The Ancient Near EastSlide 2The Sumerians Invented:WritingFarming TechnologyArchitectureCodes of LawCities and Regional GovernmentsFormal System of EducationReligionThe Epic of GilgameshThe Ancient Near EastThe Larger PictureThe Sumerians Invented:WritingFarming TechnologyArchitectureCodes of LawCities and Regional GovernmentsFormal System of EducationWritingCuneiform etched on clay tablets baked for permanenceOriginally invented to keep business and temple recordsEventually grew to include writings of philosophy, literature, mathematics, architecture, law, politics, and religionThe oldest surviving documents in the worldFarming TechnologyIrrigation SystemsComplex system of canals, dikes, weirs and reservoirs to turn desert into farmlandRegional authorities set up to build and regulate irrigation systemsLed to development of cities and city-statesWheelPlowArchitectureOriginally built with bundled reeds, and later, sun-baked brickDeveloped measuring and surveying instrumentsEventually erected temples [ziggurats] as high as 75 feet above the groundCodes of LawCode of Ir-NammuOverall, more humaneAllowed a cash payment for some offenses, rather than “an eye for an eye”Code of Hammurabi Characterized by vengeance, as well as the visiting of the parents’ sins on the childrenCities and Regional GovernmentsThree classes of people under the king:Aristocratic nobles (administrators, priests and military officers)Middle class people (businessmen, teachers, farmers, herdsmen, fishermen, artisans [especially potters and metal workers], carpenters, weavers, and masons)Slaves (captives or sold by families)Formal System of EducationBegan as a way of training scribes and administrators to keep business and other temple recordsLater, moved from strictly vocational schools to become centers of cultureStudents were taught writing, drawing, Sumerian, and mathematicsCulture remained more concerned overall with accounts than academic learningReligionAnu—God of the HeavensEa (also called Enki)—God of earth and waterEnlil—God of order; in charge of men’s destiny or fateIshtar (also called Inanni)—Goddess of love and warAruru—Goddess of creation and birthShamash—Sun God; patron of UrukThe Epic of GilgameshGilgamesh found in official lists of kingsReigned in Uruk around 2800 BCAfter his death, worshipped as a GodEpic composed around 1200 BC Traditionally, author was Sin-leqe-unninni, a Babylonian scribeIncorporates earlier materials, some dating back to 2100 BC, nearly a millenium