ABRAHAM WAS CONNECTED WITH THE CITY UR. HERE IN LECTURE 16 WE LEARN OF THE UR 111 DYNASTY.
WE SEE ABRAHAM LIVED IN THAT AREA OF MESOPOTAMIA, BEFORE GOD CALLED HIM TO MOVE OUT TO A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY— THE PROMISED LAND TO ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB. ABRAHAM AND LOT HAD A TRUE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRUE GOD IN HEAVEN ABOVE— IN FAITH THEY MOVED TOWARDS WHAT GOD HAD PROMISED THEM. TO THEM AND THEIR DESCENDANTS WERE THE PROMISES MADE— BUT THEY DID NOT YET RECEIVE THAT PROMISE, AND THE BOOK OF HEBREWS THE 11TH CHAPTER TELLS YOU WHY— NOTE THE LAST WORDS—THEY WILL RECEIVE THAT PROMISE THE SAME TIME ALL THEIR SPIRITUAL CHILDREN WILL RECEIVE IT AT THE RESURRECTION OF ALL SAINST FROM ADAM TO THE COMING OF JESUS IS MIGHT, IN GLORY, IN POWER TO RAISE THE EARTH BACK TO THE LAWS OF GOD, DURING THE AGE TO COME FOR 1,000 YEARS—-BOOK OF REVELATION 20.
MESOPOTAMIA— UR 111 DYNASTY
LECTURE 16 OF 36— “BETWEEN THE RIVERS - The History of Ancient Mesopotamia” produced for THE TEACHING COMPANY.
BY PROFESSOR ALEXIS Q. CASTOR
IN THE LAST LECTURE WE DISCOVERED THE END OF THE CONTROL BY ACADIA OF NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA……
IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND THE MODEL THE ACADIAN SET FOR LATER MESOPOTAMIA RULERS.
ACAD WAS THE FIRST CITY STATE THAT EXPANDED ITS CONTROL FAR BEYOND ITS ORIGIN, IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA TO THE SOUTH. NO OTHER KING BEFORE SAGON HAD TRAVELLED SO FAR, TAKEN HIS ARMY ON SUCH EXOTIC EXPEDITIONS AND BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL. NARAM-SIN WAS ALSO SUCCESSFUL MILITARILY. SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT ONE OF THE REASONS WHY SAGON AND NARAM-SIN BECAME SO LEGENDARY….. THEY ESTABLISHED THIS NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT KINGSHIP AND EMPIRE.
ONE OF THE NEW CITY STATES WAS UR, WHICH SOON DOMINATED BABYLONIA. DURING THEIR RULE THE UR 111 DYNASTY ORGANIZED A MUCH MORE CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT; THAT EFFECTUALLY CONTROLLED THE REGION FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS. THIS CONTRASTED DYNASTIES OF PREVIOUS YEARS, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD A STRONG MILITARY, WE SAW IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE REGION CLOSELY AND MONITOR ACTIVITIES.
A HALLMARK OF THE UR 111 PERIOD IS THE OVER-WHELMING NUMBER OF TEXTS, THAT DOCUMENT ITS POLITICAL AND EVEN MORE IMPORTANT ITS ECONOMICAL HISTORY. OVER 40,000 TEXTS HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED, AND THOUSAND MORE, PERHAPS EVEN ANOTHER 30 OR 40 THOUSAND, MUST STILL BE PUBLISHED AND ANALYZED. AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES FOR SCHOLARS IS TO EVALUATE THIS HUGE MASS OF MATERIAL. IT CAN BE VERY EXCITING TO GET SO MANY DETAILS BUT THEY HAVE TO BE EVALUATED IN ORDER TO GET THE SENSE OF THE OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE UR 111 SOCIETY.
YOU SHOULD BE SAYING BY NOW I’M NEVER HAPPY, EITHER TOO FEW TEXTS OR TOO MANY. AND THAT IS THE CONSTANT CHALLENGE FOR SCHOLARS TO TRY AND RE-CONSTRUCT EVENTS.
THE TEXTS FROM UR 111 ARE LARGELY ECONOMIC AND ALMOST ALL ARE OFFICIAL STATE RECEIPTS AND RECORDS. VERY FEW TRADE OR OTHER TRANSACTIONS ARE NOTED. SO IT’S VERY MUCH AS IF WE TRIED TO RE-CONSTRUCT AMERICA HISTORY BY LOOKING AT ONLY TAX RETURNS. AND SO YOU CAN SEE THE CHALLENGES AND EMPHASIS ON SPECIFIC ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY THAT WOULD RESULT FROM SUCH SOURCES.
ANOTHER CAVIARE ABOUT THIS PERIOD IS THAT— VERY FEW HISTORICAL RECORDS THAT WOULD DOCUMENT SAY MILITARY CAMPAIGNS, FOR EXAMPLE, SURVIVE. SO DETAILS OTHER THAN CIVIL GOVERNMENT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO SORT OUT.
UR-NAMMU, WAS THE FIRST OF 5 KINGS [KING OF UR 111 DYNASTY R. C. 2112-2094 B. C.] OF THE UR 111 DYNASTY, CALLED THE UR 111 DYNASTY OR PERIOD BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE SUMARIAN KING LIST IT IS THE 3RD TIME THAT RULERS FROM THE CITY OF UR HELD KINGSHIP. YOU HAVEN’T MISSED THE FIRST TWO, I JUST HAVEN’T DISCUSSED THEM IN MUCH DETAIL.
UR-NAMMU TOOK THE TITLE OF KING OF SUMAR AND ACAD, AND THIS SHOWS THAT THE PHRASE NOW INDICATES REGIONAL CONTROL. HE’S PICKING UP ON WHAT SAGON FIRST CREATED. UR-NAMMU RULED OVER BABYLONIA AND THE LANDS TO THE EAST ALONG THE ZARGOS MOUNTAINS.
ONE OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT UR-NAMMU IS BEST KNOWN FOR IS THE TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS PRE-EMINENCE THROUGH NUMEROUS BUILDING PROJECTS. INCLUDING ZIGGURATS AT UR, NIPPUR AND ERIDU. THIS SHOWS US HOW IMPORTANT HIS REGIONAL CONTROL WAS, ALSO THAT HE USE THE BUILDING OR RE-CONSTRUCTION OF TEMPLES, AS A WAY TO CONSOLIDATE HIS POWER. WE KNOW HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE ZIGGURATS BECAUSE HIS NAME IS INSCRIBED ON THE MUD-BRICKS USED TO CONSTRUCT THEEM.
THE ZIGGURAT AT UR IS ONE OF THE BEST PRESERVED OF THIS TYPE OF STRUCTURE. REMEMBER WHEN LENARD WOOLY EXCAVATED AT UR, IT WAS BECAUSE THE ZIGGURAT WAS STILL VISIBLE IN THE AREA. THE ZIGGURAT WAS PLACED IN A WALLED OFF STRUCTURE, WHICH ITSELF WAS RAISED ON A PLATFORM, SO THE ENTIRE TEMPLE PRECINCT IS ABOVE THE REST OF THE CITY. TWO OF THREE STORIES OF THE ZIGGURAT ARE PRESERVED AND THEY NOW STAND ABOUT 60 FEET HIGH, ON A FOUN DATION THAT SPREADS ABOUT 200 BY 150 FEET. THERE ARE 3 LONG STAIRWAYS ON THE NORTH-EAST SIDE OF THE ZIGGURAT, ONE IN THE CENTER AND ONE ON EACH SIDE, AND THESE PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE LANDING BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND LEVELS OF THE ZIGGURAT. THE CENTRAL STAIRCASE WOULD HAVE CONTINUED UP TO THE TOP LEVEL; GIVING ACCESS TO THE SHRINE, THAT WOULD HAVE ORIGINALLY STOOD AT THE TOP OF THE ZIGGURAT.
IF YOU SEE A RE-CONSTRUCTION OF A ZIGGURAT ITS PROBABLY DRAWS ON UR-NAMMU’S ZIGGURAT AT UR….
BOTH THE WRITTEN AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL OF UR-NAMMU’S REIGN DESCRIBES HIS BUILDING AND RE-STORING TEMPLES. AND ALSO TO HIS WORK OF FREEING HIS PEOPLE FROM THIEVES, ROBBERS AND REBELS. AND THESE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE INVADERS THAT CAME FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BORDERS OF MESOPOTAMIA, AND HE HAD TO REOPEN THE HIGHWAYS TO MAKE THEM SAFE FOR HIS PEOPLE TO TRAVEL, ALSO TO RESTORE THE TRADE THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO THE MESOPOTAMIA ECONOMY.
IT COMES AS SOMETHING OF A SURPRISE THAT ALL THIS FOCUSS OF UR-NAMMU’S RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY, AND WE LEARN HE DIED IN BATTLE. AN INSCRIPTION RECORDS THAT HE WAS LEFT ON THE BATTLE-FIELD LIKE A SMASHED VESSEL. AND IT IS VERY RARE FOR A MESOPOTAMIA RULER TO DIE IN BATTLE. SO WHEN IT HAPPEN BOTH THE SOURCES NOTE THAT AS THE USUAL WAY TO DESCRIBE PUNISHMENT FOR SOME IMPIOUS ACTION THAT HE’S TAKEN, THAT WAS NOT THE CASE WITH UR-NAMMU, BUT IT DOES CAUSE QUITE A BIT OF CONCERN, FOR HIS SUCCESSORS AND HIS PEOPLE TO LEARN THAT A KING COULD DIE IN BATTLE.
WE HAVE THE MOST COMPLETE EVIDENCE FOR THE UR 111 PERIOD, DURING THE LONG REIGN OF UR-NAMMU’S SON SHULGI [R. C. 2094-2047 B. C.]. A NUMBER OF SOURCES ATTEST TO SHULGI’S SUCCESS AND TRACES THE MAJOR EVENTS OF HIS REIGN. MOST IN THE AREA OF HIS GOVERNANCE AND CONTROL, OVER BABYLONIA.
THE EARLIEST COLLECTION OF ROYAL LAWS, JUST A FEW FRAGMENTS, ARE ATTRIBUTED TO EITHER SHULGI OR TO HIS FATHER UR-NAMMU. THESE LAWS SHOW THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE KING ENSURING JUSTICE FOR HIS PEOPLE, AND WE’LL COME TO THIS CONCEPT IN A LATER LECTURE, WHEN WE DISCUSS THE LAW CODE OF OMIRADI.
DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS, SPECIFICALLY MARRIAGE, WITH FAMILIES OF POWERFUL NEIGHBORING STATES, ARE ATTESTED FOR THE UR 111 PERIOD. AND THESE WOULD INCREASE BOTH THE SIZE AND PROSPERITY OF THE KINGDOM. SHULGI HIMSELF HAD 9 WIVES, INCLUDING A PRINCESS FROM MARI, A WEALTHY TRADING CENTER OF THE NORTH OF THE EUPHRATES. IF YOU RECALL THE ACADIAN KINGS SARGON AND NAR-UNSIN, TAXED THESE CITIES AS A WAY TO CONTROL THEM, BUT SHULGI NOW RETURNS TO A MORE DIPLOMATIC ALLIANCE, AS IT WAS FAR FROM HIS HEART-LAND KINGDOM.
ONE OF THE MOST DOMESTIC REFORMS ENACTED BY SHULGI WAS A LABOURITE UNIFIED BUREAUCRACY, THAT JOINED SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN BABYLONIA. IT IS KNOWN FROM THE EXTENSIVE RECORD KEEPING, THAT PRESERVES A STANDARDIZED SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. A NEW CALENDAR, AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND MILITARY OF THE HIERARCHY OF THE COURT.
SHULGI WAS ACTIVE IN THE RE-CONSTRUCTION OF HIS KINGDOM— IN THE HEARTLAND OF THE UR 111 KINGDOM. HE CREATED ABOUT 20 PROVINCES, EACH GOVERNED BY AN ENSI, WHO USUALLY BELONGED TO THE LOCAL ELITE. AND THIS IS A PATTERN THAT WE SHALL SEE LATER RULERS DRAW ON, THEY WOULD ALTERNATE BETWEEN SOME THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA WHO HAD BEEN IMPORTANT IN THE CITY IN PREVIOUS YEARS, REQUIRING THEM TO BE LOYAL TO THE STATE, BUT OFTEN THE DRAWBACK TO THIS IS THAT THE LOCAL RULER DECIDED THAT HE SHOULD REBEL FROM HIS OVERLORD. AND SO THIS WILL HAPPEN AT THE END OF THE UR 111 PERIOD. WE WILL SEE MESOPOTAMIA KINGS ALTERNATE ON DRAWING BETWEEN LOCAL ELITE TO HELP THEM GOVERN, OR INSTALLING MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILY WHO WOULD BE LOYAL TO THEM.
SHULGI— SENDING A MILITARY COMMANDER OR SHAGINA TO REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE PALACE. AND THIS WOULD BE SOMEONE WHO SHULGI FELT COMFORTABLE WITH AND KNEW WOULD BE LOYAL TO HIM. OFTEN A SHAGINA WAS RELATED TO THE ROYAL FAMILY, WITH 9 WIVES THAT WAS NOT DIFFICULT, AND THIS WOULD MAKE HIM MORE LOYAL TO THE KING THAN AN ENSI WOULD BE.
SHULGI TRIES TO USE BOTH MODELS BUT WE SHALL SEE IT DOESN’T QUITE WORK.
SHULGI’S TAX REFORM— A NEW WAY OF TAXING HIS KINGDOM [TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS; BOTH DREW ON THE CONCEPT OF A BALA TAX]—BALA IS THE SUMERIAN WORD FOR EXCHANGE. AN EXCHANGE OF GOODS PRODUCED LOCALLY FOR WHAT THE PALACE WANTED.
THE CITIES CLOSEST TO UR WOULD PROVIDE GOODS THAT THEY HAD PRODUCED LOCALLY, AND THIS WOULD COMPEL SHULGI TO A HIGH TRIBUTE BECAUSE HE KNEW THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE AREA WAS VERY HIGH. SO FOR EXAMPLE, A CITY THAT WAS FOCUSED ON GROWING GRAIN, AN AGRICULTURAL BASED ECONOMY, WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE GRAIN TO THE COURT, WHEREAS ANOTHER CITY THAT HAD A WIDER MANUFACTURING ECONOMY, SUCH AS LEATHER MAKING OR FURNITURE MAKING OR REED WEAVING, THEY WOULD SEND THOSE TYPES OF GOODS TO THE KING AS PART OF THEIR TRIBUTE.
FARTHER AWAY FROM SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, PROVINCES WOULD SEND SHEEP OR GOATS, OR OTHER TYPES OF ANIMALS, AS TRIBUTE TO THE KING. THESE WERE SENT TO A SITE CALLED PUZRISH-DAGAN, NEAR NIPPUR, THEN DISTRIBUTED TO FEED THE PALACE; THEY WOULD BE USED AS SACRIFICES IN THE TEMPLES, AND THEY MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN SENT TO OTHER PROVINCES, THAT REQUIRED SHEEP OR MEAT PRODUCT, AND WOOL IN THE CASE OF SHEEP. AND THE PALACE WOULD OVERSEE THIS DISTRIBUTION. SO WE GET BACK TO THE IDEA WE SAW EARLY ON AS THE TEMPLE BEING THE CENTER OF RE-DISTRIBUTION, THAT WOULD COLLECT ECCESS GOODS AND SEND THEM WHERE THEY WERE NECESSARY.
NOW THE COURT DOES THIS, THE KING OVERSEES THIS AND SOME OF THESE RECORDS HAVE SURVIVED.
WE KNOW WHAT GOODS WERE COLLECTED, HOW MANY WERE COLLECTED, AND WE GET A SENCE OF AN ENORMOUS SCALE THAT THE KING OF THE UR 111 DYNASY HELD.
ONE ANNUAL REPORT RECORDS THAT 350,000 SHEEP AND 28,000 CATTLE PASSED THROUGH PUZRISH-DAAGAN DURING THAT SINGLE YEAR. SO THAT GIVES YOU SOME SENCE OF THE AMOUNT OF GOODS BEINGS SENT TO COLLECTION CENTERS, AND COULDS BE RE- DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE KINGDOM.
THIS REQUIRED A DETAILED SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTING, AND DURING THIS TIME, SHULGI’S REFORM—— SCRIBAL SCHOOLS ADOPTED A NEW CURRICULUM THAT ALLOWED THEM TO LEARN THE NEW ACCOUNTING SYSTEM.
SHULGI INTRODUCED NEW THINGS SO THEY HAD TO LEARN THE ACCOUNTING FOR THE NEW REFORMS.
AND THERE WAS A SHIFT IN THE WAY THAT TEXTS WERE WRITTEN ON THE TABLETS. SO THE SHIFT WAS FROM THE VERTICAL WAY OF DIVIDING THE TABLETS TO THE HORIZONTAL WAY.
THESE INNOVATIONS IN RECORD KEEPING IS ONE REASON AS TO WHY WE HAVE SO MUCH EVIDENCE TO THIS PERIOD, BECAUSE A LOT OF EVIDENCE, A LOT OF TEXT FROM EARLIER PERIOD HAD TO BE RE-WRITTEN.
SHULGI’S EXTENSIVE BUREAUCRACY SUPPLIES US WITH THE EARLIEST INFORMATION ABOUT SCRIBES. BOTH PRIVATE AND OFFICIAL SCRIBAL SCHOOLS, WHICH ARE CALLED EDUBA OR TABLET HOUSES EXISTED, AND WE LEARN THAT A SCRIBE WOULD BEGIN HIS EDUCATION AT A YOUNG AGE, PERHAPS AS EARLY AS 7 YEARS OLD. BOTH MALE AND FEMALE SCRIBES ARE RECORDED, THOUGH IT IS RARE FOR A FEMALE NAME TO APPEAR IN THESE RECORDS, BUT THEY DO EXIST.
IT WOULD TAKE SEVERAL YEARS TO LEARN THE VAST NUMBER OF SIGNS NECESSARY TO GAIN EMPLOYMENT. ESPECIALLY EMPLOYMENT FOR THE CROWN, THE KING. IN ADDITION TO THE CANAIA FORM SIGNS, SCRIBES WOULD ALSO HAVE TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE NEW ACCOUNTING METHODS, THAT WOULD BE USED TO RECORD RATIONS, AND ANY OTHER NECESSITY THAT RECORDS ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE PALACE, IN SOME INSTANCES THE TEMPLE, AND EVEN PRIVATE TRANSACTION.
THE SCRIBES WERE COMPENSATED WITH RATIONS, TEXTILES, BEER, LAND. WE SEE EVIDENCE OF SCRIBES AT ALL ECONOMIC LEVELS. SOME ARE VERY WEALTHY, AND THOSE WOULD BE THE SCRIBES WHO WORKED FOR THE KING. OTHERS EARNED A MUCH MORE MODEST LIVING, SCRATCHING OUT SOME WAY OF SUPPORTING THEMSELVES, SCRIBES THAT RECORDED INDIVIDUAL TRANSACTION, WHO COULD NOT COUNT ON A STEADY INCOME.
SHULGI, MUCH LIKE OUR ACADIAN PREDECESSOR NARUM-SIN, MADE HIMSELF A GOD, ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH HIS REIGN. AND THIS PRECEDENT DURING THE UR 111 DYNASTY FOR KINGS TO BE WORSHIPPED AS GODS.
AS WITH NARUM-SIN THIS MAY HAVE BEEN AN ATEMPT TO WEAKEN THE CITY STATE, TO STRENGTHEN THE CONNECTION TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.
WE HAVE NO LATTER SOURCES THAT CONDEMN SHULGI AS THEY DID NARUM-SIN, SO THE IDEA AS THE KING AS A GOD SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN WELL ACCEPTED.
SHULGI ALSO TOOK THE TITLE “KING OF THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE WORLD” WHICH NARUM-SIN AHD CREATED. SO IT’S A RETURN TO A BROADER SENSE OF SCALE AND POWER THAT THESE LATER RULERS TOOK FROM THE ACADIAN PREDECESSORS.
PRAISE POEMS OFTEN CALLED HYMNS BY MODERN TRANSLATORS, DESCRIBES THE PROWESS OF THE KING IN EVERY ASPECT OF HIS RULE, AND THESE ARE MUCH MORE DETAILED THAN EARLIER INSCRIPTIONS THAT MIGHT FOCUS ON MILITARY PROWESS, SOME SENCE OF DOMINANCE. BUT SHULGI’S PRAISE POEMS, HYMNS, ARE QUITE DETAILED AND LONG AND THEY CELEBRATE HIS PREEMINENCE AMONG RULERS. AS WELL AS HIS DIVINE HERITAGE. AND THERE ARE LONG DESCRIPTIONS OF HIS PHYSICAL STRENGTH, AND HIS INTELLECTUAL QUALITIES.
IN ONE POEM IT’S WRITTEN HOW QUICKLY HE CAN RUN, NOT JUST FAST BUT HE HAS A LOT OF ENDURANCE. HE DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A DONKEY.
ALL OF THESE PRAISE POEMS ARE WRITTEN IN THE FIRST PERSON. SO IT MAKES SENCE TO THE MODERN WAY OF POLITICAL LEADERS, HE WAS AN ARROGANT KING. WE SHOULD PROBABLY THINK OF HIM AS ENTHUSIASTIC AND TRYING TO SHOW EVERY AREA HE SUCCEEDS IN, AND THIS WOJULD BE COMFORTING TO HIS PEOPLE, THEY WOULD KNOW THAT HE WAS NOT JUST PHYSICALLY STRONG BUT HE WAS ALSO SMART.
SHULGI IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW LITERATE RULERS WE KNOW OF, MOST KINGS DID NOT BOTHER TO LEARN TO READ OR WRITE, BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE A WHOLE FORCE OF SCRIBES TO DO THAT FOR THEM.
SHULGI WRITES IN ONE OF THESE POEMS— “WHEN I WAS SMALL I WAS AT THE ACADEMY, WHERE I LEARNED THE SCRIBAL ART FROM THE TABLETS OF SUMMER AND AKKAD. NONE OF THE NOBLES COULD WRITE AS I COULD. I QUALIFIED FULLY IN SUBTRACTION, ADDITION, RECKONING, AND ACCOUNTING.”
WE SEE HE IS LITERATE AND LEARNED ALL THE MATH SKILLS NECESSARY, WHICH WOULD BE A USEFUL SKILL FOR A RULER.
KINGS OFTEN RELIED ON PRIESTS OR DIVINERS TO REVEAL THE MEANING OF SIGNS. THERE WAS DREAMS BUT ALSO A METHOD OF DIVINE CORRESPONDENCE WITH HUMANS, AS THE STUDY OF ANIMAL ORGANS— EXTISPICY— THE ONLY WAY TO EXPLAIN THIS IS TO KEEP IN MIND ALL OF NATURE IS DIVINE, SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE LIVER OF A SHEEP, THE GODS WOULD HAVE SENT SOME MESSAGE, TO BE WRITTEN ON THIS LIVER.
PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT RELIGIOUS ASPECTS TO RECONCILE WITH.
SHULGI PERFORMS THIS DIFFICULT TASKE, HE HIMSELF, HE WRITES— “THEN, AS I PREPARE THE SHEEP WITH WORDS OF PRAYER, MY DIVINER WATCHES IN AMAZEMENT LIKE AN IDIOT. THE PREPARED SHEEP IS PLACED AT MY DISPOSAL, AND I NEVER CONFUSE A FAVORABLE SIGN WITH AN UNFAVORABLE ONE. I MYSELF HAVE CLEAR INTUITION, AND I JUDGE BY MY OWN EYES. IN THE INSIDES OF JUST ONE SHEEP, I, THE KING, CAN FIND THE INDICATIONS FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYWHERE.”
SO HE HAD COMPLETE CONTROL OF EVERYTHING HE NEEDS AS KING. HE DOESN’T NEED TO RELY ON HIS SERVANTS OR OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS COURT. HE CONTINUES— HE’S NOT SOMEONE WHO JUST NEEDS TO CONCENTRATE ON…. MATHEMATICS, OR DIVINATION.
HE IS ALSO A MUSICIAN.
“I SHULGI, KING OF UR, HAVE ALSO DEVOTED MYSELF TO THE ART OF MUSIC. NOTHING IS TOO COMPLICATED FOR ME. I KNOW THE PERFECTION OF THE ART OF MUSIC.”
WE HAVE SEEN THE FROM THE ROYAL CEMETERY OF UR. AND KINGS MAY WELL HAVE PARTICIPATED IN RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS, AND SUNG HYMNS TO THE GODS THEMSELVES. SO THIS TOO IS AN INTELLECTUAL ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR SHULGI, AND IS ONE WORTHY OF NOTE FOR HIS SUBJECTS.
THE HYMN CLOSES WITH A SUMMARY OF HIS SKILLS—
“UNTIL THE DISTANT FUTURE MAY THIS SONG BLESS THE NAME OF ME, THE KING, WITH A LIFE OF LONG DAYS…. WITH THE AWESOMENESS THAT RADIATES FROM MY FOREHEAD, WHICH I MAKE THE FOREIGN LANDS WEAR LIKE A NOSE-ROPE, AND THE FEAR INSPIRING LUSTER… I AM ABLE TO ROOT OUT AND UNDO CRIME. I HAVE THE ABILITY TO RECONCILE GREAT MATTERS WITH ONE WORD.”
HE IS ALSO A DIPLOMAT, A JUDGE, AND HE IS CONCERNED WITH THE JUSTICE AND CRIME HIS PEOPLE HAVE TO ENDURE.
THESE PRAISE POEMS GIVE US A VERY GOOD ASPECT OF THE DUTIES OF A KING. AND THE DETAILS SHOW A KING HAD TO DEMONSTRATE HIS SKILLS. HIS INTEREST IN THE WELLBEING OF HIS PEOPLE HAD TO BE REPEATED AGAIN AND AGAIN, TO SHOW HE REALLY WAS CONCERNED FOR THEM. AND HE HAD TO MAKE THE MASTERY OF HIS LAND AND EVERYTHING NEEDED TO GOVERN IT.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE RULERS; WHEN HAVING A BAD DAY YOU CAN READ ALL ABOUT THE GREAT QUALITIES SHULGI HAD.
SHULGI’S REIGN WAS THE HIGH POINT OF THE UR 111 PERIOD. IT’S ALSO THE BEST DOCUMENTED, AND RECEIVES THE MOIST ATTENTION FROM
SCHOLARS.
AFTER HIS REIGN A COMBINATION OF INTERNAL ECONOMICAL ERUPTIONS, AND THREATS FOR THE BORDERS, WOULD RESULT IN THE END OF THE UR 111 ERA, AND THE LAST OF THE UR 111 DYNASTY— OBBI-SIN - R. C. 2028-2004 B. C.
SHULGI’S SON — SHUSIN— 2037-2029 B. C. HAD BUILT A DEFENSIVE WALL THAT WAS OVER 150 MILES LONG, ALONG THE NORTHERN BORDER OF HIS LAND. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE SOME PROTECTION FROM THE INCURSIONS OF THE AMORITES….. WE KNOW THAT BESIDES THIS PRESSURE FROM THE NORTH, THE CULTURE OF ALLAM TO THE SOUTH FURTHER WEAKENED THE STATE, AND CREATED DEMANDS ON ITS LIMITED RESOURCES.
ONE OF THE IMPORTANT DOMESTIC PROBLEMS WAS THE END OF THE BALA TAX SYSTEM, FAILURE OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT TO COLLECT TRIBUTE. THE VAST TREASURY IT HELD FROM ITS PROVINCES WAS NOT THERE. THIS AND THE KING NOT BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THE PEOPLE, WOULD HAVE WEAKENED LOYALTY….
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL ITS PROVINCES.
WE ALSO LEARN FROM SURVIVING TEXTS THAT THERE WAS A FAMINE, AND HUGE INFLATION, AND HUGE GRAIN PRICES AT ABOUT THIS TIME…..
THERE IS A TEXT FROM ABI-SIN TO ONE FORMER ALLY, ASKING, ACTUALLY BEGGING HIM, TO SEND GRAIN…. THIS SHOWS THE DIFFICULTY TO MAINTAIN LOYALTY TO A RULER.
HE HAD SET UP CONTROL OF THE CITY ISIN, AND ESTABLISHED A NEW RIVAL DYNASTY THERE, THAT WOULD CHALLENGE QUITE SUCCESSFULLY, THE UR 111 KINGS.
LATER TEXTS AS USUAL BLAME FOREIGNERS, THIS CASE THE AMORITES, FROM THE WESTERN DESERT FOR DISRUPTING THE KINGS OF UR 111.
WHAT IS STRIKING ABOUT THESE FORCES IN DESCRIBING THE END OF THE UR 111 KINGS, IS THAT THERE IS A LACK OF SURPRISE, FOR ONE OF THE FEW TIMES IN MESOPOTAMIA HISTORY, IS NOT BLAMED ON THE IMPROPRIETY OF A RULER, IT’S SIMPLE CREDITED THAT IT CAME TO THE END OF ITS ERA. IT’S TIME FOR CONTROL OF THE KINGSHIP— IT’S ENDED.
WE SEE ARCHAEOLOGICALLY THERE IS OTHER EVIDENCE FOR DISRUPTION AT THE END OF THE UR 111 PERIOD, AS CITIES IN THE KINGDOM DEFECTED TOP LOCAL RULERS, OR OTHER LEADERS. ABI-SIN RETREATED BACK TO THE CITY OF UR AND HE FORTIFIED IT WITH LARGE WALLS, WHICH ARE DOCUMENTED IN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD. AFTER A LONG SEIG, THE
AMORITES CAPTURED ABI-SIN AND DESTROYED THE CITY OF UR AND TOOK HIM BACK TO ALAM AS PRISONER.
WHILE LATER KINGS RARELY MENTION THE KINGS OF UR 111, IN CONTRAST TO THE ACADIAN KINGS, THE LARGE NUMBER OF SURVIVING TEXTS ALLOWS US TO SEE THE PROSPERITY HOWEVER BRIEF OF THIS ERA. IT ALSO MEANS SCHOLARS ARE VERY FOCUSED ON THE UR 111 PERIOD, BECAUSE WE HAVE EVIDENCE FOR IT, SO IT CASN OFTEN RECEIVE MORE ATTENTION THAN OTHER PERIODS THAT WE ARE LESS INFORMED ABOUT.
WITH THE END OF THE UR 111 DYNASTY ABOUT 2000 B. C. WE WILL ENTER A STAGE WHERE MANY CITY STATES WILL RE-EMERGE WITH LESS CONTROL. SOME STRONG MILITARY MEN COULD CONTROL A LARGER AREA, AROUND A CITY STATE FOR A BRIEF TIME, BUT NO SINGLE CITY OR RULER UNITED NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, UNDER HIS RULE UNTILL HAMMURABI OF BABYLON, WHO RULED FROM 1792 TO 1750.
IN THE NEXT LECTURE WE WILL DEPART FROM THE POLITICAL HISTORY AND GO BACK TO EXAMINE THE SOCIETY, AND SPECIFICALLY WHAT CITIES LOOK LIKE IN THIS PERIOD WHEN THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT. AND WE WILL RETURN TO THE THEME OF URBANISM.
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