss your ideas wi th a partner. Then , with your partner, meet with another pair of students to share your ideas.

2 . Work with a partner to create a chart showing the strengths and limitations of the three sources of information described in this section; artifacts, chronologies, and maps.

SO Ancient Worlds

nnovoFions o MesopoFofDio C an you imag ine life w i thou t the

whee l? H o w about books or laws? You wou ldn ' t have to go to schoo l , but y o u couldn't^do-much else that you're used to. Depend ing o n where you l ive , y o u a n d your f ami l y m igh t end u p l i v i ng a S imp le l i festyle, hau l i ng heavy loads of fuel a n d water o n you r back, g rowing vegetables o n a smal l p lot of l a n d , and l i v i ng i n fear of attack by h u n g r y neighbours .

T h e Mesopotamians were the first to discover or i n v e n t some of the most basic improvements i n h u m a n l i fe. The i r innovations—or new ways of do ing th ings—changed the way people l i ved i n m u c h of the wor ld . Just cons ider the most famous of these i nnova t ions : the w h e e l , sa i l ing sh ips , w r i t i n g , i r r igat ion , law, and architecture [AR-kuh-tek-chur] .

Engineering Al though we c a n o n l y guess h o w the whee l was d iscovered , the Mesopotamians were the first h u m a n s to use i t . T h e w h e e l changed h u m a n l ife greatly. It a l lowed people to bu i ld wagons to

, transport goods a n d to bu i ld war \

char io ts . W h e e l s were also used as pu l leys to raise water f r o m we l l s . U s i n g potter's whee l s , potters cou ld m a k e f ine pottery .

Farming Technology T h e people of Mesopotamia i nven ted m a n y tools a n d techn iques to make thei r f a r m i n g w o r k easier a n d more product ive . T h e y harnessed an ima l s to pu l l p loughs . T h e y placed a shoulder yoke o n o x e n to make t h e m easier to guide. T h e y altered the p lough so that it w o u l d tu rn the soil a n d drop seeds in to the f resh ly p loughed rows .

How has the wheel made life easier for the w o m a n on the right?

Architecture is the art of designing buildings.

Astronomy Mesopotamian astronomers worked out a t w e l v e - m o n t h ca lendar based o n the cyc les of the m o o n . T h e y d i v ided the year in to two seasons: s u m m e r a n d winte r .

An astronomer [uh-STRON-uh-mur] is someone w h o studies the universe.


Mathematics T h e Mesopotamians used mathemat i c s to b u i l d cana l s , to keep accurate f a rm a n d trade records, a n d to calculate the taxes each f ami l y o w e d to the state. T h e i r c o u n t i n g system was based o n the n u m b e r 60 . W e st i l l use 6 0 w h e n we measure the degrees i n a c i rc le or coun t t ime i n minutes a n d seconds .

Writing T h e Mesopotamians were the first people to deve lop wr i t t en l a n g u ^ e . W r i t i n g was probably first used to keep track of trade. Educa t ion , laws , h is tory , a n d l i terature a l l became possible after h u m a n s cou ld record thei r ideas. T h e Sumer i ans develope<i a form of w r i t i ng cal led " c u n e i f o r m . '

ofer Look

C u n e i f o r m T h e Sumer ians developed the earliest k n o w n system of w r i t i n g , ca l led cune i fo rm [kyoo-NAY-uh-form] . C u n e i f o r m first appeared i n Sumer about 3000 B C E . It evo lved f rom s imple picture signs for words , cal led p i c t o g r a p h s [PlK-tuh-grafs] . At first, one p ictograph was marked o n one smal l c lay token , to symbol ize a n d record a trade. T h e n someone real ized i t was hand ie r to mark several pictographs o n one large c lay tablet. Pictographs evo lved over the years i n t o symbols that stood for sounds instead of words . T h e name cune i fo rm means "wedge-shaped" f rom the shape of the marks made by the reed pens used to wr i te o n c lay tablets.

3300 BCE 2800 BCE 2400 BCE 1800 BCE

Mountain < Grain

Ox A' Bird

After people get used to writing, they tend to write faster. Over time, the early pictographs were simplified into strokes that could be written more quickly Would this make learning to write easier or more difficult?

Ancient Worlds

Think For Yourself What did the people of Mesopotamia use writ ing for? How do you think the invention might have developed? How do you think this invention changed people's lives? What would life be like today without writ ing?

Laws W i t h the deve lopment of wr i t ing , the Mesopotamians began to wr i te d o w n laws . T h e best-known set of laws of the anc ient Mesopotamians is the Code of H a m m u r a b i . H a m m u r a b i was a k ing of Baby lon . He brought prosperity a n d peace to the city-states he ru led throughout^Mesopotamia. He c l a imed that the gcx l s f i ad to ld

h i m to wr i te d o w n laws to make sure that " the strong m a y not oppress the weak . " T h i s set of laws helps us ' unders tand the va lues a n d customs of the anc ien t Baby lon ians .

H a m m u r a b i ' s code was a n impor tan t step toward creat ing a society i n w h i c h everyone's r ights are recognized. T h e code lists 282 laws .

T h e y cover a l l aspects of

•

people's da i ly l i fe , i n c l u d i n g fami ly , labour, b u y i n g a n d se l l ing l a n d , possessions, a n d trade. Each l aw has a set p u n i s h m e n t .

Hammurabi's complete code of laws was carved onto this stela [STEEL-uh], an upright stone. The stela originally stood in a temple in Babylon. More recently, it was moved to a museum in Paris, France. Do you think this is a good place to keep the stela? Why, or w h y not?

All civilizations have laws that say what people can and cannot do. When laws are written down , everyone knows them and everyone can expect equal treatment. W h y do you think l a ^ are considered a sign of civilization?


P F B S P E C T I V E 8 Hammurabi vs. Canadian Law

Hammurabi 's laws were based on the idea of "an eye for an eye . " People could be put to death , lose an eye or a l imb, be tortured, or have their children put to death, sometimes for minor crimes. It was believed that tough punishments would scare people into obeying the law. Decide if the following sample laws wou ld stop you from disobeying the law.

• If a noble destroys the eye of another noble, his eye shall be destroyed.

• If a noble destroys the eye of a commoner or breaks the bone of a commoner , he shall pay one mina of si lver

• If a noble destroys the eye of a noble's slave, he shall pay one-half the slave's value.

• If a man helps a male or female slave escape through the city gates, he shall be put to death .

• If a house collapses causing the death of a son of the owner of the house, the son of the builder of the house shall be put to death .

• If a son strikes his father, his hand shall be cut off.

• If [a w o m a n ] has not been discreet, has gone out, ruined her house, belittled her husband, she shall be drowned .

In Canada , we believe that people will obey the law out of respect rather than fear We believe that people w h o break the law can learn f rom their mistakes and should be given a second chance. Our laws are also meant to protect people from being punished for something they did not do.

Consider the first of Hammurabi 's laws in the list above. In Canada , if someone caused another person to lose an eye, the punishment would depend on a lot of things. For example, here are some of the questions that we would ask in a Canadian court of law.

• Is the offender ajyouth or an

adult?

• Was the cr ime committed

on purpose?

• Has the offender caused similar injuries before?

• Does the offender admit

guilt?

• Is the offender likely to commit the cr ime again?

• Should the offender be treated less harshly for some reason (e .g . , fatal illness)?

• Is the offender sorry?

Different answers to these questions would lead to different punishments. Do you think Canada's or Hammurabi's laws are better? W h y ?

Ancient Worlds

Think For Yourself List six ways our lives would be different without the innovations mentioned in this section. Which of the innovations of the Mesopotamians do you think was the most important to future people? Give at least two examples showing how that invention or innovation changed peoples' lives. Be prepared to present your opinion to the class.

Try This Mesopotamia was fortunate in many ways and unfortunate in others. For example:

Fortunately, Mesopotamia had lots of food.

Unfortunately, lots of people wanted it.

Fortunately, thel^ndforms of Mesopotamia madetf ivel easy.

Unfortunately, the landforms made Mesopotamia easy to attack.

Create some more "Fortunately/Unfortunately" statements about Mesopotamia.

In this chapter you have seen the beginnings of civilisation. You saw how the environment encouraged the development of cities, and how contact with other peoples brought both benefits and drawbacks to Mesopotamia. What do you think was the most important factor that made civilization possible in Mesopotamia?


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