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What is Civilization?
Understanding and Analyzing
y Sources
Primary
Th IInvention
The
ti off
Writing
From "Cuneiform Tablet from 1900 B.C.." Clay
Tablet. 3200 B.C.
From "Cuneiform Tablet from 1900 B.C.." Clay
Tablet. 3200 B.C.
As the societies of the Sumerian city-states
advanced in the fourth millennium B.C., largescale trade and other economic activities were
increasingly hampered by the lack of a
permanent record of transactions. At first, the
Sumerians employed stone and clay tokens,
which represented various goods and
numerical values
values, to keep track of their
mercantile dealings. Around 3200 B.C. these
tokens were replaced by markings made on
clay tablets and written language was born.
The first cuneiform1 writings
g consisted of
pictograms, which were drawings of the items
represented. Shortly thereafter ideograms, or
abstract symbols, were also employed. These
allowed the Sumerians to symbolize ideas as
wellll as concrete
t thi
things. C
Cuneiform
if
was soon
used to record all important activities, from the
sale of land to marriage and adoption
contracts. By the middle of the third millennium
B C the Sumerian written language was
B.C.
developed enough to record oral epic poetry,
such as stories told of the legendary king
Gilgamesh. This tablet, from around 1900
p
B.C.,, is surrounded byy a thin clayy envelope
which was used to conceal and protect the
contents of important documents. 1cuneiform,
which is Latin for wedge-shaped, is the descriptive name
given by scholars to the Sumerian written language.
Mesopotamia’s
Mesopotamia
s Education System
‘Schoolboy, where did you go from earliest days?’
‘I went to school.’
‘What did y
you do in school?’
‘I read my tablet, ate my lunch,
prepared my tablet, wrote it, finished it; then
my prepared lines were prepared for me
(and in) the afternoon, my hand copies were
prepared for me.
me
Upon the school’s dismissal, I went home,
entered the house, (there) was my father sitting.
I spoke to my father of my hand copies, then
read the tablet to him, (and) my father was
pleased;
truly I found favor with my father.
“I am thirsty, give me drink,
I am Hungry
Hungry, give me bread,
bread
wash my feet, set up the bed, I want to go to
sleep;
wake me early in the morning,
I must not be late, (or) my teacher will cane me.”
When I awoke early in the morning,
I faced my mother, and…
I entered before my teacher, took (my) place.
My “school-father” read my tablet to me,
((said)) “The . . is cut off,”
, caned me.
…
Who was in charge of . . . (said) “Why when I was
not here did you talk?” caned me.
Who was in charge of . . . (said) “Why when I was
not here did you not keep your head
high?” caned me.
Who was in charge of drawing (said) “Why when I
was not here did you stand
up?” caned me.
Who was in charge of the gate (said) “Why when I
was not here did you go out?”
caned me.
Who was in charge of the . . (said) “Why when I
was not here did you take the . . ?”
?
caned me.
Sumerian Schooldays,
Schooldays ca.
ca 1900 B
B.C.
C 1Sumerian scribes used a sharpened reed as
a stylus to inscribe upon wet clay tablets.
A Hymn to the Sky
Sky-God
God Enlil, ca. 2000 B.C.
Enlil - ancient earth god of Sumerian
origin,
g , worshiped
p in Babylonian
y
religion.
g
With
the sky god Anu and the water god Ea, he
formed the great divine triad. Enlil, also
referred to as Bel, could be hostile or
beneficent. He was responsible for the order
and harmony in the universe
universe, but as a god of
storms and winds he brought terrible
destruction.
Anu - ancient sky god of
Sumerian origin, worshiped in
Babylonian religion. The son of Apsu
(the underworld ocean) and Tiamat
(primeval chaos), Anu was king of the
great triad of gods, which included the
earth god Enlil and the water god Ea.
Ea - ancient water god of Sumerian
origin, worshiped in Babylonian
religion. The great benefactor of
mankind, Ea was called the lord of
wisdom, of magic, and of the arts and
sciences. With the sky god Anu and
the earth god Enlil, or Bel, he was the
third of the great divine triad. .
What role does religion have in Civilization?
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the first known example
of heroic epic poetry. Gilgamesh was an early king
of the Sumerian city of Uruk, reigning there
around 2700 B.C. After his death, a series of
legends and an oral tradition became associated
with his name. As cuneiform evolved, his reputed
exploits were written down as part of the
Sumerian invention of literature. In its present
form, the Epic dates from approximately 2000
B.C. Gilgamesh’s story revolves around
eternal human ideals and questions-friendship, divine punishment, death, and
immortality.
King Hammurabi
This engraving displays Hammurabi
seated on his throne and receiving a
commission to execute justice from
Shamash, the god of justice. It
formed the top part of an eight-footg
high basalt stele, or inscribed upright
pillar, with the text of his law code
below. Hammurabi placed such
steles in the temple areas of his
major cities. French archaeologists
discovered this stele in 1901 in the
city of Susa and moved it to Paris.
Code of Hammurabi
Code of Hammurabi
What was the Code of
Hammurabi's influence on
Civilization?
By 2000 B.C., most of the major Sumerian cities were dominated by ziggurats or “stepped
towers.” Unlike the Egyptian
gyp
py
pyramids, these were not tombs but stairways
y for the p
patron
god of the city to descend. A “high temple” at the summit served as a home for the god,
while a “low temple” at the base allowed the god to reach earth and functioned as the
religious center of the city. The god appeared to priests or the king in these temples, who
then conveyed
y his divine commands to the p
populace.
p
From "Ziggurat of King Urnammu, Ur." Mud Bricks. 2100 B.C.
Sargon the Great (r. 2371-2316 B.C.),
from Akkad in northern Mesopotamia,
p
conquered all of the Sumerian city-states.
He united all of Mesopotamia, thus
establishing the world’s first empire. His
political influence later spread
p
p
west toward
Palestine and east into the Iranian plateau.
From "A Ruler's Portrait." Bronze. Cradle of Civilization. Ca. 1700 B.C