GHIST 101 1st Edition Lecture 2Mesopotamia- Two riverso The Euphrateso The Tigriso Sustained agriculture on irrigations from Euphrates and Tigris rivers resulted in largerpopulations, a division of labor, and the growth of cities o Fertile crescent- where settled agriculture first developed o Sumer – where Tigris and Euphrates rivers brought fresh soil from flooding - Sumerianso First urban civilization of the world Largest city with 100,000 people City-states with ritual and commercial functionso First writing system Writing – cuneiform – writing first developed to enhance power of elites – only elites went to school Epic poems- recounts of heroes- Epic of Gilgamesh – recounts wanderings of Gilgamesh, the part realpart mythological king of Sumerian city of Uruk 60, 6, and 10, numerical system o First monumental buildingso Invention of wheelo First irrigation systemo The first to use plow and make bronze tools- Religion and Literature o Polytheismo Authority run by Sumerian priests o Honored gods by following the rules and make impressive temples o Deities with all the faultso Zigguratso Community-based activitieso Unpredictable gods with no ethicso The Epic of Gilgamesh One of the earliest texts, 18th cent. BC Friendship; Life and death Later influences- Technology o Lunar calendaro Sumerian math Based on units of 60These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute. Still influential todayo Importance of writing Origin: pictography – what are disadvantages? Conventional signs Breakthrough: Phonetic written language Wedge-shaped characters: cuneiform-o Lawo Earliest law code Enacted by Hammurabi (1792-50 BC)o Principles Punishment depended on social rank Offenders subjected to the same damages they caused Victim had the right to demand compensationo Social issueso Expansion and Decline o Ruled by Semitic peopleso Akkadian Empire (2,300 BC – 2,200 BC)o Established by Sargon the Greato Sumerian culture in Southwest Asia and the Middle Easto Hittites (1,500 BC)o Assyrians (900 BC)o Persians (500 BC)o Decline of Mesopotamiao Environmental degradationAncient Egypt - Used to be the “Oldest” civilization- Imagination in the Westo Exotica and familiarity- Nile o Most important aspect of Egyptian Lifeo Floods happened once a year and provided fertile soil and moisture for farming o Floods brought life back to fields – was a symbol of after life for the Egyptians Life before and after death was pleasant o Nile served as highway that promoted easy communication o First villages by 6,000 BC Wheat and barleyo Two kingdoms by 4,000 BC Lower Egypt Upper Egypto Gradual unification By a pharaoh around 3,100 BC- Land and People of Ancient Egypt o Benevolent Nile “Inundation” Center of the society Personification Nile and the concepts of order and justiceo Agriculture and living pattern Labor intensive work- Divine kings from 3,100 BC to 1,000 BCo A god who chose to live on Earth- Pharaoh’s governmento Priests, landownerso To protect his/her subjectso Controlled the rise and fall of the Nile - Dynastieso 31 dynastieso Three kingdoms Old: 3,100-2,200 BC (Most successful)- Old Kingdom – era of prosperity and evolution of religious beliefs Middle: 2,100-1,650BC New (Empire): 1,550-700 BCStructure of government - Religion o Polytheistic 3,000 names Amun-Ra, god of the sun Anuket, goddess of the Nile Falcon-god Horuso Afterlife Ka, life essence Mummyo Failed Attempt of Akhnaton (1367-50 BC) Monotheist belief- Cultural Achievements o Pyramids of the Old Kingdom Built between 2,600 and 2,100 BCo Temples and statues (1,300 BC)o Hieroglyphicso
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