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Introduction to Mesopotamia Uruk: a substantial ceremonial hub by 3500 B.C.E. Uruk The State and Urban Revolution: In the city-state (or state), kin and tribal loyalties are, by definition, subordinated and replaced by political ties. The State and Urban Revolution: What makes a city-state different from an agricultural town is the synergy created by its people interacting with each other on the basis of political relationships rather than traditional blood ties. City-States of Ancient Sumer • How did geographic features influence the civilizations of the Fertile Crescent? • What were the main features of Sumerian civilization? • What advances in learning did the Sumerians make? The Fertile Crescent ‘Fertile Crescent’ is the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The first civilization in the Fertile Crescent was discovered in Mesopotamia, which means land between the rivers The first Sumerian cities emerged in southern Mesopotamia around 3200 B.C.E. Sumerian Civilization GOVERNMENT City-states with hereditary rulers. Ruler led army in war and enforced laws. Complex government with scribes to collect taxes and keep records. SOCIAL STRUCTURE Each state had distinct social hierarchy, or system of ranks. Most people were peasant farmers. Women had legal rights; some engaged in trade and owned property. RELIGION Worshiped many gods. Believed gods controlled every aspect of life. Saw afterlife as a grim place. Everybody would go into darkness and eat dust. To keep the gods happy, each city built a ziggurat, or pyramid temple. Highlight List 360 degree circle 60 minute hour Potter’s wheel Wheeled transportation: oPotter’s wheel turned on its side Advanced water allocation: oCooperation needed to build and repair Bronze plow pulled by oxen Water wheel oLike the Egyptians The Arch oLater used and accredited to the Romans Military innovations: oSoldiers on horseback, war chariot, composite bow, body armor Highlight List Astronomy: ostar catalogues and accurate observations of planetary motion, predictions of astronomical events, lunar and solar System of writing: oCuneiform; wedge-shaped forms which later developed into arithmetic and language. Great achievements in mathematics: odeveloped algebra, and foundation for the Greek expansion of geometry. Law: oSystem of rules to keep order and the authority to protect people Records: oLaws, trade and financial accounts Beginning of history…as a written story. Advances and Inventions •The Sumerians were the first to build wheeled vehicles like carts and wagons. •Invented the ox-drawn plow and greatly improved farm production. More Inventions Built sewers under city streets. Learned to use bronze to make strong tools and weapons. Named thousands of animals, plants, and minerals, and used them to produce healing drugs. Sumerian methods of measuring time would influence the development of much of the clock and calendar we use today. Music Music played important role in Sumerian society. Musicians played stringed instruments, reed pipes, drums and tambourines for entertainment and for special occasions. Music This stringed musical instrument is called a lyre. It features a cow’s head and is made of silver decorated with shell and stone. Sculpture and Jewelry Sumerian art is renowned for sculpture & jewelry. Sculptors created statues of gods for the temples, and made small objects of ivory or rare woods. Jewelers worked with imported gold, silver & fine stones. Earrings & other items found in the region show that Sumerian jewelers knew advanced methods for putting gold pieces together. Architecture Sumerian remains reveal great skill in architecture. A pyramid-shaped ziggurat dominated each city. Most people lived in one-story houses with rooms arranged around a small courtyard. Sumerian Achievements The Sumerians were the first people in Mesopotamia to build large temples called ziggurats. Ziggurats Ziggurats Ziggurats Sumerian Achievements The Sumerian’s artistic achievements included beautiful works of gold, wood and stone. Sumerian Achievements The bull’s head is made of gold and silver. Sumerian Achievements This gold dagger was found in a royal tomb. Sumerian Achievements Stone Sculpture/Carvings Sumerian Achievements Wood Carving Sumerian Achievements Archaeologists think this statue from the 700s BCE represents Gilgamesh. Scribes •Becoming a writer, or scribe, was a way to move up in social class. •Scribes began to combine symbols to express complex ideas. In time, scribes wrote works on law, grammar, and mathematics. •Sumerians also wrote stories, proverbs, songs, poems to celebrate military victories and long poems called epics. Writing Sumerians first used cuneiform to keep records for business, government, and temples. As the use of cuneiform grew, simple pictographs (3300 B.C.E.) evolved into more complex symbols that represented basic parts of words. This type of script was called cuneiform (from the Latin word cuneus which means wedge). Writing was taught in schools. Pictographs Sumerian writing developed from early symbols called pictographs. Writers used clay tablets to record business deals, like this tablet that describes a number of sheep & goats. Pictographs Evolution Invention of Writing The Sumerians made one of the greatest cultural advances in history. They developed cuneiform, the world’s first system of writing. But Sumerians did not have pencils, pens, or paper. Instead, they used sharp reeds to make wedge-shaped symbols on clay tablets. THE ORIGINS OF WRITING: Tokens: small geometric clay objects ocylinders, cones, spheres, etc. ofound Near East from ~8000 B.C.E. Earliest tokens simple shapes ounadorned osymbolized basic agricultural commodities oe.g. grain and sheep. THE ORIGINS OF WRITING: TOKENS cont… Specific shape represented a specific quantity of a particular item. o e.g. "the cone ... stood for a small measure of grain, the sphere represented a large measure of grain, the ovoid stood for a jar of oil." (Before Writing 161). Two jars of oil would be represented by two ovoids, three jars by three ovoids, and so on. Tokens presented an abstraction of the things being counted, but also a system of great specificity and precision. THE DEVELOPMENT OF CUNEIFORM: Early Sumerian writing system in constant flux. Original direction of writing was from top to bottom, obut for reasons unknown, it changed to left-to-right very early on (perhaps around 3000 B.C.E.). Affected orientation of signs by rotating all of them 90° counterclockwise. Another change in this early system involved the "style" of the signs. oThe early signs were more "linear" in that the strokes making up the signs were lines and curves. Starting after 3000 B.C.E., strokes started to evolve into wedges, thus changing the visual style of the signs from linear to "cuneiform". Cuneiform Cuneiform Cuneiform Writing Cylinder Seal The Sumerians also developed a special art form called the cylinder seal, carved into round stones. The cylinder seal was engraved with designs and could be rolled over wet clay to decorate containers or to “sign” documents. Cylinder Seal Cylinder Seal Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders Series of strong rulers united lands of Fertile Crescent into well organized empires. Again and again, nomadic warriors invaded the rich cities of the Fertile Crescent. oSome looted and burned the cities oOthers stayed to rule them 2300 B.C.E. oSargon, ruler of Akkad, conquered Sumer oBuilt first known empire 1790 B.C.E. oHammurabi King of Babylon United Babylonian empire Tiglath-Pileser I King of Assyria (1114 – 1076 BCE). Cultivated fear oAscended throne at time when people known as Mushki or Mushku (Meshech of the Old Testament), probably Phrygians, were thrusting into Asia Minor (now Turkey). Invasion a serious threat to Middle Eastern civilization oBecause Asia Minor was the principal source of iron, which was then coming into general use. Defeated 20,000 Mushki in the Assyrian province of Kummukh. Defeated Nairi, (west of Lake Van), Extended Assyrian control farther into Asia Minor than any predecessor. Tiglath-Pileser I 1st campaign: ooccupied Assyrian districts-Upper Euphrates 2nd campaign: oAssyrian forces penetrated into the mountains south of Lake Van and then turned westward. 5th year: oAttacked Comanan Cappadoci -- placed record of victories engraved on copper plates in fortress built to secure his conquests. Next: Aramaeans of northern Syria. Made way as far as the sources of the Tigris. Tiglath-Pileser I Control of high road to Mediterranean secured. Proceeded to Gubal (Byblos), Sidon & finally to Arvad oWhere he embarked onto a ship to sail the Mediterranean, oOn which he killed a nahiru or "sea-horse" (which translates as a narwhal) in the sea. Passion for the “chase.” Great builder: oInitiated restoration of temple of gods Ashur & Hadad @ Assyrian capital of Assur. Tiglath-Pileser I Subdued various semi-nomadic Aramaean tribes living along routes to Mediterranean Reached Syrian coast, where Phoenician trading cities paid tribute Egypt made overtures of friendship. 1100 Tiglath-pileser conquered northern Babylonia Latter part of reign a period of retrenchment, as Aramaean tribesmen put pressure on his realm Died in 1076 BCE Succeeded by son Asharid-apal-Ekur Warfare and the Spread of Ideas Conquerors brought ideas & technologies to conquered regions. o For example, When Hittites conquered Mesopotamia, they brought skill of ironworking to region When the conquerors were in turn conquered, they moved elsewhere, spreading their ideas and technologies. o For example, when Hittite empire conquered, Hittite ironworkers migrated to other regions and spread secret of iron making across Asia, Africa & Europe ThePERSIANS Persian Empire Cyrus the Great (and successors) conquered largest empire yet seen o From Asia Minor to India Emperor Darius unified the Persian empire Drew up single code of laws for empire Hundreds of miles of roads built or repaired to aid communication & encourage unity Introduced uniform system of coinage Encouraged a money economy o Prior to that point, it was Barter economy exchanging one set of goods/services for another Civilization & Mesopotamia Exam SCANTRON: Multiple Choice ~ Matching ~ True/False NOTE: Attributes of Civilization will be in list form. Patterns of Living Attributes of Civilization Mesopotamia Code of Hammurabi Gilgamesh ‘Why Civilizations Fail’ Text readings Unit 2 ppt. Unit 2 ppt. Ancient Mesopotamia ppt. Hammurabi ppt. Online Reading Online Reading Textbook pp. 4-13 Total Points ~75 Only Slideshow (ppts.) content will be included in review.