“Venus Figure”of Willendorf

from Paleolithic

remainsc. 30,000 BCE

in Austria

Catalhüyük

Burial Mounds Around Stonehenge

Construction of Stonehenge

Preseli Mountain in Wales

The Heel Stone

• What defines civilization? Why were neolithic and paleolithic cultures not civilizations

• What is implied in the term civilization

• How have civilizations referred to those people who did not belong to their culture?

Discuss the Epic of Gigamesh• What were the features of the culture that

produced this piece of literature?

• What attitudes did it reveal about– Civilization– Government– The gods– Humanity– The fear of death

• Why was it so popular?

UrukUruk

The Lady of Warka, Iraqi Museum, Baghdad

Mosaic walls of Uruk, Staatliche Museum zu Berlin

Ancient Sumeria

The First Civilization

The Plow: One of Many Sumerian Inventions

The Wheel: Transportation and Storage

Sumerian Astronomy/Astrology

The Development of Cuneiform

Cuneiform Letter written by a merchant

c. 1800 BCE

Nippur – A Sacred City

City of Nippur – and Temple of Enlil

Temple of Enlil, Bel or Baal in Nippur

Temple of the Moon in Ur

Akkadian Empirec. 2200 BCE

• Third millennium agglomeration of Sumerian city states

• Located in Northern Sumeria

• Controlled by Semitic Akkadians

• Probably Sargon =• Who claimed to represent

the gods

Akkadian Empire

c. 2300 BCE

First Babylonian Empire c. 1800

Discuss the Code of Hammurabi

• What was the point of the introduction to the code

• How would you characterize these laws?

• What can laws tell us about the society that produced them?

Overview

• Geopolitical Structure– Geographical Influences– City-State Rivalries.

• Technological Developments– Warfare– Commerce– Astronomy

• Cultural Achievements– Ziggurats– Cuneiform– Epic of Gilgamesh– Hummurabi’s Code

Background

• Sumeria was the richest and most populous region of Mesopotamia; its cultural influence continued long after it was dominated by Akkadian and Babylonian rulers

• It was one of the earliest regions to develop an urban culture; it had dozens of independent city-states by 3000 BCE

• It became the most technologically advanced region of its day

• Because of its riches and knowledge, it eventually became the target for conquest by larger and more organized political entities

Geopolitical Structure

• Mesopotamia literally means “land between the rivers,” a reference to the strip of land that separates the Tigris and Euphrates rivers– irrigation was essential for development

– dry but very fertile soil, especially in Sumeria

– cities emerge c. 3500• ruling elite

• temples to gods

• commerce

• writing to keep track of commerce

Sumerian Cities

• There were approximately two dozen cities in Sumeria by 3000 BCE

• Gods were often associated with a locality or even a family

• These local gods attracted the intense loyalty as guardians and representatives of city states

• Consequently the temple priests who mediated relations between the people and the gods exercised enormous influence on this society

City-State Rivalries

• As cities proliferated across the river valley, leaders sought to maximize the boundaries of their territory– city-states develop: a city that exercises jurisdiction and

collects taxes across the countryside– rivalries and warfare become common characteristics of

Sumerian culture– because of the relative parity of the city-states, as a region

Sumeria remains relatively divided politically– although certain, cities such as Ur, exercise leadership over

the region, political unification eludes the Sumerians who remain divided due to political rivalries

Consequences of Political Rivalries

• Technological developments & culture of Sumeria– Warfare - Sumeria remains politically unsettled

(warfare) from 3500-2300– The quest for dominance leads Sumerians to

experiment with new ideas in• metallurgy for weapons - The Bronze Age (4000-

1000 BCE)• astronomy in order to predict the future• acquisition of materials

– long distance commerce– money

• transportation: wheels

Rough Outlines for Metallurgical Development

• 4000-3000 BCE: copper is pervasive; bronze (copper + tin) developed in Sumeria and gradually diffuses northward

• 3000-1200: The heart of Bronze Age Civilization; Bronze is pervasive

• 1200: The beginning of the Iron Age; starts in Middle East and southeastern Europe; because iron was plentiful and easily produced weaponry becomes cheaper and more readily available to larger numbers of people

Other Technological Developments from Sumeria

• Potter’s Wheel

• Wheel for carts and later chariots

• Sailboats

• The Seed Plow or Harrow

Cultural Achievements of Sumeria

• Cuneiform – dates to approximately 3500 BCE

– the rebus principle: pictograms used to denote sounds and eventually syllables rather than entire words

– no direct connection between it and later Phoenician alphabet which the Romans adopted

• Ziggurats– stair stepped temples with no internal chambers

– Scene of rituals designed to win favor of the gods

– Often associated with the Tower of Babel described in Genesis 11:1-9

Cultural Achievements of Sumeria

• Hammurabi’s Code c. 1750 BCE– not known in modern times until the 20th century

– a unified legal code for the Babylonian Empire that ruled Sumeria during the first half of the second millenium BCE

– penalties reflect the violent nature of Mesopotamiam society; penalties were also based on the class of the transgressor and the victim

– carved on an 8 ft high stone monument, the laws were meant to be read by all who could read

– regulated many aspects of society including commercial dealings and family life

Cultural Achievements of Sumeria

• The Epic of Gilgamesh c. 2000BCE is a Sumerian epic that reflects attitudes about– Loyalty to city-state– The transition from youth to adulthood– Death and the quest for immortality– Love, especially intense male bonding– Relations between men and women– Sexuality– The interventions of gods in the affairs of humans

• Its influence on the Hebrew Bible is highly likely:– The Great Flood– The Garden of Eden

Enkheduanna Disk of the

High priestess in UR

Assyrian Empire c. Assyrian Empire c. 700700

Ashurnasirpal II drinking, from Nimrud, British Museum, London

The Ishtar Gate

Babylon

Summary

• Ancient Sumeria was the home of a dynamic society that produced many technological and cultural contributions to the peoples of the Middle East

• Sumeria was often violent and politically unstable• It fell prey to many invaders who recognized the

advantages of many Sumerian developments• In this way, Sumerian culture spread throughout the

fertile crescent and had a lasting imp[act on the ancient Hebrews and consequently Judeo-Christian culture

Based on the characteristics of paleolithic, neolithic, and civilized cultures, which one did Stonehenge

belong to?

A. Paleolithic

B. Neolithic

C. Civilized

D. None – it reflected the work of aliens

How did Gilgamesh deal with the wild man Enkidu when he heard about him?

A. He assembled an special forces unit to subdue him

B. He personally fought Enkidu at the watering hole

C. He poisoned Enkidu’s water

D. He let the palace dogs attack him