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Mesopotamian HistoryChapter 2

Art History

© Roxanna Ford 2014

+Settled Agriculture in an

Unstable Landscape

+ Is the location of Mesopotamia significant

to history?

YES! Mesopotamia is located on the alluvial plain area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

This area is difficult for agriculture

Little rainfall

Rivers flood at various times – not conducive for agriculture

Rivers change course unpredictably

What is GOOD in Mesopotamia?

Warm climate and good soil

Farmers were using cattle-pulled plows in the cultivation of barley

Irrigation canals were developed and used just after 3000 BCE

Watering fields became much easier!

The Ancient Near East

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The earliest peoples of

Mesopotamia were the Sumerians!

Created early Mesopotamian

cultures

Present as early as 5000 BCE

Who replaced the Sumerians?

Semitic-speaking peoples

dominated the area by 2000 BCE

Many elements of Sumerian culture

were preserved by this group.

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Cities, Kings, & Trade

+ What was it like to live in early

Mesopotamia?

Societies of villages and cities linked

together – mutual interdependence!

Cities depended on villages

Food surpluses from the villages

would feed the urban elite and

craftsman.

What do cities provide for villages?

Protection

Markets

Specialized goods

What area defines an ancient city-

states?

The city and its agricultural lands

+ Does warfare occur among city-states?

YES! Usually over resources!

Was peaceful interaction possible?

ABSOLUTELY! We have evidence of trade and sharing of resources among the city-states.

How did city-states use human resources?

To open new agricultural lands

To build and maintain irrigation systems

To construct palaces and temples!

When do we see the advent of secular leaders?

Approximately the 3rd millennium BCE

Lugal – “big men” – leaders of armies, became leaders

Lugal ruled from palaces

Lugal also took religious controls

Is there a written example of secular power?

Epic of Gilgamesh

+ Some city-states became exceedingly

powerful.

Powerful city-states often absorbed

others creating territorial states.

Akkadians – founded by Sargon c.

2350 BCE

Third Dynasty of Ur (2112-2004 BCE)

Old Babylonian State – Founded by

Hammurabi

For what is Hammurabi best known?

His law codes!

Provides us with information about

Old Babylonian Society

Carved on a diorite stele and

delineates punishments based on

social status.Stele of Hammurabi.

Louvre Museum, 2014

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Mesopotamian Society

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Mesopotamian Society was a stratified society.

Kings and priests controlled much of the wealth.

3 Classes are found in these city-states

Free landowning class

Dependent farmers and artisans

Slaves

Slavery was NOT a fundamental part of the economy – most slaves were prisoners of war.

+ Is there a societal change because of the

agricultural revolution?

Possibly!

The status of women may have declined

because men would plow and irrigate the

fields.

Women also had no political role in these

civilizations.

Women were allowed to own property, control

their dowry, and participate in trade.

How did the rise of the merchant class impact

social structure?

In the 2nd millennium, we have found evidence

of a greater emphasis on male privilege and a

decline in the status of women.

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Gods, Priests, & Temples

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Mesopotamian beliefs were a

variation of Sumerian and

other Semitic beliefs.

What kinds of deities did this

group worship?

Deities were

anthropomorphic – having

human form and/or human

attributes.

Humans were regarded as

servants of the gods.

Assyrian Relief Sculpture

British Museum, 2014

+ What about temple structure?

Temples were walled

compounds

Contained both religious and

functional buildings

Most visible portion of the

compound was the ziggurat.

Oriented to the cardinal

points of the compass.

Sargon II Palace Reconstruction (Dur

Sharrukin – Present Khorsabad)

Ancient Ziggurat - Iraq

+ What do we “know” about

Mesopotamian religious practices?

Not much – writings indicate prayer

offerings and service to the gods.

What does evidence indicate?

A popular belief in magic

Use of magic to influence the gods

Votive figures have been found at the

temple of

Votive figures were found at the

Square Temple in Eshnunna – indicate

individual worship.

Open-eyed stare represented eternal

wakefulness and prayer to the deity.

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Technology & Science

+ Technology = any specialized knowledge that is used

to transform the natural environment and human society.

What kinds of advances are found in Mesopotamian cultures?

Cuneiform Writing “wedge shaped” – evolved from pictures and represents sounds of words or parts of words.

Primarily used for record keeping

Used by professional scribes only

Considered to be a complex system

Developed by the Sumerians – used by the Akkadians and other groups.

Math of Sumerians based on 60

Geometry = measure fields and erect buildings

Chart the heavens

Calendar of 12 lunar months (extra month time to time)