Ancient Middle East 1 PDF

# HCIV 101 - History of Civilization I ## The Ancient Middle East I ### Where to begin? - Some prehistory - Our species, *homo sapiens*, appeared some 200,000 years ago, gradually replaced other human species over time. - The story of humans goes couple million years back though. - Obviously we h...

# HCIV 101 - History of Civilization I ## The Ancient Middle East I ### Where to begin? - Some prehistory - Our species, *homo sapiens*, appeared some 200,000 years ago, gradually replaced other human species over time. - The story of humans goes couple million years back though. - Obviously we have no records. Heavy reliance on archaeological evidence, what we know changes relatively quickly over time. ### What do we know - Paleolithic era (human history up to 9000 BCE) and Neolithic era (period after 9000 BCE) - Humans everywhere lived in similar ways. Generally in groups of various sizes. - Culture? - Burials, paintings, flutes, carvings - Earliest findings so far: Kenya 80,000 years ago, and Israel 100,000 years ago - Possibly even earlier: Zambia 476,000 years ago. ### What a twist! - Appearance of first sedentary or semi-sedentary groups around 15,000 years ago. - Sedentary groups: instead of moving around searching for food, settle in one place and gather what you need from a certain area. - Earliest known places are modern day Israel and Syria. The same development happened elsewhere, usually in coastal regions. - After thousands of years of experimenting, agriculture begins around 10000 - 9000 BCE. ### Well... - Climate change: Warm weather supported sedentary and semi-sedentary groups, better chances of foraging - Fertile crescent, Mesopotamia, had wheat and barley, along with having access to animals - Population growth: foraging was not sufficient, warm climate and more food meant longer life spans and lower child mortality rates - Or population growth was a result of agriculture? - Over the next two millennia, intentional crop planting emerged for the most part independently in the Nile River Valley, western Africa, China, India, Papua New Guinea, Mesoamerica, and perhaps other places where the archaeological evidence has not survived. ### An alternative explanation: Culture - Göbeklitepe ### Results of agriculture and domestication of animals - Bigger animals such as cattle and buffalo were used in agriculture, with the introduction of plow, resulting in more efficient farming and less reliance on labor. - Efficient farming meant surplus food, which had to be stored, led some people to specialize in making products for storage such as pots, baskets, bags, and other containers. - Others specialized in making tools, houses, or other items needed in village life. - The division of labor begins. ## Sumerians and Mesopotamia - Mesopotamia was not suitable for agriculture due to lack of sufficient rain and flooding. - Sumerians were the first major civilization to emerge in the region around 4000 BCE. - Between 4000-3000 BCE: Uruk Period - Irrigation techniques for agriculture developed - Major cities: Uruk, Ur, Eridu, Lagash, Nippur, Kish - Cities centered around temples. Priesthood was important in administration. - Writing system: Cuneiform - Not a single political entity but independent city-states ### Sumerian Cuneiform | Early Sumerian (Vertical) | Sumerian (Rotated) | Late Babylonian | Babylonian | Assyrian | |---|---|---|---|---| | star | 𒀝 | 𒀝 | 𒀝 | 𒀝 | | sun | 𒌓 | 𒌓 | 𒌓 | 𒌓 | | month | 𒌋 | 𒌋 | 𒌋 | 𒌋 | | man | 𒂵 | 𒂵 | 𒂵 | 𒂵 | | king | 𒋼 | 𒋼 | 𒋼 | 𒋼 | | son | 𒑲 | 𒑲 | 𒑲 | 𒑲 | | head | 𒀀 | 𒀀 | 𒀀 | 𒀀 | | lord | 𒂓 | 𒂓 | 𒂓 | 𒂓 | | his | 𒀊 | 𒀊 | 𒀊 | 𒀊 | | reed | 𒍠 | 𒍠 | 𒍠 | 𒍠 | | power | 𒈫 | 𒈫 | 𒈫 | 𒈫 | | mouth | 𒅔 | 𒅔 | 𒅔 | 𒅔 | | ox | 𒃶 | 𒃶 | 𒃶 | 𒃶 | | bird | 𒐊 | 𒐊 | 𒐊 | 𒐊 | | destiny | 𒂕 | 𒂕 | 𒂕 | 𒂕 | | fish | 𒁪 | 𒁪 | 𒁪 | 𒁪 | | gardener | 𒈛 | 𒈛 | 𒈛 | 𒈛 | | habitation | 𒉺 | 𒉺 | 𒉺 | 𒉺 | | Nineveh | 𒉼 | 𒉼 | 𒉼 | 𒉼 | | night | 𒊌 | 𒊌 | 𒊌 | 𒊌 | [An image depiction of two clay tablets containing Sumerian cuneiform writing]