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220
History
2. MESOPOTAMIA
Mesopotamia means ‘land between rivers’. This is the name the Greeks gave the
region situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
2.1. The natural environment
It was a fertile region, which made it ideal for human settlement
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. Rural communities
from the mountains in the east and nomadic tribes from the Syrian Desert migrated
there.
2.2. Historical context
The history of Mesopotamia began with the Sumerians, who settled in the south of
the region and founded numerous independent
city states
within their own territory
(Ur, Lagash, Eridu, Uruk, Kish and Umma). There were frequent conflicts between the
cities so they were all protected by defensive walls.
Each city was governed by a
king-high priest
called
ensi
or
patesi.
The citizens had
to pay their tributes at the city temple, which became the centre of economic activity.
When the cities became richer and their populations grew, the kings created powerful
armies. When a city conquered its neighbours, an empire was created. The ruler, or
emperor, governed his domains from his palaces or led expeditions to conquer new
territories or suppress
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rebellions.
Between III millennium B.C. and 330 B.C. there were constant battles over territory
and trade routes.
The Sumerian people settled in
the south of Mesopotamia. They
created what is considered the first
civilisation in history and they were
the first to adopt a revolutionary
invention: writing.
Around 2350 B.C., the king of
Umma governed a confederation of
fifty cities.
Statues from the Sumerian era
3500 B.C.
S
UMERIANS
Z
a
g
r
o
s
M
o
u
n
t
a
i
n
s
Nile
T
a
u
r
u
s
M
o
u
n
t
a
i
n
s
Tigris
Euphrates
Sanai
pen.
A
r
a
b
i
a
n
d
e
s
e
r
t
Cyprus
M
e
s
o
p
o
t
a
m
i
a
Mediterrarean
Sea
Mar
Caspio
Black sea
P
e
r
s
i
a
n
G
u
l
f
I
SRAEL
P
HOENICA
A
SSYRIA
A
KKAD
P
ERSIA
M
EDIA
E
GYPT
H
ITTITES
Ninevah
Ashur
Mari
Susa
Babylonia
Uruk Ur
Lagash
Memphis
Eridu
Hattusa
Jerusalem
Byblos
Sidon
Tiro
Sumerian civilisation
Akkadian Empire
Babylonian Empire
Assyrian Empire
Neo-Babylonian Empire
Mesopotamia was surrounded by the Persian Gulf to the south, the Syrian Desert to the
west, the Zagros Mountains to the east and the Taurus Mountains to the north-west.
The territory of Mesopotamia was first ruled by the
Sumerians
, followed by the
Akkadians
,
Babylonians
,
Assyrians
and the
Babylonians
once more. It then
became part of the
Persian Empire
.
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settlement:
a place where a new
community is established
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suppress (
v
):
use force to stop
activities
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cavalry:
a group of soldiers on
horseback
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recover:
to get something back
