Mesopotamia - Notes from class. PDF

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Mesopotamia: “The Land between the Rivers” 1. The Quest for Order a. The human population amazingly starter to increase during the fourth millennium B.C.E., in Mesopotamia i. The people in Mesopotamia had very few precedents to lead them in the organization of the high society ii. They got the chance to get new ways to use a few techniques for keeping track for their small agricultural villages in times iii. Just by experimenting, they created new states, and a governmental machinery that bought them political and social order to their territories. iv. In addition, they got some political military that enable them to put up empires and put their authority to others governments b. Mesopotamia: “The land between the rivers” i. Mesopotamia got its name because of the Greek words that means “the land between rivers” ii. It also refers to the fertile valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the present- modern day Iraq iii. Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the one of the first river valleys in the region in which civilizations were established iv. The two valley rivers shared common geographic features like dry soils, the environment that was drying and warming very slowly following by the famous end of the ice age, that overflowed rivers with water, and made agriculture possible for the people v. It didn’t rain a lot in Mesopotamia, however, the two valley rivers help with the flowing freshwaters that they offer to the region vi. The people realize that they could use the river’s water to build reservoirs, and digging canals. They could also cultivate fields of barley, wheat, and peas vii. After that, a small not that big on scale irrigation started to happen in Mesopotamia right after 6000 B.C.E. c. Sumer i. The increased of food supplies, in which it helped to support the large increased of human population while welcoming new migrants from other region started by the artificial irrigation ii. Humans presence grew rapidly fast in the land of Sumer in the southern half of Mesopotamia iii. There is some research that has the impression that other people, no Mesopotamians, but others name Sumerians lived in the land before the Mesopotamians in the sixth millennium B.C.E. iv. It is more likely that they were later attracted to the change of agriculture potential v. The Sumerians were constructing irrigation networks that helped them realize about abundant agricultural harvests

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The Sumerians were the dominant people of the Mesopotamians people whatsoever d. Semitic Migrants i. The money of the Sumerians was attracting to other migrants from others region while they were supporting other’s growing populations’ ii. The new arrivals that were the largest in size were the Semitic people, they are called like that because they could spoke tongues in the Semitic family of languages like Akkadian, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Phoenician iii. Countries like Africa in the modern era of today speak the Semitic languages including Arabic, and Hebrew and others related Semitic tongues languages iv. Semitic people were nomadic herders who traveled to Mesopotamia from the Arabian and Syrian deserts v. In many cases, they would marry others from the Sumerian culture, and almost always they adapted to the Sumerian environment and ways e. The beginnings of the 4000 B.C.E., i. While the human numbers were increasing in the southern part of Mesopotamia, the Sumerians built the world’s first cities ii. Unlike other settlements, Sumerian’s cities focus on being the center of political and military authority, so their settlements were used by others cities from around them as well iii. In addition, they were attracting buyers and sellers from their near and far cities into an economic center as well iv. The cities also served as cultural centers where some priests helped others with traditions, religion and educating others as well 2. Sumerian City States a. From 3200 to 2350 B.C.E. many Sumerian cities like Eridu. Uruk, Lagash and others did dominated all the public affairs in the city of Mesopotamia i. Because of all the internal and external pressure, all these cities decided to create laws and establish states ii. They did things like create formal institutions for their government that was supposed to help to create authority in the cities iii. All these was established because they needed to restore their authority within their territories, and to make sure that all their citizens were helping with the city’s projects and events iv. They also needed to prevent problems and fights between the urban residents before their fights become more violent and out of control v. Agriculture was a very important element for the urban residents, all cities and city states become dependent to the urban agriculture vi. All the cities become city sates after that vii. Not only their authority grew within their territory, but it also expanded to their neighbor’s cities that surround them b. Sumerians conserve all the peace, and government authority in order to ensure that their citizens were collaborating in activities with the city i. There were walls, palaces, and temples that dominated all of their cities of Sumerian.

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They also use collaborations and other workers from other government authority such as Gilgamesh, which were famous because they build the famous building city walls and all the temples of the city of Uruk iii. More impressable were the “Ziggurats”, they were a little different from the Gilgamesh because they stepped pyramids that housed temples and altars as well iv. A temple complex was built about 3200 B.C.E. in honor of the fertility goddess Inanna c. They Sumerian’s cities experience external problems i. Because of the wealth that they had, they were attracting all the outside people to their cities ii. And because Mesopotamia was a flat land with very few natural geographic barriers, it was very easy for others cities to enter the Sumerian’s cities and take their wealth iii. All Sumerian’s cities had defensives walls and an army to defend themselves, so they took people and trained them to be in the army to create more authority d. Sumerian Kings i. The early Sumerian community was ruled by same man that shared the cities, they decided, and made decisions for the whole community ii. They just look for whoever took authority in a moment of emergency, or crisis....