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Transcript

MESOPOTAMIA'S LEGACY

By: Emily Keen

Why I Chose Mesopotamia

Thesis

Mesopotamia was the civilization that started it all and paved the way for all civilizations to come. Each unit we learned after Mesopotamia, all took something from it that they either kept or altered to fit their own society. The civilization of Mesopotamia had outstanding legacies in the areas of science & math, innovations & technology, as well as government & law.

Fun Fact:

MESOPOTAMIA IS MODERN DAY IRAQ!

FUN FACT

Science & Math

  • developed mathematics
  • Babylon used a math system based on the number sixty
  • devised a calender based on the moon cycles

Science & Math

impact on modern world:

The two main impacts that were made on our modern world are sixty seconds in a minute coming from the Babylonian math system and twelve months in a year coming from the calendar they created out of moon cycles. The amount of days between full moons signified a month and twelve cycles made up a year.

Photo

Mesopotamian Calendar

Innovation & Technology

  • first civilization to irrigate fields
  • devised a system of writing (phonetic)
  • developed mathematics & a calender system
  • invented the wheel
  • learned to work with metal
  • development of alliances & cooperation
  • developed the trade system (starting with bartering)
  • because Mesopotamia was between two rivers, the transportation of trade is another one of their major innovations

Innovation & Technology

IMPACT ON MODERN WORLD:

IMPACT

The impact on the modern world in regards to innovation & technology that Mesopotamia had is the first system of writing which obviously led to advanced literature, which is one of our most consumed forms of media in present day. Their invention of the wheel led to carriages, which changed the game of transportation, paving the way for bicycles, cars, trains, airplanes, etc. Mathematics clearly became a very well known subject and is taught all over the world in present day and used in our daily lives without even thinking about it. Learning to work with metal ended up really helping our future generations because it helped us with building machines and various contraptions, even buildings that are so mundane to us.

PHOTO

translation of Sumerian writing

Government & Law

Government & Law

  • The position of the king was supported by religion
  • leaders were said to have gotten their power from the gods
  • Mesopotamia had the very early beginnings of democracy
  • warriors became leaders
  • eventual monarchy
  • cooperation was the basis of the government
  • first development of social hierarchies
  • Hammurabi's law code

Hammurabi &

His Law Code

Hammurabi & His Law Code

Hammurabi was the king of Babylon. In order to enforce his rule, he collected all the rules of Babylon and put them together in the most extensive law code of the ancient world. The code consisted of 282 laws inscribed on a stone pillar placed in the public hall for all to see. The stone depicts him receiving his power from the god Shamash. The laws were divinely inspired as well as societal. Punishments were designed to fit the specific crime perfectly, as people must be responsible for their own actions. This law code is the origin to the well-known concept of "an eye for an eye". However, these consequences were not equal for all. They depended on your social rank in society. For example, instead of physical punishment, someone in the nobility might only need to pay a fine for their actions, whereas artisans or slaves would be severely punished, using the set consequences in place.

IMPACT ON THE MODERN WORLD:

IMPACTS

The government and law in Mesopotamia was the start of it all. They had just moved from semi-nomadic to permanent cities, which meant a set government, that would not change. This made many contributions to the future of government, not just in the ancient world, but on modern society as well. As said before, the concept "an eye for an eye" is a very well-known phrase today, even though it doesn't have much of an impact on government specifically. We've seen recently that in the modern day justice system, generally in the United States of America, the punishment has not been fitting the crime as well as in ancient times. However, this phrase is still used in conversations outside of the law. For example, taking with a friend about paying them back. Another phrase that means the same thing (but worded a little more nicely) is "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours".

PART TWO:

IMPACTS #2

Another way the Mesopotamian government affects our society nowadays is the start of democracy. Democracy is one of the leading forms of government, being used by both Canada and the United States. Of course, monarchy also came from Mesopotamia, which is used in present-day Britain. The social hierarchy is also a big part of modern society, although there is not as much bigotry today as there was in ancient times. Finally, Hammurabi created the first set of codified laws. This changed the rules of a civilization forever. Laws were finally arranged and pretty much set in stone; not to say that they couldn't be changed, but this really put in the effect of them being illegal or forbidden.

PHOTO

The pillar in which Hammurabi wrote his laws

Conclusion

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mesopotamia was the very first civilization. They went through many failures in order to find what worked and then their efforts were passed on to the next civilization, who either kept the Mesopotamian ways, or added their own unique twist to it to improve it or make it their own. Mesopotamia had a number of phenomenal legacies in multiple categories including science & math, innovations & technology, and finally, government & law. The civilization of Mesopotamia will forever be remembered as the first ever civilization. The one who took risks and tried everything they could to better themselves, meaning we would benefit from their improvements.

VIDEO

An informational video by National Geographic called "Mesopotamia 101'.

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