“Venus Figure”
of Willendorf
from
Paleolithic
remains
c. 30,000 BCE
in Austria
Catalhüyük
What was necessary for a society
to build Stonehenge?
What was the purpose of
Stonehenge?
What was necessary for a society
to build Stonehenge?
Burial Mounds Around Stonehenge
Construction of Stonehenge
Preseli Mountain in Wales
The Heel
Stone
• What defines civilization? Why were
neolithic and paleolithic cultures not
civilizations
• What is implied in the term civilization
• How have civilizations referred to those
people who did not belong to their culture?
Discuss the Epic of Gigamesh
• What were the features of the culture that
produced this piece of literature?
• What attitudes did it reveal about
–
–
–
–
–
Civilization
Government
The gods
Humanity
The fear of death
• Why was it so popular?
Uruk
Mosaic walls of Uruk,
Staatliche Museum zu Berlin
The Lady of Warka, Iraqi
Museum, Baghdad
Ancient Sumeria
The First Civilization
What kind of society and political structure
produced the Epic of Gilgamesh or Hammurabi’s
Code?
How did the concerns of these documents differ
from the concerns of Genesis 4?
The Plow: One of Many Sumerian
Inventions
The Wheel: Transportation and Storage
Temple of the Moon in Ur
The Development of Cuneiform
Cuneiform Letter
written by a
merchant
c. 1800 BCE
Temple of Enlil, Bel or Baal in Nippur
Nippur – A Sacred City
City of Nippur – and Temple of Enlil
Sumerian Astronomy/Astrology
Akkadian Empire
c. 2200 BCE
• Third millennium
agglomeration of
Sumerian city states
• Located in Northern
Sumeria
• Controlled by Semitic
Akkadians
• Probably Sargon =
• Who claimed to represent
the gods
Akkadian
Empire
c. 2300 BCE
First Babylonian Empire c. 1800
Discuss the Code of Hammurabi
• What was the point of the introduction to
the code
• How would you characterize these laws?
• What can laws tell us about the society that
produced them?
Overview
• Geopolitical Structure
– Geographical Influences
– City-State Rivalries.
• Technological Developments
– Warfare
– Commerce
– Astronomy
• Cultural Achievements
–
–
–
–
Ziggurats
Cuneiform
Epic of Gilgamesh
Hummurabi’s Code
Background
• Sumeria was the richest and most populous region
of Mesopotamia; its cultural influence continued
long after it was dominated by Akkadian and
Babylonian rulers
• It was one of the earliest regions to develop an
urban culture; it had dozens of independent citystates by 3000 BCE
• It became the most technologically advanced region
of its day
• Because of its riches and knowledge, it eventually
became the target for conquest by larger and more
organized political entities
Geopolitical Structure
• Mesopotamia literally means “land between the
rivers,” a reference to the strip of land that
separates the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
– irrigation was essential for development
– dry but very fertile soil, especially in Sumeria
– cities emerge c. 3500
•
•
•
•
ruling elite
temples to gods
commerce
writing to keep track of commerce
Sumerian Cities
• There were approximately two dozen cities in
Sumeria by 3000 BCE
• Gods were often associated with a locality or even
a family
• These local gods attracted the intense loyalty as
guardians and representatives of city states
• Consequently the temple priests who mediated
relations between the people and the gods
exercised enormous influence on this society
City-State Rivalries
• As cities proliferated across the river valley, leaders
sought to maximize the boundaries of their territory
– city-states develop: a city that exercises jurisdiction and
collects taxes across the countryside
– rivalries and warfare become common characteristics of
Sumerian culture
– because of the relative parity of the city-states, as a region
Sumeria remains relatively divided politically
– although certain, cities such as Ur, exercise leadership
over the region, political unification eludes the Sumerians
who remain divided due to political rivalries
Consequences of Political Rivalries
• Technological developments & culture of Sumeria
– Warfare - Sumeria remains politically unsettled
(warfare) from 3500-2300
– The quest for dominance leads Sumerians to
experiment with new ideas in
• metallurgy for weapons - The Bronze Age
(4000-1000 BCE)
• astronomy in order to predict the future
• acquisition of materials
– long distance commerce
– money
• transportation: wheels
Rough Outlines for Metallurgical
Development
• 4000-3000 BCE: copper is pervasive; bronze
(copper + tin) developed in Sumeria and gradually
diffuses northward
• 3000-1200: The heart of Bronze Age Civilization;
Bronze is pervasive
• 1200: The beginning of the Iron Age; starts in
Middle East and southeastern Europe; because
iron was plentiful and easily produced weaponry
becomes cheaper and more readily available to
larger numbers of people
Other Technological
Developments from Sumeria
•
•
•
•
Potter’s Wheel
Wheel for carts and later chariots
Sailboats
The Seed Plow or Harrow
Cultural Achievements of Sumeria
• Cuneiform
– dates to approximately 3500 BCE
– the rebus principle: pictograms used to denote sounds
and eventually syllables rather than entire words
– no direct connection between it and later Phoenician
alphabet which the Romans adopted
• Ziggurats
– stair stepped temples with no internal chambers
– Scene of rituals designed to win favor of the gods
– Often associated with the Tower of Babel described in
Genesis 11:1-9
Cultural Achievements of Sumeria
• Hammurabi’s Code c. 1750 BCE
– not known in modern times until the 20th century
– a unified legal code for the Babylonian Empire that ruled
Sumeria during the first half of the second millenium BCE
– penalties reflect the violent nature of Mesopotamiam
society; penalties were also based on the class of the
transgressor and the victim
– carved on an 8 ft high stone monument, the laws were
meant to be read by all who could read
– regulated many aspects of society including commercial
dealings and family life
Cultural Achievements of Sumeria
• The Epic of Gilgamesh c. 2000BCE is a Sumerian epic that
reflects attitudes about
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Loyalty to city-state
The transition from youth to adulthood
Death and the quest for immortality
Love, especially intense male bonding
Relations between men and women
Sexuality
The interventions of gods in the affairs of humans
• Its influence on the Hebrew Bible is highly likely:
– The Great Flood
– The Garden of Eden
Enkheduanna
Disk of the
High priestess
in UR
Assyrian Empire c. 700
Ashurnasirpal II drinking, from Nimrud, British Museum, London
The Ishtar
Gate
Babylon
Summary
• Ancient Sumeria was the home of a dynamic society
that produced many technological and cultural
contributions to the peoples of the Middle East
• Sumeria was often violent and politically unstable
• It fell prey to many invaders who recognized the
advantages of many Sumerian developments
• In this way, Sumerian culture spread throughout the
fertile crescent and had a lasting imp[act on the
ancient Hebrews and consequently Judeo-Christian
culture
Based on the characteristics of
paleolithic, neolithic, and civilized
cultures, which one did Stonehenge
belong to?
A. Paleolithic
B. Neolithic
C. Civilized
D. None – it reflected the work of aliens
How did Gilgamesh deal with the wild
man Enkidu when he heard about him?
A. He assembled an special forces unit to
subdue him
B. He personally fought Enkidu at the
watering hole
C. He poisoned Enkidu’s water
D. He let the palace dogs attack him