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The Cradle of Civilization- Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent

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The Cradle of Civilization- Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent The Cradle of Civilization- Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent Marshall High School Mr. Cline Western Civilization I: Ancient Foundations Unit Two AB * Cradling Civilization • Mesopotamian Society • Although kings were not viewed as gods, they were considered to be appointed by the gods. • The city's priest, however, still held influence. A priest's disagreement with a king's decision could lead to tension. • For this reason, the king may have appointed members of the royal household to religious official status. • Sargon used religion to display his power. His land expanded through one of southern Mesopotamia's largest cities, Sumer, and also into northern Mesopotamia. • Sargon's successors held control over their land until around 1750 BC, when the land was conquered by Babylonian leader Hammurabi. • Hammurabi is unique because he created a code of laws governing behavior. • The code consisted of over 200 acts and their required punishment. * Cradling Civilization • Mesopotamian Society • Hammurabi claimed authority to create these laws by stating they were dictated to him by Marduk, the patron god of Hammurabi's homeland of Babylon. • The top of the stele where the Code of Hammurabi was inscribed. It depicts the god Marduk (seated) giving the law to Hammurabi * The Ubaid Period • The Ubaid Period was the Middle East’s Neolithic age, in which migrating hunter gatherers settled down into sedentary agricultural life styles. • The focal point of the Ubaid period was in the south of present day Iraq, on what was then the shores of the Persian Gulf • This is considered to be the birthplace of agriculture, because despite the arid climate, the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates allowed for the deposit of alluvial soils, which the people of this age developed into an irrigational source • The Ubaid period has also been marked as one in which the centralization of labor increases rapidly • It was also a period of rapid urbanization and population growth where trade networks developed up and down the Persian Gulf Coast from modern Iraq to Oman * The Ubaid Period • When is the last time you passed a farm? Have you ever wondered how long ago people began farming and domesticating animals like cattle? • In the area now known as Iraq, this was happening before 5000 BC! • Even before the Sumerians (the inventors of the first writing system) lived here, the Ubaids were building cities and temples. • Who Were the Ubaids? • The Ubaids were the first group of people to settle in southern Mesopotamia. They inhabited this area earlier than 5300 BC. • The Ubaids settled in villages. They lived in large houses made of clay with many rooms, which were big enough to house extended families. • The Ubaids also created tools and pottery using fired clay. This was mostly done in the southern region of the area. In the north, the Ubaids may have used some metal to create these items. • During this time period (from about 5000 to 4000 BC), people began to settle in villages and create cities. * The Ubaid Period • Who Were the Ubaids? • The Ubaids began to develop farming techniques and domesticated animals for agricultural use. • One of the best ways to study a group that existed so long ago is to study grave sites. • Ubaid grave sites indicate there may have been a social hierarchy developing over this thousand-year time period. • An exclusive class of chieftains seemed to be the administrators of the temples, and possibly presided over legal matters. • Clay • Another way to understand the Ubaid culture is to study surviving pottery and other artwork. • Ubaid pottery can be found not only in the southern region of Mesopotamia, but in the northern areas. It also spread across the west coast of the Persian Gulf. * The Ubaid Period • Clay • Pottery may have been traded as fishermen went on expeditions. The creation of this unique pottery is used to distinguish the Ubaids as a cultural group. • Small clay figurines have also been found. * The Ubaid Period • Clay • These figurines were shaped and then baked to harden the clay. • The figurines were usually female and were adorned with colored ornaments. The heads sometimes resembled lizards, and the reptilian shape used for these figurines has confused many researchers. • Outside of the academic world, some people believe the lizard-headed figurines may depict 'alien' beings. • The Ubaids may have also used small tokens as a primitive form of currency. • They may also have used pendants or stamp seals for the same reason. The surviving seals contain images of snakes, birds, and humans. • Eridu • One of the earliest cities founded in the Mesopotamian region was called Eridu (located in modern-day Tell Abu Shahrain, Iraq). * The Ubaid Period • Eridu • The Ubaids were some of the earliest settlers in this city and constructed one of its earliest temples. • This temple was small compared to later ziggurats that developed in this city. • Ziggurats were large pyramid-like structures that were erected in ancient Mesopotamia for religious purposes. • Time Periods • The Ubaid time period is generally divided into three subsequent time periods. • The first (occurring between 5300 and 4700 BC) is called Ubaid 1 or sometimes Eridu. • The second period, which occurred between 4800 and 4500 BC, is known as the Ubaid 2 period. During this period, people developed canal and irrigation networks. * The Ubaid Period • Time Periods • The last period occurred between 4500 and 4000 BC. This period is known as Ubaid 3/4. • During this period, urbanization became very popular and the Ubaids spread into the northern parts of Mesopotamia. • Eventually, the Ubaid culture declined and was overtaken by the Uruk culture. • What Were Ziggurats? • One of the first things that usually comes to mind when we think of ancient Egypt is the Great Pyramid at Giza, but did you know the ancient Mesopotamians also built massive structures that were just as impressive? These buildings were called ziggurats. • A ziggurat was basically an enormous temple. These structures were built in several levels. * The Ubaid Period • What Were Ziggurats? • Although we are unsure of the exact purpose of each level and ziggurat, it is likely that each level was designated for a different type of activity. • The bottom level, for example, may have been a place of social and commercial interaction, while the upper levels may have been reserved for only the head priest to commune with a designated deity. • The ziggurat was the city's center. It would have been surrounded by a courtyard with homes, storage, and other facilities designated for administrative purposes. • Ziggurats were square or rectangular at their base. The bricks would have been made of mud. Unlike step pyramids, these structures would have contained stairs to allow designated people access to upper levels. • Because each city generally had its own patron deity, the local ziggurat was built for that deity. • Herodotus, one of the earliest historians, said that at the top of each ziggurat was a shrine to a patron god. * The Ubaid Period • What Were Ziggurats? • However, as ziggurats have been found and excavated, none of these shrines have survived. • The remains of the buildings indicate the structures were very tall, although none found have been as tall as the Great Pyramid in Egypt. • Some ancient religious texts indicate that a massive structure in Babylon (the capitol city of the ancient city-state Babylonia in Mesopotamia) was built to be over 300 feet high. • This may refer to a ziggurat. However, the stories portray the structure as round rather than square. • Who Built Ziggurats? • Ziggurats were built in many regions of Mesopotamia beginning in the later part of the 4000s BC. * The Ubaid Period • What Were Ziggurats? • Who Built Ziggurats? • Sumer, a region located in Southern Mesopotamia where the Tigris and the Euphrates, meet, is where the Ubaids, created raised platforms that resemble early ziggurats. • As time passed, ziggurats began to grow in size. They were popular in the Sumerian region, but the tradition also spread to other Mesopotamian areas like Babylonia, Elam, Akkad, and Assyria. • Ur • One of the biggest cities in Southern Mesopotamia was called Ur. • Around 2100 BC, a massive ziggurat was constructed in this city. The ziggurat was found and excavated in 1922 AD. • The remains were mostly the lower levels of the structure. A team worked to reconstruct the upper levels of the ziggurat to represent what the temple may have looked like. * The Ubaid Period • What Were Ziggurats? • Elam • One of the best-preserved ziggurats is located in modern day Iran, then known as Elam. • It was built by the Elamite king Untash-Napirisha around 1250 BC. This temple was built for Inshushinak, who was the patron god of the Susiana province. .
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