Category Great Civilizations

        Much of what we know about the history of Mesopotamia comes from the thousand tablets found in Assyrian cities.

        Assyria was initially a Sumerian-dominated region. Later, they became subject to the dynasty of the city state of Akkad during the Akkadian Empire.

        Assyrian rulers were subject to Sargon and his successors, and the city of Assur became a regional administrative centre of the Empire.

       Assyria was already firmly involved in trade in Asia Minor by this time; the earliest known reference to their trade post in Hatti was found on later cuneiform tablets describing the early period of the Akkadian Empire.

       After the decline of the Akkadian Empire, the rulers of Assyria once again became fully independent.

       Ushpia appears to have been the first fully urbanized independent king of Assyria. The oldest remains of the city Assur were discovered in the foundation of the Ishtar Gate. 

          History tells us many stories – some based on fantasy, and some based on truth. Ancient Mesopotamia too had its own share of stories. One of which considered as the earliest surviving great work of literature is the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is an epic poem from Mesopotamia. It was written on 12 clay tablets in the cuneiform writing style. It is about the adventures of the historical king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who seemed to have lived in Mesopotamia about 2700 BC. The epic begins with Gilgamesh ruling the city of Uruk. Gilgamesh learns about a wild man who lives out in the hills near the city. The wild man was Enkidu. Gilgamesh gets Enkidu to come to the city, and the two become friends. They have many adventures together. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh mourns his friend’s death.

          He starts seeking the secret of eternal life and later learns that he can become immortal if he stays awake for a week, watching a plant. But he fails and falls asleep. Realizing the fact that everybody has to die some day, he returns to Uruk as a much wiser man than before. 

          Uruk, Ur, and Lagash were the major cities in Ancient Mesopotamia. Among them, Uruk was the most important one. It was founded by King Enmerkar sometime around 4500 BC. It was probably the largest city in the world at that time. The city was famous for its large monuments including temples and palaces. Uruk is famous for its great king Gilgamesh. It was the centre of trade and administration.

          Ur was another important Sumerian city state around 3800 BC. Ur possessed great wealth and the people there enjoyed life more than the other Mesopotamian cities. The city of Ur reached the heights of its glory under King Ur-Nammu in around 2100 BC. The city was abandoned after 500 BC.

         Another Sumerian city, Lagash was founded in 5200 BC. It was a culturally vibrant city till 3500 BC. Lagash was endowed with many temples. The most famous monument in Lagash was the Stele of the Vultures, which was erected to celebrate the victory of King Eannatum over the neighbouring state of Umma. The city was once the seat of Sumerian art. 

       The Sumerians were the first people to form a civilization, and they were considered as one of the advanced civilizations. Their culture influenced future civilizations. Social classes were formed, as people started doing different jobs, which in turn allowed them to live in different ways.

          In Sumer, the city became the centre of trade, religion, and social life. The city layout described the social classes developing.

           The Sumerian city was centre around a massive temple complex called a Ziggurat, where the god of the city was worshipped. The Sumerians believed that gods controlled nature and life. They offered food and wine to keep the gods happy.

           Palaces of the King’s family surrounded the temple, which was again, surrounded by houses and shops for government workers, and craftsmen. Smaller houses were found outside the city, but these still lay within the large defensive walls that surrounded the city. Narrow alleys and small streets divided the houses. 

The Greek word ‘Mesopotamia’ means ‘the land between two rivers’. The fertile land between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris was suitable for agriculture, which made it possible for Man to stay in the same place for a longer period.

The first urban civilization to have ever emerged on the planet Earth is the Sumerian civilization, of Mesopotamia in 3500 BC. Hence, Mesopotamia is called one of the cradles of civilization.

Agriculture first drew people to the banks of the rivers in Mesopotamia. Soon, they learned to build irrigation canals. As more people began to settle here, they began to build many more villages and towns along the river.

The most important contribution of the Sumerians to mankind was writing. As time went on it became necessary to keep records. This led to the development of writing. The Sumerians used clay tablets to record their accounts.

The Sumerians had well developed systems for counting. They also had a calendar, and a legal system. The Sumerians are often credited with the invention of wheel. They used wheels for carts, and also for making pots. There was a well developed system for the governance of cities.

Today, the region of Mesopotamia is located mainly in Iraq and in parts of Iran, Syria and Turkey. 

          In the course of human evolution, at a certain point in time, the idea of living in a group with mutual under-standing and sharing became very useful and practical.

          From small isolated groups, communities were formed, and then societies, which in due course, became a civilization. But a civilization is much more than just a town; it is an advanced stage of organization.

          Civilization roughly means a highly developed social structure enriched by cultural, economic, and creative factors. It can include many things, like how different sections form in the society, how we interact with each other, how we create artistic works, how we dress, or how we govern ourselves.

          Most early civilizations flourished on riverbanks. This was because the river made the land fertile, and ensured the supply of water for agriculture.