MESOPOTAMIA—— THE CRADLE OF SOCIETY AND THE FIRST HUGE CITIES
FROM THE LECTURES OF PROFESSOR ALEXIS CASTOR—LECTURE 6.
IN THE PREVIOUS LECTURE WE LOOKED AT VILLAGES; SPECIFICALLY THOSE IN THE UBIA PERIOD. AND WE SAW OUR FIRST INDICATION OF MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE, IN THE FORM OF A TEMPLE; AND ALSO EARLY TRACES OF IRRIGATION CANALS. SO WE DISCUSSED THESE AS IMPORTANT SOCIAL ORGANIZATION.
WE ALSO SAW HOW CHALLENGING IT CAN BE TO RECONSTRUCT CULTURE, OR EVEN HISTORICAL FRAMEWORK WITHIN THE EVIDENCE. THERE WERE LOTS OF QUESTIONS NEEDING TO BE ANSWERED, INCLUDING, A BASIC ONE— WHO LIVED IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM. WE ALSO DON’T HAVE A CLEAR IDEA AS TO HOW THESE VILLAGES WERE ORGANIZED, SOCIALLY, AND WHAT ROLE THE TEMPLE PLAYED APART FROM ITS RELIGIOUS FUNCTION.
TODAY WE SHALL EXAMINE THE EARLIEST CITIES, WHICH IN THEIR FULLEST FORM DEVELOPED ABOUT 5 THOUSAND YEAR AGO. WE SHALL LOOK AT URUK WHICH DEVELOPED IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA; IT’S THE LARGEST, IT’S IMPRESSIVELY LARGE, AND IT HAS SEVERAL KEY FEATURE OF URBAN LIFE, THAT ARE REPRESENTED IN THE REMAINS OF URUK.
CITIES HAVE SPECIFIC FEATURE THAT REQUIREMENTS, MORE THAN JUST A LARGER TYPE OF SETTLEMENT. IT’S NOT JUST A DIFFERENCE IN SIZE, BUT THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS THAT DISTINGUISH VILLAGE FROM CITY LIFE.
ONE OF THOSE FACTORS IN A VERY HOGH POPULATION DENSITY. THIS DENSITY OF CITY LIFE REQUIRES THE NECESSITY OF LIFE, SUCH AS FOOD, HAVE TO BE SUPPLIED; THERE IS A SPECIALIZATION OF PROFESSIONS, HAVE TO BE SUPPLIED NOT BY EVERYONE WORKING IN A CITY. THERE IS A SPECIALIZATION OF PROFESSIONS. THERE IS A WIDER RANGE OF PROFESSIONS AVAILABLE IN A CITY, SINCE THE BASICS OF LIFE ARE TAKEN CARE OF, INDIVIDUALS CAN EXPLORE THE DIFFERENT WAYS OF M AKING A LIVING.
AND THERE ARE CERTAINLY CHANGES NECESSARY IN ORGANIZING HOW A SOCIETY WORKS, PRODUCTIVELY, WHEN THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE IN IT.
EVIDENCE FOR ALL THESE FACTORS OF CITY LIFE HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AT THE 4TH MILLEN NIUM SITE— URUK, IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA. AND IT HAS COME TO REPRESENT THE RISE OF THE CITY.
CITIES ARE A SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA CONCEPT. THE IDEA OF A CITY TRAVELLED NORTH AFTER THE BENEFITS OF CITY LIFE WERE ALREADY WORKED OUT IN THE SOUTH.
SO WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS OUR ATTENTION NOW, FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS LECTURE ON THE CITY OF URUK.
THE URUK PHENOMENON [C. 3500-3000 B. C.]:
AT THE END OF THE UBAID PERIOD [C. 4000 B.. C.], THE VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS THAT WE IDENTIFIED WERE BEGINNING TO CLUSTER TOGETHER MORE CLOSELY.
IN THE FIRST PART OF THE UBAID PERIOD [C. 6000 B. C.] SETTLEMENTS WERE SPREAD OUT RELATIVELY EVENLY. BUT THERE WAS A CLIMACTIC SHIFT IN THE MID-4TH MILLENNIUM, THAT STEMED THE FLOODS OF THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVER, THAT MAY HAVE DRIED UP AND MADE LAND MORE AVAILABLE AS THE MARSHLANDS DRIED UP. THIS ALSO MEAT THAT THE LAND THAT WAS NEWLY CLAIMED AS A RESULT OF THIS CLIMATE SHIFT, WAS ESPECIALLY FERTILE AND PRODUCTIVE.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT FEATURE THAT MAY HAVE ENCOURAGED SETTLEMENTS TO MOVE SOUTH AND CLUSTER TOGETHER MORE CLOSELY, IS, AS THIS CLIMATE SHIFT WAS WORKING ITS WAY OUT, [TOOK A FEW GENERATION AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE]; THERE WOULD BE MORE WATER SOURCES READILY AVAILABLE, IN THE TERMS OF CREEKS, PONDS, THAT COULD BE USED TO WATER A FIELD WITHOUT REQUIRING IRRIGATION CANALS, WHICH WE DISCUSSED REQUIRE A MORE ORGANIZED FORCE.
SO THIS WOULD HAVE REALLY BEEN A PARADISE, FOR AGRICULTURE. YOU HAVE EXTREMELY FERTILE SOIL, IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, WHICH WE’VE DISCUSSED ALREADY; NOW YOU HAVE READY ACCESS TO WATER, WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN VERY HIGH YEILD HARVESTS. SO THOSE FARMERS WHO SETTLED IN THE SOUTH, WOULD HAVE GOTTEN AN IMMEDIATE BANG FOR THEIR BUCK, TO USE AN ACRONYMS.
THE TECHNOLOGY AND EXPERIENCE THAT PEOPLE HAD BEGUN TO LEARN IN THE UBAID PERIOD COULD BE APPLIED TO THEIR NEW LAND IMMEDIATELY. AND THESE FACTORS MAY BE WHY AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION SEEMS TO HAVE DEVELOPED QUICKLY HERE, ALMOST FEELS LIKE A RACE TO GET THE BIGGEST CITY AND TO PACK IN AS MANY PEOPLE IN THE AREA, TO TRY NEW IDEAS.
URUK IS ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTH OF BAGHDAD; IT WAS EXCAVATED BY GERMANS BEFORE WORLD WAR ONE; IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST SITES TO BENEFIT FROM THE STRATA-GRAPHIC METHOD; AND URUK IS ALSO THE RECIPIENT OF ANOTHER FORM OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS, SURFACE SURVEY.
SO WE HAVE TWO TYPES OF RESEARCH IN THIS ONE SITE. MANY OF THE IDEAS AND INTERPRET APPROACHES ABOUT SETTLEMENT, CHANGED IN PATTERNS WE DISCUSSED IN LECTURES 3 AND 4, HAVE BEEN APPLIED TO URUK, SO WE GET A VERY RICH SENCE AS TO WHAT IS HAPPENING.
LATE URUK PERIOD [C. 3100 B. C.]
THE SITE OF THE CITY OF URUK WAS APPROXIMATELY 200 HECTORS [ABOUT 500 ACRES] IN SIZE.
UBAID PERIOD VILLAGES [C. 4500-4000 B. C.] : 10 HECTORS.
SO WE SEE AN ENORMAS INCLEASE.
THE SIZE OF THE CITY CONTINUED TO EXPAND, BY 2500 B. C. URUK WAS ABOUT 400 HECTARES.
AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THIS SIZE IN MIND, EVEN THOUGH URUK WAS THE LARGEST CITY IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, THERE WERE SEVERAL CITIES THAT DEVELOPED AFTER URUK WAS ESTABLISHED. THAT WERE COMPARABLE IN SIZE, AND EVEN LARGER.
IF WE COMPARE THE SIZE OF URUK TO THE CITY OF ATHENS FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE 5TH CENTURY B. C. ATHENS WAS ONLY HALF THE SIZE OF URUK.
SO THE CITIES OF MESOPOTAMIA ARE ENORMOUS.
THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS AS TO WHY THEIR CULTURAL LIFE SEEMS SO RICH.
WHO LIVED IN THESE CITIES?, OR HOW MANY PEOPLE COULD LIVE IN THEM? ANCIENT POPULATION FIGURES ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH. YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN A CITY. HOW MANY HOUSE, HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVING TOGETHER. HOUSES VARY IN SIZE, THERE ARE BURIALS, YOU DON’T ALWAYS FIND EVERYONE. SO REALLY OUR POPULATION ESTIMATES ARE A BEST GUESS. OUR BEST GUESS FOR THE POPULATION OF URUK IS THAT IT COULD INCLUDE ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE.
WE SEE THAT THIS NUMBER, ABOUT 3000 B. C. MOVES US IMMEDIATELY INTO A MUCH MORE COMPLEX SOCIETY, FROM A FISHING VILLAGE OF A FEW HUNDRED PEOPLE.
AND THESE COMPLEXITIES CHARACTERIZE LIFE IN MESOPOTAMIA AT THIS TIME. AS FAR AS WE KNOW IT IS DIFFERENT FROM ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD!
SO AS WE DISCUSS THE FIRST CITIES WE SEE HOW PEOPLE ORGANIZED THEMSELVES ON A MASSIVE SCALE.
WE CAN IMAGINE WHAT THESE CITIES LOOKED LIKE.
AROUND 3000 B. C. A WALL WAS BUILT AROUND THE CITY THAT ENCLOSED 3 AND 1/2 SQUARE MILES. CERTAINLY WORD OF THIS MASSIVE SETTLEMENT WOULD HAVE SPREAD, IT MAY WELL HAVE ATTRACTIVE MORE PEOPLE TO COME TO THE CITY. PERHAPS THIS MAY HAVE ENCOURAGE THE SMALL SETTLEMENT TO ABANDON THEIR HOMES AND MOVE TO THE BIG CITY. SO WE START TO SEE THIS HAPPEN AND OUR EVIDENCE COMESS FROM THE SURFACE SURVEY, THAT WAS CONDUCTED AROUND THE CITY OF URUK, AS THE CITY GETS LARGER THE AREA AROUND IT GETS BLANKER, AS EVERYONE IS MOVING IN.
A CITY OF THIS SIZE COULD NOT BE SELF-CONTAINING; BUT INSTEAD HAD TO IMPORT FOOD AND OTHER NECESSITIES OF LIFE FROM SURROUNDING TERRITORY. IT’S ESTIMATED THAT A RADIUS OF ABOUT 4 MILES LAND AROUND THE CITY, WAS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT FOOD, FOR THE INHABITANTS OF THE CITY.
IT’S LIKELY THAT AS OCCURS TODAY, IN MIDDLE-EATERN COUNTRIES, FARMERS MAY HAVE LIVED IN THE CITY, AND WALKED OUT TO THEIR FEILDS, SO IT’S A COMBINATION OF AN AGRICULTURAL LIFE WITH A CITY LIFE.
IN RETURN THE CITIES WOULD PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR THE URBAN POPULATION, TO ANYONE INSIDE AND THOSE OUTSIDE WHO WANTED TO COME IN, DURING A CRISIS, AS WELL AS A WIDE RANGE OF ACCESS TO GOODS AND SERVICES.
WE SEE AT URUK THE MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE……FROM THE UBAID PERIOD….. ARCHITECTURE EXPANDING, ON AN EQUALLY LARGE SCALE.
AS WE SAW AT THE UBAID VILLAGES AT URUK WE SEE MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE IN THE TEMPLE.
TWO TEMPLES AT THE CITY OF URUK HAVE BEEN EXCAVATED—— THE TEMPLE OF INANNA, LATER KNOWN AS ISHTA. AND A TEMPLE TO ANU, THE GOD OF THE SKY.
AS THE EXCAVATIONS OF THE TEMPLES UNFOLDED, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE TEMPLES NOT ONLY IN THEMSELVES WERE SIGNIFICANT IN SIZE, BUT THAT THEY WERE PART OF A COMPLEX. SO THEY THEMSELVES WERE SEPARATED FROM THE REST OF THE CITY. ONCE AGAIN THE ARTIFICIAL PLATFORM THAT RAISES THEM ABOVE THE STREET LEVEL, SEPARATES THEM VISUALLY FROM THE LIFE OF MORTALS.
THE EARLIEST TEMPLE AT URUK IS ABOUT 80 YARDS BY 30 YARDS WIDE. TO GIVE YOU THE SCALE OF THIS MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE. DURING THE SECOND FASE IS WHEN THE TEMPLE PRECINCT IS SEPARATED BY A WALL. SO THIS MAKES THE AREA MORE DISTINCT ALSO MORE CLEARLY REMARKATED, MORE FORMAL. WHAT THIS MEANT FOR THE RITUALS TO THE GODS, WE DON’T KNOW. BUT IT CERTAINLY MEANS THE TEMPLE WAS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE CITIE’S ATTENTION. THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF TERRITORY AND DECORATION.
THE TEMPLE OF ANU WAS PLASTERED WITH WHITE GYPSOM….THIS GLEAMING WHITE TEMPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE FAR ACROSS THE PLAIN. THIS TEMPLE HAD A PLATFORM THAT WAS ALMOST 30 FEET HIGH. WE ARE NOW MOVING FROM A 3 FOOT STEP ABOVE STREET LEVEL TO A HUGE PLATFORM, THAT MAKES THE TEMPLE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE HOMES OF ORDINARY PEOPLE.
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT IT WOULD TAKE ALMOST 2 THOUSAND PEOPLE TO MAKE THIS TEMPLE IN 30 DAYS, SO THIS IS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF LABOR.
IN HISTORIC LITERATURE, A TEMPLE IS BELIEVED TO BE A HOUSE OF A GOD. SO THE CITY IS WHERE A GOD ESTABLISHED THEIR HOME.
SO CITIES BELONGED TO A DEITY.
IN THE MIND OF A CITIZEN OF URUK THEIR PATRON GOD INNANU WOULD PROTECT THEM, AND LIVE WITH THEM. SO THIS CAN HELP MOTIVATE THE PEOPLE OF URUK, TO MAKE SURE THE TEMPLE, AND TEMPLE OF OTHER GODS, MOST BEAUTIFUL, FOR THIS TEMPLE BELONGED TO INNANU.
AS LIKE THE URIAD PERIOD, WE HAVE NO STRUCTURE LIKE A PALACE THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED. THIS DOESN’T MEAN IT DIDN’T EXIST, OR THAT THERE WAS NOT A POLITICAL LEADER, A NON-RELIGIOUS LEADER, WE SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE ANY ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE. WE WILL NOT GET A BUILDING THAT CAN BE SECURELY IDENTIFIED AS A PLACE UNTIL THE 3RD MILLENNIUM. THIS SHOWS SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS OF ARCHAEOLOGY. PERHAPS WE’VE JUST NOT BEEN DIGGING IN THE RIGHT PLACE, OR PERHAPS A POLITICAL LEADER OR GROUP OF LEADERS, DID NOT NEED A SEPARATE HOUSE TO SHOW OFF THEIR STANDING IN THE CITY. IDEAS DON’T ALWAYS LEAVE PHYSICAL TRACES FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS TO FIND.
FROM WHAT DOES SURVIVE IT SEAMS THE MANAGERS OF THE CITY, ORGANIZERS OF THE CITY, WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEMPLE. A LOT OF KEY IDEAS FOR BUREAUCRACY OCCURRED AT THE TEMPLE. INCLUDING WRITING, WHICH WE SHALL DISCUSS IN MORE DETAIL SHORLY.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED THE EARLIEST EXAMPLE OF BUREAUCRACY AND THIS IS SEEN WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ARTIFACTS, INCLUDING WRITING, AT URUK. WE SHALL LOOK AT THIS IN MORE DETAIL LATER ON.
FOR OUR PURPOSES NOW, JUST THINK ABOUT THAT WRITING IS NECESSARY TO COUNT THE GOOD, QUANTITY OF SERVICES THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A CITY OF 20 OR 40 THOUSAND PEOPLE. AND SO THIS WRITING FITS IN MORE CLOSELY WITH A LARGE DENCE POPULATION NEEDING TO BE CONTROLLED IN A CITY THAT MAY NOT BE NECESSARY IN A VILLAGE……
URUK, C. 4000-3300 B. C. :
40 HECTARES
SURROUNDED BY MUCH MUCH SMALLER SETTLEMENT
NEAREST COMPARABLE CITY 30 MILES AWAY
BETEEN 3300 AND 3000 URUK HAD GROWN TO THE SIZE OF 200 HECTARES. AND ABOUT 4 SETTLEMENTS OF ABOUT 40 HECTARES…..
A MAJOR CITY.
A MAP OF SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA LOOKS MUCH DIFFERENT IN GENERAL. IT IS DOTTED WITH MANY LARGER TELLS. SO INDICATING CITIES, LARGE SETTLEMENT, THERE ARE MORE OF THEM, THEY ARE CLOSER TOGETHER, THERE IS A GREATER NUMBER OF LARGER SETTLEMENT, AND VERY FEW SMALL ONES.
AND YOU CAN REALLY GET A SENCE OF THE CROWDING, THAT DEVELOPS IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, AND SO DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE, POPULATION PRESSURE, IN ANCIENT CITIES, BUT LOOKING AT SETTLEMENTS AND THE WAY THEY WERE LAYED OUT, WE CAN SEE THAT THE IDEA OF THESE WERE CLEARLY VERY SUCCESSFUL. IT CAUGHT ON QUICKLY, THE BENEFITS OF WHAT A CITY COULD PROVIDE, WERE CONSIDERED MUCH MORE USEFUL THAN LIVING INDEPENDENTLY.
THIS STUDY SHOWS THAT LOOKING AT SETTLEMENTS AND HOW THEY WERE LAYED OUT, IS VERY IMPORTANT. IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO EXCAVATE ALL THESE TELLS, THAN THE SMALL ONES. BUT IF WE GET AN IDEA OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SETTLEMENT, THEIR RELATIVE SIZE, AND SOME IDEA OF THE DATES, FROM THE OBJECTS THAT CAN BE COLLECTED FROM THE SURFACE, THAT OFTEN INCLUDE POTTERY, THAT WE CAN DATE TO THE UBAID PERIOD, OR THE URUK PERIOD, WE CAN GET QUITE A BIT OF INFORMATION AS WHAT IS HAPPENING WITHOUT HAVING TO EXCAVATE, EACH ONE OF THESE SETTLEMENTS.
THAT SAID, LET’S IMMEDIATELY RUSH BACK TO EXCAVATION. AND THIS IS WHAT ARCHAEOLOGISTS LOVE, AND IT DOES GIVE US A DETAIL AS THE TYPES OF OBJECTS PEOPLE USED IN THE CITY OF URUK.
EXCAVATION IS ALSO IMPORTANT IN UNDERSTANDING HOW FAR THE CONCEPTS PEOPLE USED IN URUK AND SPREADING OUT INTO OTHER AREAS.
AND WE SEE SOMEWHAT SURPRISINGLY, OBJECT USED AND FLOURISHED AND FOUND TO THE NORTH IS SYRIA AND TO THE EAST IN IRAN, SOUTHERN IRAN. AND AT THIS POINT SOUTHERN IRAN IS AFFECTEDLY THE THE SAME AS SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, SO WE DON’T SEE ANY DISTINCTION BETWEEN THESE TWO REGIONS, IT’S ALL THE SAME.
THIS SPREAD OF ARTIFACTS SHOWS THAT THE URUK CULTURE AND PERHAPS EVEN IDEAS EXTENDED FAR THROUGHOUT MESOPOTAMIA; SO WE SEE HOW IMPORTANT THE RIVERS ARE FOR COMMUNICATION.
IT USED TO BE THOUGHT, AND MANY SCHOLARS STILL BELIEVE THAT THESE OUTPOSTS THAT SHOW ARTIFACTS OF URUK STYLE, WERE TRADING COLONIES. THAT THEY WERE LOCATED IN AREAS THAT COULD PROVIDE URUK WITH RESOURCES, THAT WERE NOT AVAILABLE IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA. WHAT ARE THOSE? WE KNOW THIS…. STONE AND TIMBER. SO MOVE UP TO SYRIA WHERE YOU CAN GET TIMBER AND DOWN THE EUPHRATES RIVER; IN IRAN STONE IS MUCH MORE WIDELY AVAILABLE, SO WHY NOT SEND YOUR POPULATION OUT OF THE CITY TO PROVIDE TRADE CONTACTS ELSEWHERE. PERHAPS MERCHANT ACTIVITY.
WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE THAT URUKIANS HAD MOVED BEYOND THEIR CITY LIMITS, EVEN THEIR CULTURAL LIMITS OF SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA? OF COURSE POTTERY IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF ARTIFACTS. A TYPE OF POTTERY IS A BEVEL RIMBED BOWL, WHICH WE WILL DISCUSS IN MORE DETAIL WITH TEMPLES, IS ONE WHICH IS MOST WIDELY DISTRIBUTED POTTERY TYPE, THAT FIRST FLOURISHED AT URUK.
EVEN MOPRE SIGNIFICANT, IN THE NORTH AND TO EAST, ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED SPECIFIC TYPES OF TEMPLE DECORATIONS, THE CONE MOSAIC, THAT WAS USED WIDELY, IN THE URUK SETTLEMENTS.
TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE AND IS CONSERVATIVE, YOU DO NOT WANT TO ANOY YOUR GOD BY TRYING OUT SOME NEW STYLE OF HOUSE OR ITS DECORATION, THAT THEY AREN’T FAMILIAR WITH. AND SO WHEN WE FIND SIMILAR TEMPLE STYLES, TO ARCHAEOLOGISTS THIS SIGNIFIES A SHARED CULTURE, OR YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEF WHICH IS FUNDAMENTAL.
CONE MOSAICS ARE ABOUT 4 TO 6 INCHES OF COLORED CLAY, RED, WHITE, AND BLACK. THAT ARE SET INTO PLASTER ON THE EXTERIOR OF WALLS OR COLUMNS, AND THEY CREATE A DECORATIVE PATTERN. USUALLY A SHEVRON OR TRIANGLE, SOMETHING THAT IS GEOMETRIC, SOMETHING THAT IS EASY TO CREATE. AND AS YOU LOOK AT A CONE MOSAIC TEMPLE FAR AWAY YOU SEE A RIPPLING EFFECT. ANY GOD WOULD BE HAPPY TO ENJOY.
A CONE MOSAIC DECORATION WAS FOUND IN SUSAR IN IRAN, WHICH HEPS REINFORCE THIS IDEA THAT THERE IS A CULTURAL UNITY WITH SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA.
THE CONE MOSAIC WAS NOT USED VERY LONG AFTER THE URUK PERIOD; SO WHEN WE DO FIND IT, FAR OUT OF SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, THIS HELPS US IDENTIFY URUK CULTURE EVEN MORE SO THAN POTTERY.
IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA A SMALL CITY IN SYRIA CALLED HABUBA KABIRA HAS ALL THE SAME FEATURES WE FIND AT URUK, WITH SAME PRODUCED GOODS LIKE POTTERY, SIMILAR TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE, BOTH HOUSE ARCHITECTURE AND TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE, BUT ONE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE IN THIS NORTHERN CITY, IS THAT THERE WAS A DEFENSIVE WALL SURROUNDING IT. THE DEFENCE WALL WILL BECOME VERY IMPORTANT IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA BUT NOT QUITE YET.
AND THESE EARLIEST LEVELS OF ALL OF OUR SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA CITIES ARE FREE FROM ANY DEFENSIVE STRUCTURE.
IF WE THINK ABOUT THIS DEFENSIVE WALL MORE, CLOSELY AND SOMEWHAT MORE IMAGINARY. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THESE URUK LIKE SETTLEMENTS WERE NOT TRADING COLONIES OR OUTPOSTS, BUT REAL ADMINISTRATIVE CENTERS, ESTABLISHED AFTER A MILITARY INCURSION. THIS THEORY GAINS SOME CREDENCE IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN 2005 BY AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEAM FROM THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO; THAT THEY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE FOR A VIOLENT DESTRUCTION AT A SITE NEAR TO HABUBA KABIRA CALLED HAMOUKAR, IN SYRIA. THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO CLAIMED THAT THIS IS THE EARLIEST EVIDENCE FOR LARGE SCALE WARFARE IN MESOPOTAMIA. THUS ACCORDING TO THIS THEORY THE ARTIFACTS THAT ARE SO SIMILAR IN SSYRIA TO THAT FROM URUK, WERE BROUGHT BY PEOPLE WHO MOVED THERE AFTER PUSHING OUT THE PREVIOUS OCCUPANTS. EITHER THEY WERE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING RID OF THEM, OR THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE RECENTLY DEVOID POPULATION OF TH E AREA.
WHAT WE DO FIND IS THE SAME ACCOUNTING AND WRTING USED AT URUK STILL APPEARS, SO WE HAVE SIMILAR RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS, WE HAVE SIMILAR BUREAUCRATIC TOOLS; ALL OF THIS INDICATED THAT WHATEVER GROUP IS LIVING IN SYRIA, IN SOUTHERN IRAN, THE SAME IDEA, THE SAME MENTALITY, AS THOSE WHO ARE LIVING IN URUK. AND IT IS OUR EARLIEST EVIDENCE FOR A UNIFIED SYTEM OF WRITING BEYOND ONE PARTICULAR LOCATION.
THE URUK PERIOD HAS LONG BEEN FASCINATING TO ARCHEOLOGISTS BECAUSE SO MANY CRITICAL IDEAS SEEM TO DEVELOP AT ONCE.
IT’S INTERESTING IN LIGHT OF THIS THAT NOW A SITE IN SYRIA MAY CAUSE US TO UNDERGO A FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSTS, OF WHAT WE THOUGHT WE KNEW ABOUT URUK.
THE SITE IN SYRIA, AND I’M SURE MORE EXCAVATION WILL OCCUR; IS STILL BEING EXCAVATED, THE REPORTS ARE PRELIMINARY, BUT LET’S SPECULATE A BIT ABOUT WHAT THE IMPLICATION CAN BE FOR WHAT HAMOUKAR AND URUK CAN BE.
IF HANOUFAR WAS DESTROYED BY AN ARMY FROM SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA, AND WE KNOW THE DESTRUCTION IS CERTAIN, EVEN IF THE AGENTS WHO INFLICTED IT ARE NOT CERTAIN. THEN WE SHOULD START TO RE-EVALUATE OFFICIAL ORDER. PERHAPS EVEN POLITICAL ORDER URUK. AN ARMY NEEDS A LEADER, OR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF LEADERS. AND WE DISCUSSED BOTH LAST TIME AND WITH THE UBAIR PERIOD AND WITH THE URUK PERIOD, A LEADER OUTSIDE OF THE TEMPLE. ARCHAEOLOGISTS WERE LOOKING FOR PALACES AS A WAY TO IDENTIFY WHO WAS IN CHARGE, IN THE CITY AT THE TIME. BUT MAYBE THIS LEADERSHIP IS MILITARY, MAYBE IT DOESN’T LEAVE A MATERIAL EVIDENCE. OR IT HASN’T BEEN DISCOVERED YET. WE CERTAINLY DID NOT HAVE ANY EVIDENCE ANYWHERE, FOR A LARGE MILITARY FORCE IN THE URUK REGION, AND WE STILL MAY NOT. AND THIS IS ALL VERY EARLY ANALYSIS, AND SPECULATION. BUT I THINK IT ILLUSTRATES THAT CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE PAST ARE FOUNDED UPON A PARTIAL PICTURE. ONE THAT CAN BE CHANGED BOTH BY NEW DISCOVERIES BUT ALSO BY NEW WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT OLD IDEAS.
MUCH OF THIS IS MY SPECULATION. SO I DON’T WANT TO SAY THAT WE HAVE AN ARMY THAT IS LED BY A NEW POLITICAL LEADER FROM URUK, AND YOU HEARD IT HERE FROM A COURSE BY THE TEACHING COMPANY. BUT WHAT I WANT TO DO IS ILLUSTRATE HOW HISTORIANS AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK ABOUGT ANCIENT HISTORY IN THE LIGHT OF NEW DISCOVERIES, WHAT WAYS ARCHAEOLOGY CAN ILLUSTRATE KEY CONCEPTS, IN THE ANCIENT WORLD.
AS WE HAVE SEEN THE URUK PERIOD PROVIDES ESSENTIAL EVIDENCE OF COMPLEX SOCIAL GROUPS, AND HEIGH-RACHY. IT IS POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY FIRST PROFESSIONS, CRAFTS, LONG-DISTANCE EXCHANGE, PERHAPS LONG-DISTANCE MILITARY ATTACKS.
SURPLUS FOOD WAS COLLECTED AND PROVIDED TO THE HABITANTS OF A CITY IN EXCHANGE FOR THESE SERVICES.
THE CITIES OF SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA HAD A VERY DENCE POPULATION, THAT PROBABLY LURRED NEW COMERS TO THE REGION.
WHATEVER ROLE THE TEMPLE PLAYED WAS A MAJOR FORCE IN THE CITY. IT WAS THE CENTER FOR BUREAUCRACY THAT WE HAVE DISCOVERED AT THIS TIME. SO THEY COLLECTED RESOURCES AND THEY REDISTRIBUTED THEM.
FINALLY THE TEMPLES ARE MONUMENTAL STRUCTURES OF DESIGN AND BUILDING. SO THEY EMBODY WHAT THE COMMUNITY CAN CREATE.
WE REMAIN UNCERTAIN ABOUT THE POSITION OF ANY POLITICAL RULERS, OR GROUP OF POLITICAL ELITE. BUT ALL OF THESE FEATURE OF URBAN LIFE, COLLECTING GOODS, REDISTRIBUTING THEM, ORGANIZING LABOR, CREATING RECORD KEEPING, AND OTHER DIVERSE PROFESSIONS, CAN FIRST BE IDENTIFIED AT URUK.
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WE SEE THE RISE OF POPULATIONS AND CENTERS OF PEOPLE MAKING CITIES, AND ALL THAT WOULD COME FROM SUCH MOVEMENTS, IS IN LINE WITH THE BIBLE.
ABRAHAM CAME FROM UR, HE WAS WEALTHY IN CATTLE AND HERDS. THE AREA HE MOVED IN AFTER THE ETERNAL GOD CALLED HIM OUT OF UR, TO BE LED TO A LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, WAS POPULATED BY EDUCATED CRAFTSMEN IN DIFFERENT SKILLS, AND A PEOPLE OF TADING POWER OVER LARGE AREAS, BOTH EAST AND WEST OF MESOPOTAMIA.
TRULY ARCHAEOLOGY HAS PROVED THE MESOPOTAMIA AREA OF THE EARTH WAS THE CRADLE OF SOCIETY. SOMEWHERE IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD, ADAM AND EVE WERE CREATED, AND CIVILIZATION INCREASED BEFORE THE DAYS NOAH AND AFTER THE DAYS OF NOAH.
Keith Hunt
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