Mesopotamia

=Mesopotamia =

5000B.C.-486B.C
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-Michael Wood
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**__5 Key Terms__**

 * Mesopotamia-** This name means "The land between two rivers" which refers to the fertile cresent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
 * City-state**- A city with political and economic control over the surrounding country and is governed by a Sumerian ruler; their were 12 city-states in all.
 * Ziggurat**- A massive stepped tower on which was built a temple dedicated to the chief god or goddess of a Sumerian city, it was 6-7 stories high and was used to be closer to the gods.
 * Theocracy**- A system of government in which a priest would take into account weather signs and such as messages from the gods to make certain decisions.
 * Cuneiform**- a "wedge-shaped", aq system of writing developed by the Sumerians using a reed stylus to create wedgeshaped impressions on a clay tablet.



__**5 Most Important People of the Era**__
1. **Sargon Akkad**- Called "King of Battles" who reigned from 2340- 2284 AD, he conquered the other city-states and made Mesopotamia into an Empire, the first empire in history. 2. **Hammurabi**- This ruler lead Babylon and took control of Sumer & Akkad he also created the first code of laws, including the famous "eye for an eye" law. 3. **Nebuchadnezzar**- Known as "Mad Ox" this ruler's reign started in 605 BC during his reign he took control of Babylonia and created a empire that was soon conquered by the Persians. 4. **Cyrus**- The king of Persia created a powerful Persian state that lasted longer than the first few empires, he also set an edict allowing the jews to return to Jerusalem. 5. **Darius**- Cyrus's son, divided the empire into 20 provinces and called them satrapies, this made the empire more stable in the fact that the provinces could govern themselves; he also fought in the Battle of Marathon.



__**Historical Quote**__
" The rampant flood which no man can oppose, Which shakes the heavens and cause earth to tremble..."

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The civilization that started in the Fertile Cresent began with the Sumerians. Their were three peoples living in the area: the Sumerians, the Akkadians and the Assyrians. The Sumerians ruled Mesopotamia for a time and during this period the invented many new things. One example is Cuneiform which is a form of writing done by using a reed stylus on plyable clay to form wedge-shaped markings. Another of their inventions was the dome and the arch, two very important architectural acheivements. But the Sumerian Empire would not last, the Akkadians soon conquered mesopotamia. The next paragraphs will sum up some of the major events of this era.=====

To start, there were some good leaders in this time period that helped move their civilization forward. Such as Hammurabi the ruler of Babylon in 1792 BC. He created the first set of laws called The Code of Hammurabi which consisted of 282 laws including the famous phrase "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth". In addition, another leader that brought forth new ideas and inventions was Nebuchadnezzar. This ruler not only defeated the Assyrians and rebuilt Babylon, but he had the Hanging Gardens of Babylon constructed in honr of his wife, Amytis.

Last, towards the end of this era, the Phoenicians developed the alphabet. This was where the prefix in Phonics came from. In addition, around 2000 BC, the hebrews became an influential people. This was also around the time that Abraham led the Hebrews from Egypt and when God gave him the Ten Commandments. The Hebrews believed in one god known as Yahweh, and are mentioned in the Old Testament. This was also when Solomon set up the Kingdom of Israel and made Jerusalem the capital. In conclusion, this was a time of blossoming cultures that are still around today and many achievements as well as wonders of the world that are an important part of the civilizations today.

To Learn More:
[|Mesopotamia for Kids] [|Mesopotamia] [|Ancient Mesopotamia] [|Mesopotamian Religion] [|Mesopotamian culture]