Humanities Assignment 3

One of the earliest societies to develop a civilization, which has left behind many major contributions and infl uenced people around the world, is that of the ancient Mesopotamians. In order to understand the history of the earliest peoples of the area, it is important to note that their name derives from the region. The name used in humanities is a geographical name, which may be confusing to students who are not aware that the names in art history and humanities are usually derived from the names of their geographical origin. The area once known as Mesopotamia is now home to modern-day Iraq, parts of Iran, parts of modern-day Turkey, and Syria. When studying some regions of the world, note that not all names have changed. Egypt, for example, is still located where ancient Egypt was.

Many groups of people settled in Mesopotamia, the Sumerians earliest of all. Then came the Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, Chaldeans, and Persians. The Sumerians developed in the region referred to as the “land between the rivers,” around the area of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Sumer was made up of city- states governed by priest-kings. The Sumerians are credited with the invention of cuneiform, an early type of writing consisting of carving made on tablets. Another contribution of the Sumerians was the invention of the wheel. Although we do not have exact dates for when the Sumerian civilization developed, some early objects and markings are dated as early as the years 3500 to 3300 B.C. Marble statuettes from the Abu Temple, Tell Asmar, Iraq, circa. 2900– 2600 B.C., represent the con- cept of a higher power and are a refl ection of early peoples’ polytheism, in which their many gods were closely linked with the forces of nature (Fiero 9). The images of the gods worshiped in this region are fi erce, and it was in this region that the fi rst written code of law was found: the Code of Hammurabi. Hammurabi is recorded as having attempted to systematize legal practices, and his code was the fi rst example of recorded law among the Babylonian rulers (Fiero 10).

One of the epics attributed to the Mesopotamians is the Epic of Gilgamesh, the fi rst literary epic in recorded history. An epic is a story in which the main charac- ter is a hero who encounters a major challenge, and whose response to that chal- lenge confi rms one of the chief values of his community. The characters in the epic are Gilgamesh, his friend Enkidu, and a character named Utnapishtim who saves humankind from a great and devastating fl ood. In the story, Enkidu travels on a great trip; his entire journey is a search for eternal life. Gilgamesh also wants to have everlasting life, but he discovers that he, too, is a mere mortal. The story is much more complicated than this and is worth reading in its entirety. It is an important and signifi cant literary piece, because it is the fi rst recorded written work that refl ects both the human need to accept death as well as the desire to live forever (Fiero 10–11).

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIANS 4

88 Timelines and Chronology

The Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh raises questions that are universal. This epic is a search for the meaning in life. Gilgamesh asks questions that we still ask ourselves today, such as: What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist? and Why do we have to die?

The story of Gilgamesh was written down in approximately 2000 B.C.E. according to the authors Lawrence Cunningham and John Reich. The story is about Gilgamesh, a very brave Sumerian ruler, who according to many accounts ruled around 2700 B.C.E. and lived in the ancient city of Uruk. In the story, Gilgamesh is a powerful ruler and king who oppresses his people. His countrymen pray for help and Enkidu is sent to fight Gilgamesh according to this myth. Instead, these two individuals become friends. Gilgamesh and Enkidu then travel together.

Gilgamesh is approached by the Queen of Heaven, Ishtar, a goddess, whom he rejects after she makes advances toward him. This turns out to be a disastrous situation for Gilgamesh because he will be punished by having a bull sent to kill him. Gilgamesh kills the bull instead. As a punishment for this, however, Enkidu is killed, which is a tremendous blow to Gilgamesh. The experience is so troubling that it changes Gil- gamesh’s outlook forever as he becomes aware of his own impending doom. (He had not been aware of his own death until that point.) As his journey continues, Gilgamesh’s travels bring him upon Utnapishtim, who has been given eternal life. The epic ends with Utnapishtim telling Gilgamesh a story about the flood which has similarities to the biblical story of Noah and the flood. At the end of the epic poem, Gilgamesh returns home and has to accept the fact that he too will die.

Source: Lawrence S. Cunningham and John J. Reich, Culture and Values: A Survey of the Western Humanities, Volume I.

ZIGGURAT The ziggurat was a place where the citizens gathered and according to some historians, citizens may have brought agricultural goods to the ziggurat and there may have been a market around the site. The ziggurat was a useful gathering place for the community where people gathered for both spiritual and physical nourishment. The ziggurat was created for the patron saint of the city of Ur. The ziggurat was built while King Ur- Nammu of the Third Dynasty of Ur ruled. This ziggurat was constructed for the moon god Nanna, the patron saint of the city of Ur.

In the 1920s Sir Leonard Woolley, in a joint project with the University of Pennsyl- vania Museum in Philadelphia and the British Museum in London, partially excavated the site of the present ziggurat which is located at the Ali Air Base in Iraq.

Source: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient- near-east1/sumerian/a/ziggurat-of-ur

Ancient Mesopotamians 89

Tell Asmar Statues The Tell Asmar statues are some of the best-preserved ancient Mesopotamian sculptures still surviving and date to about 2750 B.C. They established social hierarchy and communicated larger truths about the world (Sporre).

Early Sumerians played stringed musical instruments such as lyres, harps, flutes, and drums. These instruments have been found in tombs in good condition as recently as the twentieth century. Tablets written in cuneiform writing were found together with a harp during an archeological dig in the ancient area of Mesopotamia. After this find, three professors from the University of California spent several decades deciphering the tablets and making a replica of the instruments in order to recreate ancient musical sounds. Scholars have long pondered the uses of ancient musical instruments such as these, including things hinted at by looking at the carvings in relief on their surfaces. Music could have been used in religious events, such as dedications, coronations, and weddings, as well as in other ceremonies and rituals.

One harp (lyre) was found in excellent condition in the tomb of Queen Puabi. When it was recreated, scientists discovered that it used the traditional Western intervals used by pianos and symphony orchestras. Many older textbooks have credited ancient Greeks such as Pythagoras with the invention of the fourth and fifth intervals, and this concept was taught for many years. Pythagoras was a wise man and was certainly aware of har- mony, the octave, and many other musical concepts, but these concepts may have been understood before his time.

When harps and lyres were found that used fourth and fifth intervals as well as the octave, the harp became included in music appreciation classes. It was exciting to have new information about an instrument from approximately 2600 B.C. and intriguing to imagine what music may have sounded like in ancient Mesopotamia thousands of years ago. The lyre, or harp, found in the tomb of Queen Puabi was an extraordinary find, but more research is needed about the tablets in the tomb, as well as of how the harp might have been tuned, and other museums in the United States and Great Britain have harps and lyres that could be researched as well.

Ancient Mesopotamian Accomplishments

Arch: a curved shape that helped create structures

Astronomy: a study of formations of the stars; used to help understand when to plant and harvest crops

Irrigation: a system used to water crops; it involves moving water to plants to help them grow

Wheel: an invention used for transporting things and people

Ziggurat: a large architectural structure with a temple on top

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Cuneiform writing: the type of writing used for record keeping and communication

Mathematics: used by high priests (scientists) in architecture and to study the stars in order to understand the best times to plant seeds