Ci#es:  Who  needs  ‘em?  

•  What  are  some  of  the  advantages  of  living  in  a  city?  Disadvantages?  

•  Why  do  you  think  ci#es  came  into  existence  in  the  first  place?  

•  What  condi#ons  would  be  needed  in  order  for  a  city  to  come  into  existence?  

Ancient  Ci#es  

Some  requirements:  •  Enough  food  for  a  concentra#on  of  popula#on  (who  don’t  raise  their  own  food):  agriculture  and  livestock  

•  Services  provided  for  residents:  security,  religious  prac#ce,  etc.  

•  Jobs  •  Supplies  of  needed  items:  salt,  cloth,  luxury  goods,  food  

•  Social  organiza#on/government  

Benefits  of  ci#es  in  ancient  #mes:  

•  Security  in  numbers  •  More  ar#s#c  produc#on  •  Technological  development  •  Trade  •  WriPen  language  •  Development  of  formalized  religion  •  Defensible  loca#on  

First  city:  Uruk  Ca.  4000  –    3100  BCE  

Anu  Ziggarut,  Uruk  

Computer-­‐generated  view  of  Uruk  hPp://www.dlr.de/eoc/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-­‐8297/14218_read-­‐37947/  

Inven#on  of  the  wheel  ca.  4000  BCE    

•  PoPer’s  Wheel  

•  In  Sumeria  

First  wheeled  vehicle  ca.  3500  BCE  

Proto-­‐Cuneiform  tablet,  ca.  3100  BC  Documents  grain  distribu#on  

Ca.  1920  BCE  Assyrian  tablet  detailing  court  tes#mony  regarding  the  ownership  dispute  of  a  business    enterprise.  

Enheduanna  of  Ur  

Epic  of  Gilgamesh,  Sumerian  king  

The  “Deluge”  Tablet,    Ca.  700  BC  

Sumerian  vo#ve  figures,  ca.  2600  BCE  

Assyrian  Empire:  ca.  2000  BC  –  612  BC  

hPps://www.khanacademy.org/humani#es/ancient-­‐art-­‐civiliza#ons/

ancient-­‐near-­‐east1/assyrian/v/ashurbanipal-­‐hun#ng-­‐lions-­‐assyrian  

•  Ashurbanipal  hun#ng  lions  –  large  stone  relief  from  palace  in  Nineveh,  ca.  670  BC  –  now  in  Bri#sh  Museum,  London  

Babylonian  Empire,  ca.  2000  –  539  BCE  Depic#ons  of  Ishtar  

Stele  of  the  Code  of  Hammurabi,  Louvre    

Wall  relief  of  Gate  of  Ishtar,  constructed  under  rule  of  

Nebuchadnezzar  

Reconstruc#on  of  Gate  of  Ishtar