Ancient Mesopotamia: The Cradle of Civilization

Type classification: this is a homework assignment resource.

This resource is part of the History of Europe to 1648 course

Time Estimation

Time estimation for the completion of the required material in this section.

• Lecture = 30 min.
• Required Reading & Review Questions = 30-40min
• Test Yourself Questions = 30-40 min.

Lecture

Coming Soon

Outline

• What is civilization ?.
• Civilization in Mesopotamia
• Sumeria and Babylonia
• Science, the Arts, Religion

Required Reading

• Civilization. Read the introduction and the Characteristics paragraph only.
• Read about The Sumerians.
• The Akkadians: The First Empire
• Read the introduction to Babylon and the Old Babylonian Period section only.
• Read the Mesopotamian Literature section only.
• Mesopotamian Science and technology

Review Questions

• Who were the peoples of Mesopotamia?
• Describe the cuneiform script used in Mesopotamia.
• What were the contributions of the Babylonians to the sciences?
• What were the contributions of the Babylonians to literature?
• What was religion like in Mesopotamia?

Test Yourself Questions

• What is civilization?
• What did the peoples of Mesopotamia have in common?

Additional Information

• Hammurabi
• Cuneiform script

Further Reading

• C. B. F. Walker. Reading the Past: Cuneiform. London: British Museum, 1987. A short introduction to the cuneiform script used in the Ancient Near East.
• Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded History University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981. A classic introduction to the beginning of civilization in Sumer.
• Frankfort, Henri. The Art and Architecture of the Ancient Orient. 4th Edition. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1970. An introduction to the artifacts and monuments of the Ancient Near East.

Chronology

Ancient Mesopotamia
Period	Time
Paleolithic (Old Stone) Age	3000.000 - 7000 B.C.
Neolithic (New Stone) Age	7000 - 2800 B.C.
Old Sumerian	2800-2300 B.C.
Akkadian	2300-2200 B.C.
New Sumerian	2200-2000 B.C.
Early Old Babylonian	2000-1570 B.C.