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Mesopotamia A Case Study in Civilization Requirements for Civilization 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Urban revolution New Political and Military Structures Social Structure based on economic power The development of complex technology Development of Writing Distinct religious structure New forms of artistic and cultural activity The Geography • The land “between the rivers”. • Arid yet, fertile. • Silt, irrigation, and civilization. The Mesopotamian City • Towns gradually • outgrew themselves and became walled cities. City states, large population groups ruled by all powerful kings grew in the place of the town. Famous sites such as Ur, Uruk, and Eridu are examples. The City Center: The Ziggurat • While the walls provided protection from without, the temple protected the people within. Ziggurat Religion • Gods and Goddesses owned the cities and as a result much wealth was devoted to temple construction. The temples played a significant role in the daily life of Mesopotamians. Significant Deities • Anu: God of the Sky • Enlil: God of the Wind • Enki: God of the Earth • Ninhursaga: God of Soil and Vegetation Mesopotamian Outlook • Many felt helpless with “Anthromophorbic” gods who “meddled” in the lives of people. • Life filled with strife, discomfort, and war. • “The rampant flood which no man can oppose, which shakes the heavens and casuses the earth to tremble, In an appalling blanket folds mother and child, beats down the meadows full luxuriant greenery, and drowns the harvest in time of ripeness.” Epic of Gilgamesh Relationships with the divine • Mesopotamians believed they were placed on earth to “serve”. • They felt they could never be secure of the gods actions. Economy • Largely agricultural • Small industries: pottery, metallurgy, textiles, and crafts brought them fame and foreign trade. Innovation • Foreign trade led to, and facilitated “cultural diffusion”. • As economies grew in scale, innovations such as writing and the wheel facilitated these innovations. Copper Mass production Social Class in Sumeria • The Elite: Nobles • The Labor: Commoners • The Slaves Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia • A kingdom to which • “Ur is destroyed bitter in rulers have added areas its lament. The belonging to other country’s blood now fills rulers. its holes like hot bronze • Warfare nearly in a mold. Bodies constant…as men like dissolve like fat in the Senacharib of Assyria sun. Our temple is sought conquest destroyed,d the gods have abandoned us, like migrating birds. Smoke lies on our city like a shroud.” Akkadians • Led by the legendary Sargon. • Semitic language speaking peoples. • Overran the Sumerian city states and established an empire. Hammurabi • Organized the Amorites (Old Babylonians) into an empire, built the legendary city of Babylon. • Known for incredible military discipline. • “The Sun of Babylon”. The Great Lawgiver • “An Eye For An Eye” • Complex societies required codified legal systems. • Examples: The Cultivation of New Arts and Sciences • Cuneiform • Schools for the elite, scribes. • The Epic of Gilgamesh • Time, calendar, mathematics, etc… The Standard of Ur The Royal Game of Ur Akkadians 2340-2125 BC Amorites 1800-1530 BC Sumeria 3500-1800 BC Mesopotamian Civilization Hittites 1600-717 BC Chaldeans 612-539 BC Assyrians 1170-612 BC Kassites 1530-1170 BC The World’s Oldest Story? The Meaning of Life and the Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic • The Epic of Gilgamesh is probably the oldest written story in the world. The story was written down on 12 clay tablets somewhere in ancient Sumer. It is the first heroic epos that we know of, predating the Greek by at least 1500 years. Piecing Together History? • Problems? • Epic: incomplete, as you can see portions of the original are in tatters. • Persia destroyed the great library of Nineveh in 612 BCE. • However, we do have it in multiple ancient languages. Gilgamesh? • Fabled king of Uruk, the true, legendary city in Sumer. The Story • The King: Gilgamesh is a flawed figure, the worlds first tragic hero. In his story we find bits and pieces of all that makes us human. The desire for compassion, greatness, sympathy, and friendship…while displaying ignorance, greed, and intolerance. Elements of an Epic • Within Gilgamesh we find: • Flood myth • Eden • Discussion of life and death • Cornerstone philosophies of modern religion. Assyria Assyria by theme • Signature characteristic: military prowess and strength. – Library of Nineveh • Geography: located on upper Tigris River – Controlled: Asia Minor, Iran, Syria, Palestine and northern Egypt. • Language: Semitic speaking peoples • Signature leaders: Senacherib, Asurbanipal • Problems? Overextension of empire, anger of constituents, internal strife, harsh rule • Fall: fell to Chaldean and Median coalition in 612 BCE • Politics: Assyrian kings had absolute, despotic power. Tigleth-Pilsar II • Most centralized and efficient state the world had seen. (745 BCE) Military Might Use of terror • “I fixed up a pile of copses in front of the city’s gate. I flayed the nobles, as many as had rebelled and spread their skins out on the piles…I flayed many leaders and spread their skins on the walls.” Ashurbaninapl • Political leaders were directly responsible to the king. Rarely acted without “divine approval” • Developed an efficient administrative system to govern more effectively. • Developed a primitive postal system. • Military was gifted in all types of fighting and was extremely large and well organizaed. • Technological superiority came from their use of Hittite technology of Iron weapons. • Economics: largely agrarian. Did trade in metals,, precious metals, and acted in control of regional trade routes. • Culture: despite their violent reputation. They acted as guardians of Mesopotamian heritage and built the great library to safeguard it. • Religion: patron god of Ashur, the rest were previously existing Mesopotamian gods. Indo Europeans • • • • • Subfamily Languages Indo-Iranian: Sanskrit, Persian Balto-Slavic: Russia, Serbo-Croat, Polish, Czech. Italic: Latin, Romantic languages Celtic: Irish, Gaelic Germanic: Swedish, Danis, German, English History • Based somewhere in black sea region. Substantial migration of peoples to diverse areas. • Empires and groups formed: Hittites, Aryan, Greeks, Romans, and Persians Phoenicians • Language: Semitic • Geography: Palestine along the mediteranean coast • Signature achievement: Phonetic alphabet. • Identifying trait: trade, commerce, and sea faring ability, trade in “Phoenecian purple” and the famed Lebanese cedars. The Hebrews • Lived to the south of the Phoenecians. • Identifying characteristic: Judaism. • Great cultural achievement: Old Testament (Torah) • Nomadic people in earliest times. • Patriarch-Abraham. • Drought caused movement to Egypt where they lived until enslaved. • Exodus in the first half of the 13th millenium BCE-wandered in desert for many years until resettleing into Palestine. • Organized into 12 tribes—became embroiled in conflict with Phillistines, living in the same region. • 1000 BCE organized into a league of tribes who established the kingdom of Israel. Hebrew challenges • • • • Egyptian enslavement Philistine conflicts Babylonian captivity (role of Persians) Assyrian siege United Kingdom • First kingdom under Saul, later reunified under David who united reunited the Israelites and led a siege against the Philistines and established control over the area. David centralized the kingdom into an agrarian culture with an urban center. • Solomon, David’s son is known for his great building projects, high taxes and military expansion. Divided Kingdom • Tribal tensions emerge between Northern and Southern tribes within Israel. • Two kingdoms created – 10 Northern tribes—Israel – 2 Southern tribes—Judah capital at Jerusalem – Each kingdom threatened at brought under the control of Assyria by 722 BCE – Gradually moved and merged with other cultures and lost their identity (Ten lost tribes of Israel) – South preserved their culture and heritage…until Babylonian Captivity • 586 BCE: Chaldeans destroy Assyria (what is left) conquer Judah and destroy Jerusalem in the process deporting thousands to Bablyon for captivity. • Psalm 137: • “By the rivers of Bablyon we sat and remembered Zion. How can we sing the songs of the Lord in a Foreign land”. • Persians destroy Chaldeans and liberate the Hebrews even helping the people of Jerusalem return and build their temples. Liberation • The Babylonian Captivity lasted exactly 70 years as predicted, extending from the burning of the Temple to its reconstruction, 586 B.C. ‐ 516 B.C. • • The Babylonian captivity ended with the decree of Cyrus in 537 B.C. • • Ezra 1:2‐4 • 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. • 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem Hittites Capital City: Hattusa Technology Hittite legacy • • • • Controlled Turkey as far back as 1800 BCE Part of IE migrations Pioneers of Iron usage Governed with a despotic king who received advice from the first known assembly the Hittite Pankus, a council of warriors that acted as a cabinet/legislature. • Treaty of Kadesh-1st international peace treaty • Destroyed by the “Sea Peoples” the mystery group that also befell Egyptian civilization Treaty of Kadesh: Egypt and Hittites