Introduction to Mesopotamian Civilization PDF

HS 201 World Civilizations and Cultures Lecture 007 Introduction to Mesopotamian Civilization Ubaid Culture onwards V.N. Prabhakar, IIT Gandhinagar  Chalcolithic Mesopotamia-Southern Region Ub...

HS 201 World Civilizations and Cultures Lecture 007 Introduction to Mesopotamian Civilization Ubaid Culture onwards V.N. Prabhakar, IIT Gandhinagar  Chalcolithic Mesopotamia-Southern Region Ubaid Culture Late 6th and early 5th mill. BCE-Ubaid ceramics proliferates and spread to vast distances; also marks emergence of larger settlements, buildings and central temple, eg. at ERIDU In Ubaid 4, the temple reaches monumental proportions with the addition of niches and buttresses. Chalcolithic Mesopotamia-Southern Region Ubaid Culture Appearance of model boats from sites like Eridu and Ur may indicate their widespread prevalence as modes of communication in the areas crisscrossed by the numerous water channels. Communication networks with the aid of boats through the river channels could have also facilitated the spread of cultures towards the north as well as south into the Persian Gulf region. Ubaid 4 period marks the appearance of stamp seals started to appear with various linear patterns along with the representation of human and animal forms, which has been interpreted as administrative mechanisms Smaller settlements and groups of communities largely self- reliant and producing their own requirements like pottery, household articles; copper appears Larger settlements saw emergence of specialised craft activities and develop such skills as full time professions, the outcome of which were exchanged through a system of barter  Tell Abada, Ubaid 2 Mesopotamia Development of architecture-PN to Ubaid Tepe Gawra, Ubaid 4 Yarim Tepe Sabi Aybad Halaf culture Tell es-Sawwan, Early Ubaid Early Pottery Neolithic, Sabi Abyad Chalcolithic Mesopotamia-Southern Region Eridu The site of Eridu attains immense importance and is associated with the habitation of the first site after the earth emerged out of the primordial waters Eridu is at present found at Abu Shahrein, situated at a distance of 20 km south-south-west of the ancient site of Ur in Iraq Habitational remains at Eridu is of dimensions of 580 m (NW-SE) and 540 m (NE-SW) The settlement was a prominent Ubaid period town, as is also indicated by the profuse quantity of Late Ubaid pottery on the surface. Single-roomed mud-brick structure with an offering table and pedestal over a platform, which has been identified as the edifice of worship of Enki, the god of waters and wisdom Incipient temple architecture at Eridu grew with the city and population, and several alterations and additions were made it The location of the altar remained the same in all the later period expansions, thereby retaining the religious value attached to the temple. Temple XVI Temple VII  Mosaic pegs on temple columns and wall decoration made of clay, with alabaster and colored stone petals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVf5kZA0HtQ Chalcolithic Mesopotamia Uruk and Jemdet Nasr Periods Uruk period corresponds to the second half of fourth millennium BCE in southern Mesopotamia; also marks Integration Era; Sumerian end of Ubaid Period Stein and Wattemaker (1990) suggests the following: shifting ecological conditions; local warfare between competing Mesopotamian Tell Awayli, 4000 BCE city-states; problems of scale and control over large areas and the pursuit of conflicting economic and social strategies by urban centers and their hinterlands The colonization of Mesopotamian alluvium was made possible by the adaptive cultural subsystems such as irrigation agriculture Best examples of such an adaptive cultural subsystem are the fashioning of ‘baked-clay sickles and shaft- holed axes’ in southern Mesopotamia, which in other regions were fashioned out of stone, wood or metals  Chalcolithic Mesopotamia Uruk (4th mill. BCE) Alabaster cult Cylinder seal, priest king vessel, known as surrounded by herd of feeding Warka vase cows, symbols of Eanna Mass produced bevelled rim pottery Jebel Aruda, Sumerian outpost on Euphrates, 3500-3400 BCE Sumerian battle formation and leader depicting victory of Eannatum of Lagash Chalcolithic Mesopotamia Monumental Art as propaganda Ziggurat at Ur Relief depicting naked captives of neighboring city state Legitimation of overt use of force  Chalcolithic Mesopotamia Clay Token Earliest clay tokens date back to 9th mill. BCE Clay envelopes, with clay tokens with numerical markers Mesopotamian Weights and scale pans Weight system not standardized Strongly contextualized  Chalcolithic Mesopotamia Brocade style, cylinder seal, sacred herd and temple Banquet style for women Seals - oldest seals probably not used for trade, found in Syria and Turkey 7th to 6th millennia BCE; by 5th millennium BCE, first clay sealings possibly related to trade or ownership. Combat style for men  Chalcolithic Mesopotamia Proto-Cuneiform - 3500- 2800 BCE influenced Behistun Inscription of Darius I, proto-Elamite in Iran and 522-486 BCE was the foundation of Cuneiform writing system Trilingual - Old Persian, Elamite, in Mesopotamia Babylonian (Akkadian) Cuneiform (cuneus = wedge) - term first used in 1700 CE for writing used in Mesopotamia  Chalcolithic Mesopotamia Clay tablet and clay envelopes For official communication and treaties Medical text Nippur late 3rd mill. BCE Ebla Archives 2500/2400 BCE-2200 BCE Ebla Library 15,000 texts administrative, literary, religious, economic, political Man being led to a god by a goddess, Seal of governor, under Ur-Nammu Chalcolithic Mesopotamia Sun god, Water god, Ishtar Mathematical Treatise, Sippar 1800 BCE 2900-2350 (2371) BCE - Early Dynastic Period, Sumerian Monarchies, at least 2 dozen major cities, warring states, writing, Royal cemetery at Ur (2680-2450 BCE) This king list names kings from before the flood to Sin-Magir of Isin, 1827-1817 BCE Major City States (Early Dynastic Period) Carved chlorite vessels with Indus zebu, and Central Trade networks of carved chlorite vessels Asian/ Iranian motifs Cylinder seal, Mesopotamia - with long necked mythical animals Narmer Tablet - Egypt with long necked mythical animals  Ur- burial procession of Queen Puabi circa 2400 BCE Ur - burial of King and later Queen Puabi Ur- burial of Queen Puabi  Helmet of Mes-kalam-dug Royal Cemetery of Ur, circa 3500 BCE made from a single sheet of 15 karat gold Queen Puabi’s gold flower headdress and carnelian, gold and lapis lazuli bead cape and belts Queen Puabi’s male attendants wore, one gold earring, and headbands or necklaces with Harappan beads from Akkadian burials at Ur, gold, lapis and carnelian beads (long carnelian 2200-2100 BCE beads are from the Indus Valley)  2350 (2371) - 2200 (2150) BCE-FIRST EMPIRE, Akkadian Period, Sargon of Akkad (Agade), son of a priestess and pastoral-nomad, north central Mesopotamia, Semitic speaking rulers Seal of a Meluhhan interpreter Standardized cylinder seal style Naram Sin stelae, found in Susa Elamite capital where it had been taken by the victors.  Localization Era LOCALIZATION ERA: breakdown of trade and political stability 2200 - 2000 (2120 BCE) Guti Period (2159 BCE Agade was destroyed) invasions by tribes from the Zagros, Syria, & Iran possible aridification around 2200 BCE Neo-Sumerian Period: 2113-2000 BCE 3rd Dynasty of Ur (Ur III)- Golden Age, but major environmental damage leading to increased salinity in soils Ur III Dynasty Ur Nammu - founding ruler, probably from Uruk - new legal code, hugh ziggurats - palace vs temple politics Shulgi - successor attempts to unite state and temple 2000-1800 BCE Isin-Larsa Dynasties (Rim-Sin (1822- 1763 BCE), Larsa ruler was an Amorite) NEW INTEGRATION ERA 1800 (1894) -1600 BCE Old Babylonian Period - 1st Dynasty, (Hammurapi (1792- 1750 BCE) Babylonian ruler was an Amorite) Babylonian clay tablet with Geometrical problems in cuneiform script, from the British Museum's collection 14th-13th century BCE. It shows a map of the countryside around the Mesopotamian city of Nippur  Assurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE), hunting lions Assyrian Empire - 934-629 BC