UGC 111 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture I. Timeline of Human DevelopmentII. Characteristics of Different ErasOutline of Current Lecture III. Mesopotamia IV. Early StatesCurrent LectureMesopotamia – “Fertile crescent” (modern day Iraq)- Land between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers- Contained the earliest cities due to the land’s fertility, people thrived- Cities were fighting for who would be in control- Every city had its own gods Shamash – Sun God, also the God of Wisdom because he lived in the sky and saw everything- Enuma Elish World’s earliest creation myth (~1800 BC) The story of Marduk, the patron God in Babylon Marduk defeated Tiamat who wanted to destroy the second generation of gods- Had its own dynasties Sumerian (Ur) – 3500 BC Akkadian (Agade) – 2350 BC Babylonian (Babylon) – 1900 BC Assyrian (Nineveh) – 1100 BCEarly States- Domesticated crops = farms, which led to population growth- 3 levels of political organization similar to modern day (country, state, county legislature)- Each state had a leader who was usually determined dynastically (by bloodline)- Difference between a state and a village is that in a state the leader has coercive power over their subjects (ability to punish them)- Stratified social structure Top: King and his court, including priestsThese 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. Nobility – families who owned land Common people – those who leased land and worked for it Bottom: Slaves – captured, war prisoners- Large organized cities Centers containing temple and royal complex Ziggurats – temples for worship o Every new year, it was believed that the gods came down from the mountainsto have a banquet at the top of the ziggurat Fortification walls and large, extravagant entrance gates King was the ruler who had many jobso Stood in for the Godo Judge and lawgiver/enforcero Royal propaganda to instill fear in the people- Cuneiform was their form of writing, used tablets to write on- Hammurabi’s Code of Conduct – “Eye for an eye” – the main set of ‘laws’ in that time, described the punishment and actions taken for specific crimes done- Followed astronomy which helped them develop a calendar year- Used math such as geometry to measure land for tax purposes, calculated interest on payments, divided a circle into 360°, determined a 12 hour
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