*History 8 Mesopotamia Concepts

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Work must be supported with citation of source. Manual may be noted with CF Manual and page number(s). Any information from class notes may be cited as Class notes (date of lecture). Name of Video. You may not use Wikipedia as a source. Please sign your entry.

1. What are the common markers of material civilization?

Some of the common markers of material civilization, according to page 80 of the Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations, are "cities, bronze technology, writing, great ceremonial buildings, temples, monumental art, hierarchies and class division, all sanctioned by some form of law, and held together by organized military force." These things were left behind by civilizations and are things created by the citizens, which tell us an extraordinary amount of information about their every day lives.

Here is an example: 30-YGWNDFDF00.jpg

Sources: Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations, [1]


2. According to Michael Wood, what do the material markers hide?

Michael Wood believes that the basis of a society isn't the technology, social class, military strength, or cities. He believes that these actually hide the true values of civilization and the deeper parts of society from spiritual to political. To learn more read Legacy by Michael Wood or Manual page 80 By: Lauren Biegel


3. What are the basic tenets of the Modern West?

The basic tenets, or beliefs, of the Modern West include possessive individualism, scientific utility, and free market philosophy. First, possessive individualism is the idea of a person taking control of themselves. This one was of the first major ideas of freedom and taking your own life into your own hands. Second, a utility is the list of pros and cons for each cause and effect.. Lastly, free market philosophy is the idea that a nations economy is not monitored by the government and the economy functions because of multiple companies offering the same product or service. These ideals create a functioning modern society. Finally, these ideas developed along the same time as the first visions of freedom.

Sources -

"utility." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 06 Nov. 2012. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/utility>.

"free market." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 06 Nov. 2012. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/free market>.

"“Canadian Political Culture: The Problem of Americanization” Definitions." “Canadian Political Culture: The Problem of Americanization” Definitions. Markville Secondary School, 14 Feb. 2003. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. <http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/politics/exemplars/meg2.html>.

Beniretto, Rosie, and Clay Elliott, comps. Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. Vol. 1. Houston: St. John's School, 2012-2013. 80-80. Print.

Jonathan Bloom


4. The Sumerians were particularly vulnerable to outside attack. Explain why.

"The creation of the artificial landscape in the southern plain, with the elaborate irrigation systems needed to sustain city civilization, made the Sumerians peculiarly vulnerable to outside attack." RB The Sumerians were particularly vulnerable to outside attack because they had no natural frontiers. This means there was nothing (like a river or mountain) to separate them from their neighbors except land. They were completely open and at risk from their neighbors, the Elamites and the Persians, because the Sumerians lived in the lowlands and did not have the advantage of being on higher land. This eventually led to the capture of the Sumerians by the Akkadians.


image001.jpg


Sources:

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/world/sumeriadef.htm

Manual Page 182


Picture:

[2]


Gwendelyn Butler


5. Explain what Wood means by "landscape and climate are the key determining factors in the rise of civilization."

Overall, near Mesopotamia, long-term climate and landscape patterns changed this area's history. This region of the Middle East was very dry and flat, except for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which helped make the soil there very fertile. This is very important because this gave Mesopotamia the ability to farm, which gave them an abundant food source. There was a lot of clay in this area that was used to make bricks. This was what buildings in Mesopotamia were made of at this time. Even though it was very dry there, the Mesopotamians used the rivers for irrigation and obtaining water for other purposes. Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent required more organization in Mesopotamia, so population centers grew, technology advanced and these early civilizations turned into city-states. Government and religion then began to develop as Mesopotamia grew. There were also some problems that had to do with this landscape and climate. One problem is that this area had almost no metals or stone. This was a problem because stone was used for most building materials, and metal was was used in a lot of technology from that time. Second, even with rivers nearby, there was still not very much water in this area. Finally, the rivers in the area occasionally flooded, destroying a lot of crops. As you can see, climate and landscape have a big impact on how civilizations develop, or fail. They help determine a civilization's economy, religion, government, beliefs, and food source. Humans also effect the environment around them. They can destroy the environment, like what happened in Iraq, and the environment will in turn destroy them. There are many advantages and disadvantages to all types of landscape and climate. For these reasons, Wood is correct when he said "landscape and climate are the key determining factors in the rise of civilization."

map-of-mesopotamia.jpg

http://www.indepthinfo.com/history-ancient/mesopotamia.htm

Sources of information: http://www.indepthinfo.com/history-ancient/mesopotamia.htm, Manual page 82

Cam Cook

6. What effect did population growth have on the environment?

As the population began to grow and expand, humans began to abuse their power over the environment. For example, they slashed, burned and cut down forests, cleared brushwood, and left the landscape as a barren wasteland. They had made the soil loose and every winter rain eroded it more and more. This devastating effect on the environment continues further out into the rest of the world as the population expands forcing humans to tear down nature, creating room for houses and cities.

29242-400x500.jpg

Page done by Evan Eisenberg

Sources: Manual Page 82

<http://uk.oneworld.net/imagecatalogue/imageview/29242/?RefererURL=/guides/forests>

7. What are the key arts of civilization?

The key arts of civilization are religion, specialized work, government, writing, and technology. These traits are still found in communities around the world today. People live in organized communities and the key arts of civilization cause people to be organized into ranks. From the start of the temple, the city and the kingship people were always ranked and organized on the key arts of civilization. When people began to worship they had to rank their people on who is the highest and closest to their god. Cities forced people to rank officials to see who would govern them. Kingship shows how the king is the highest rank and all other people are below him in a lower class. The key arts of civilization make organized communities and how people live in them. TEXT P.84 from the creation of organized communities to the arrival of the temple, the city and kingship. RB sumerian-types-religion-800x800.jpg

Sources: http://www.lz95.net/lzhs/social_studies/lwatson/WH%20PPT/Key%20Traits%20of%20a%20Civilization.pdf

Picture: http://www.ehow.com/info_8463114_sumerian-types-religion.html

Mary Ann Enerson


8. The ways in which the natural environment influenced religious beliefs in Sumer?

In Sumer, the gods were more or less based off of the natural environment. Most of their gods are created from the water forms around them, and their environment seems to correlate with how they lived in their spiritual life. Delete RBItalic text Source: Manual/Gilgamesh Video 'TEXT When they emerge, the cities of Sumer center on shrines of the deities of the plain, gods of wind, air, and sky, of the grape vine, the grain and fertility; shrine for the herders, the cattlefolk, the fisherpeople. They were often situated in the border regions. Nippur, the city of the wind god Enlil, was on the northern edge of Sumer; Enki of Eridu, lord of the fresh water, was at the bottom of the marshes; Sin the Moon god was at Ur on the sea. Perhaps in ancient times, such favorable meeting places grew bigger, becoming permanent settlements for the storing of treasure, goods, and produce, and eventually places of exchange. Perhaps the root of the Mesopotamian city, for good and practical reasons, was the shrine. RB'

9. The basic features of Mesopotamian culture as reflected in its literature and art?

The Mesopotamian culture was reflected by its art and literature in many ways. Around 3000 BCE, writing was invented by the Sumerians. This type of writing, called cuneiform, was made by wedging symbols into a block of rock. Many of these writings were bills and other records of payment. Because of this new type of communication, homo eocnomicus, or the "economic man", was born in Mesopotamia. The Sumerians were now able to trade goods and tell stories, bringing them closer together as a group.

oral_story_2.jpg

A photograph of a cuneiform tablet.

Mesopotamian literature and myths also reflected their culture. One of the prime examples of this is the Epic of Gilgamesh. It tells of the Flood (associated now with Noah and the Ark) and the titular character's eventually futile search for everlasting life. Because Gilgamesh does not ever reach his goal, the quality of pessimism is first shown. This quality has been reflected in Mesopotamian society since the ancient times until the Mesopotamian society of today.

gilgamesh_louvre.jpg

A photograph of the Gilgamesh statue at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

Sources:

CF Manual page 84

http://www.ricardopinto.com/blog/ and designmylife.org (both for the first picture)

http://electricliterature.com/blog/2010/02/10/gilgamesh-the-videogame-review/ (for the second picture)

-Jayan Hanson

10. What was the role of writing in Ancient Sumer?

Writing was first found in Uruk, and may have been invented in this city by an unknown genius not long before 3,000 BC. More than ninety-five percent of the writing found in Iraqi sites are economic texts such as facts and figures, bills, accounts, inventories, and measures of dates or barely, parcels of land down to every rod, pole, or perch. The Sumerian form of writing was a series of wedge-shaped signs created by pressing a stylus into clay tablets. This wedge-shaped writing is called cuneiform. Writing allowed for news and ideas to be carried to distant places without having to rely on the memory of the messenger. Cuneiform allowed for the birth of homo eocnomicus, otherwies known as the"economic man", in Mesopatamia. Homo eocnomicus closely related themselves to secular law, the root idea of the modern west thinking.

1.jpg

Resources:

CF Manual Page 84
http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/MESO/writing.html
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/educator/modules/gutenberg/books/early/


Justin Kao

11. What is the enduring legacy of Mesopotamia and why?

The enduring legacy of Mesopotamia is its imaginative literature, especially its myths. The world's first literature and the finest literary work from ancient Mesopotamia is the epic of Gilgamesh. This work was most likely recorded of clay tablets at around 2000 B.C., which was way before the Iliad and the Odyssey were recorded in writing. The epic of Gligamesh is a long poem, describing the actions of a hero during his quest for identity and meaning of life. Gilgamesh, half man and half god, has to deal with many universal themes as seen in literatures today. The reason why literature is the most enduring legacy is because some of the ways of literature and writing during Mesopotamia shape how we write today and some of the ideas of ancient myths are found in some religions today such as how the Epic of Gilgamesh is associated with the tale of the Flood and the great ark appeared in the bible.

8.jpg The Deluge tablet of the Gilgamesh epic in Akkadian

Sources:

http://all-history.org/6a.html (website for picture)

http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/MESO/literature.html

Manual Page 84


-Byrn Ledbetter

12. The role of technology in the rise of empires in Mesopotamia?

Like all other civilizations, Mesopotamia was greatly affected by the role of technology in the rise of its empires. The Mesopotamians were the first city builders. Not only does this unite their community, but it also forms a sense of establishment. Cities help with housing, population issues, more official trading, jobs, and much more. The Mesopotamians also invented more advanced pottery. This pottery was wheel-turned, with greenish coloring and black geometric patterns. This wheel pottery is not only the first form of a wheel, but it also provided a more advanced artistic template to the Mesopotamia society. Astronomy, the first literature, the first law, the first school, the first map of the world also helped with the rise of the empires in Mesopotamia. Both literature, law, and the first map help provide a writing background for Mesopotamia. This writing background helped unite the cities by having the same regulations and writing methods. Astronomy helps the rise of the empires in Mesopotamia because it provides the community as a whole with generally the same belief. The first schools provide the people of Mesopotamia with an education. This education could be used to further strength Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamians also were the first to divide time and space into multiples of sixty. This provided an official time for Mesopotamia as a whole.

This is an example of a law that is engraved in stone.

meso_tablet.jpg

For more information about the rise of Mesopotamia: http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/MESO/science.html

Link of the website where the picture is from: http://www.starteachastronomy.com/mesopotamian.html

CF Manual: 84

-Grace Amandes


13. How does Wood characterize this civilization and why?

Wood, who believes that Mesopotamia was the beginning of civilization, classifies it as the first organized societies to bring people together. Though Mesopotamia did not last forever, it held all of the essential characteristics for a civilization: there was writing, law, a large population, and tolerance for each other. According to Wood, this civilization led the way in mathematics, literature, and monotheism. Mesopotamia held together to become an organized culture; intellectually, religiously, politically, and conscientiously. But they were at heart a pessimistic people, expecting the worst and having their history bear it out repeatedly. RB

Sources:

CF manual pg. 80

[[3]]

-Libby Carr


14. What were the reasons for the fall of Sumerian civilization?

  • There were many reasons for the fall of the Sumerian Civilization.
    • All the city states in southern Iraq were dependent on the Euphrates River for irrigation. This forced the city states to co-operate despite there huge differences. This caused internecine warfare between all of the city states, which was likely one of the main reasons for the collapse of the Sumerian Civilization. (CF 85)
    • In addition to internecine warfare between the city states, Shulgi and Ur revived an old archaic custom of tribute. Large numbers of animals and supplies were brought to the national shrine at Nippur for sacrifice at the temples each month. This was a likely reason for the economic struggles of Sumer. (CF 85)
    • Furthermore, the climate on the plains had gone through a long dry spell, causing lots of the agricultural land to become useless. (CF 86)
    • Salinization was a huge problem that the Sumerians faced. The salinization forced the sumerians to shift from wheat to barley, which was more salt resistant. There i evidence that large amounts of land had been abandoned due to salinization. (CF 86)
    • Raids from nomadic outsiders became more and more threatening to the Sumerians. This is because they were on the plains and had no natural boundaries for protection such as mountains. They relied on their man made structures to protect them from outsiders. This is why sumerians were not very well protected from outside attacks, another one of the main reasons for the fall of Sumerian civilizations. (CF 86)
    • Because of the land lost to salinization, the population could not be fed and grain prices flew up. (CF 86)
    • International trade broke down, which the Sumerians relied on for their raw materials. (CF 86)
    • Government communications began to fail. (CF 86) These are the main reasons for the fall of the Sumerian Civilization.

CF 85-86 Grayson Christ

15. What significant changes in government happened in the shift to the Babylonian Empire?

The Babylonians believed that the monarch was a god and they had a divine origin. This new ruling invented new ways to administer the state and its resources. The resources were: taxation and involuntary military service. The greatest of these innovations was centralization.

Bibliography:

CF Manual: 87

Camille Dawson-


16. What was the function of written law in ancient Babylon?

Ancient Babylon was one of the largest states of it's time. It contained dozens of cities. Because Ancient Babylon was so vast, the rulers needed a way to bring control and order to their people. Written law was one of the easiest ways to make law and order public. By printing laws and codes throughout the empire, the rulers educated the people of Babylon on how to act. Most laws dealt with crimes to the state and punishment could be as severe as death. The Code of Hammurabi is an example of written law because these rules were scribed into stones. The Code of Hammurabi included laws about trade and theft to marriage and slavery. Written law allowed for safer and more pleasant live within Babylon.

Works Cited:

CF Manuel:87

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/253710/Code-of-Hammurabi

Gregory Estrera

17. ID Hammurabi:

Hammurabi was a historical ruler of Babylon, as he was the one who published a formal code of laws. He had many people engrave writing on stones throughout the city, and he created an established law form. He gave made his rules highly specific very specific, with each offense receiving a specified punishment. By doing this, he enlightened his citezens about the laws of his kingdom, and no one would be ignorant of the crime that they commited. One of his more famous laws, the Law of Talon states a crime/punishment system formed around the saying "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth." This law is still used in some parts of the modern world.

Works Cited:

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hammurabi#History

18. Explain the Law of Talon. How did it influence Hammurabi's Code?

A law is a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority. The Law of Talon is very important in the building of Mesopotamia. This Law is the basis of the Babylonian law and eventually becomes part of the Hebrews law system. The Law of Talon is an "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." This literally means that if someone does something to you, you have the right to do it back to them. This law caused Hammurabi's Code to give out punishments of inflicting pain according to the class of the person. It also influenced the code to punish someone for a crime by making the victim pay money or die.


Works Cited:

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: "Law." Merriam-Webster. 2012. Merriam-Webster. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/law>.

Manuel pg. 87: "Mesopotamia." Manuel for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilization. Comp. Clay Elliot and Rosie Beniretto. Houston: St. John's School, 2012. 80-101. Print.

Online Recource: Stockdale, Nancy L. "Hammurabi's Code." World History Sources. Center of History and New Media, 2005. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://chnm.gmu.edu/worldhistorysources/d/267/whm.html>.


-Katie Malcolm


19. Using Turner's Theory, explain the physical environment of the Assyrians.

Turner's theory states that geography affects the behavior of people. The Assyrian geography includes rivers, wadis, and green plains with fertile soil. The rivers, the Greater Zab and the Tigris, and wadis provide water for irrigation. The green plains with fertile soil were extremely important to the Assyrian Empire because they enabled its farmers to provide food for the entire empire. The parts of the Assyrian empire that grew the food, the Arbel Valley and the Nineveh Valley, became known as "the Assyrian Breadbasket".

Sources:

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Geography_of_Babylonia_and_Assyria.html

CF Manual 10, 89

Jared Margolis


20. Detail the effects of the Assyrian policy of deportation of conquered peoples.

The Assyrian policy of deportation of conquered people stated that in order to keep the conquered people from rebelling, they had to force the conquered people to migrate to different parts of the empire. This policy had many effects including bringing a very mixed environment in terms of cultures, religions, and languages. Also, these deportations insured the security of an empire, made by diverse, conquered people.

CF Manual: pages 88-89 http://www.bible-history.com/old-testament/the_assyrians.html http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Assyrians.html

Louisa Morgan

21. What innovations in technology occurred during the Assyrian period and what effects did they have?

The Assyrians created war technology such as iron swords, lances, metal armor, and battering rams making them a fierce competitor in war due also to their highly trained army, who were thirsty for land. These weapons and fierce army made Assyria very hard to defeat in battle, and in some cases almost impossible. The Assyrians also created a large development in math and science, due to their overbearing intrigue in war. One of the math inventions included the decision to create latitude and longitude to create maps.

CF Manual Page: 89 http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/fall026/assyrians.htm Julia Parsley

22. What caused the end of the Assyrian empire? Whose theory best describes the Assyrians?

The fall of Assyria occurred after the death of the last prominent monarch, Ashurbanipal. After the death of Ashurbanipal the empire struggled to find true leadership by any of the preceding monarchs. The fact that the Assyria lost many resources due to its large size also contributed to the collapse. The Babylonians, Medes, Chaldeans and other groups teamed up against their rival and in 612 B.C.E. conquered the Assyrian capital of Ninevah by burning it. Many people "rejoiced" at the fall, most likely because they were tired of the tough culture's cruelty and reign.

The Assyrians can be best described by the theory of Plutarch. Stating "that the very character of men change history," this definitely applies to the rulers of Assyria. As displayed by the fall of Assyria, the leader determines whether or not the empire rises or falls. A weak king that is afraid to fight may be conquered, yet a king who attacks everyone may be attacked by his enemies (*this doesn't apply to all situations*). All in all, the actions of the monarch determined whether or not the Assyrians gained or lost land and in this scenario survived or collapsed.

Sources: CF Manual: 9, 89 http://www.lmoskal.net/worldhistory/whtext/ch04/4.2.pdf "Return to Eden" Video

23. Why and how did the Neo Babylonian empire end?

After a long period of Assyrian unrest, the Neo Babylonian empire ended because a loyal Assyrian king took over in 555 BC. The king, named Nabonidus, slandered the Babylonian's culture by placing an Assyrian god above the most important Babylonian god. This outplacement of the Babylonian god symbolized the lesser importance of the Babylon people and culture. Because the people did not like Nabonidus the new king, when Cyrus the Conqueror of Persia invaded Babylon, he was welcomed. Cyrus was also seen as favored by the Babylonian's major god, Marduk, unlike Nabonidus.

This is a good website for more information on the Fall of Babylon, plus pictures illustrating the text. http://joseph_berrigan.tripod.com/ancientbabylon/id19.html

Sources: "Fall of Babylon." Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. By Rosie Beniretto and Clay Elliott. Vol. 1. Houston: St. John's School, 2012. 90. Print. The Fall of Babylon: http://joseph_berrigan.tripod.com/ancientbabylon/id19.html

Maddie Shen

24. What was the legacy of Mesopotamia and how does the manuel describe them?

Mesopotamia leaves on a legacy of a great society, even though pessimistic. Mesopotamia was an economic and political city which had a diversified economy and traded internationally, exporting barley, wheat, dates, wool, and bitumen. Mesopotamians were the first to use writing and written law. They wrote down the Great myths of Gilgamesh which have relevance in many religions today. They were a pluralist society and multiracial from the start. Mesopotamians lived separate from nature and from this developed a monotheistic belief. They leaped into technology, large-scale trade, irrigation, use of writing for economics, and cosmology. They were the first to divide time and space in multiples of sixty (i.e. the 60 second minute). Over all, Mesopotamia was the land in which many great achievements and civilizations take place. Their greatest legacy was their literature from which come the great stories that inform Judaism, Christianity and Islam. RB

Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. By Rosie Beniretto and Clay Elliott. Vol. 1. Houston: St. John's School, 2012. 84, 91. Print

"Mesopotamia." http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Iraq.html

-Bailey Slawin