Ancient Mesopotamia (3300-2000)

Question 1

Ages

Answer 1

Early bronze 3300-2000 (genesis)
Middle bronze 2000-1550 (patriarchs)
Late 1550-1200 (judges)
Iron 1200-539 (kings)

Question 2

development of writing

Answer 2

3000 cuneiform invented. began as pictures, became wedges later

Question 3

Behistun Rock

Answer 3

multilingual cunieform writing stone by Persian king Darius I (Akkadian, Elamite, old Persian)-we somewhat know old Persian

Question 4

base 60

Answer 4

a year is almost 360 days, which they associated with the circles in the sky, and things reset after 360 days; greatest advantage was being able to divide into many even numbers from 60 (Babylon)

Question 5

alphabet

Answer 5

1800 BC. picture means sound, not picture

Question 6

Mesopotamia

Answer 6

between two rivers. Tigris–northern; Euphrates–Southern and longer and richer history
Assyria –Tigris, Babylon–Euphrates. Elam east, Amorites west
Irregular flooding/dry-not really a fertile crescent
Persian Gulf silted in–cities like Ur weren’t far away before

Question 7

Sumer

Answer 7

3000-2000. Sumerian ziggurats were religious and solid

planal–divinity above and below–naturalistic religion. illiterate–had cylinder seals of clay for signature

Question 8

Akkad

Answer 8

2350-2150. Sargon I–first empire builder, maybe Nimrod from Bible. grandson Naram-Sin–“four corners” conqueror

Question 9

Old Babylon

Answer 9

2000-1600. from the Amurru (Amorites). Hammurabi’s Code in 1792–same time as Jacob. Hammurabi started small empire, but reverted to city-state when he died.

Question 10

Henry Creswicke Rawlinson

Answer 10

British diplomat fascinated by the Behistun Rock