Billy's Mesopotamia by Billy

Ziggurats

lewiwil71_1_3 — 2024-10-28 15:15:06 UTC

ziggurat is a stepped temple tower in the shape of a pyramid, with each higher level smaller than the one below it. It was a common architectural and religious structure in the major cities of mesopotamia various groups of people including the Sumerians, Babylonians constructed ziggurats between about 2200 and 500 bc. The structures honored the main god of each particular city. The top of the ziggurat held a shrine to that god. Approximately 25 ziggurats, all in various states of decay, are known.

Cuneiform

lewiwil71_1_3 — 2024-10-28 15:15:41 UTC

The oldest known writing in the world is found on clay tablets made more than 5,000 years ago. People of the ancient Middle East made strings of pictures and symbols in clay for all sorts of purposes, from keeping records to creating great works of literature. This ancient form of writing is known as cuneiform.

Hammurabi's code

lewiwil71_1_3 — 2024-10-28 15:16:06 UTC

Hammurabi’s code was a very important step for civilization, making the first law. Babylonians made distinct contributions to the growth of civilization. They added to the knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. They built the first great capital city, babylon. The Babylonian King Hammurabi set forth the code of hammurabi in 1800 bc.

Agriculture/farming

lewiwil71_1_3 — 2024-10-28 15:16:30 UTC

Agriculture originated in the ancient Near East around 9000 BCE and marked a revolutionary change in people's lives. Previously their food had come from hunting and gathering, the raising of crops combined with the domestication of animals caused them to live a more settled rather than a nomadic existence.

The wheel

lewiwil71_1_3 — 2024-10-28 15:16:47 UTC

The wheel is the most underlooked invention, the wheel made its first appearance at Ur in Iraq about 3500 BCE, at the same time that the pottery wheel was known to exist in Mesopotamia. The wheel is the main part for most machines

Irrigation

lewiwil71_1_3 — 2024-10-30 14:10:51 UTC

The need to control the floodwaters of the Tigris, which came at harvest time, and to separate and store the waters of the Euphrates led to the development of irrigation by 6000 BCE. The Sumerians did a lot of work, with massive public works projects, including one preserved canal regulator at Girsu that required 750,000 bricks. The shaduf, a rotating lever for moving water from one canal to another, was developed in Mesopotamia by 2000 BCE.