Mesopotamia

Wealthy cities were target for raiders and enemy armies. Babylon was defended by strong walls of mud brick.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

Ziggurats were giant stepped pyramids built very tall with multiple level and stairs in between. The first Ziggurats were built in Ur.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

In 1750 BCE, the Babylonian king Hammurabi created a detailed system of 282 laws called the code of Hammurabi.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

Enki was the god of fresh water, mischief, and crafts.

Ishtar was the goddes of love, war, and the planet Venus.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

Over thousands of years, Mesopotamian scribes recorded daily events, trade, astronomy, and literature on clay tablets. Cuneiform was used by people throughout the ancient West Asia to write several different languages.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

To make sure the laws in Babylon were followed, they were carved on stone pillars called steles, and set up in a public place for all to see.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

Religion in Mesopotamia centered around the worship of many gods. Each god was responsible for a different area of life.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

Ordinary Mesopotamians visited their temples with offerings, such as animals to sacrifice, to please their god.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

Ziggurats were places where Mesopotamian gods were worshipped. The temple is found at the top of the ziggurat where it was believed the gods slept at night.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping

The earliest writing was based on pictograms. Pictograms were used to communicate basic information about crops and taxes.

• advance cities

• complex institution

• specialized workers

• record keeping