Lecture 3- The Urban Revolution Flashcards
Urban Revolution
- Happened in S. Meso. first by the Sumerians
- GRADUALLY over 1000 years
- change in tech, demo, social, econ ideologies
- creates a need to structure the society differently leading to urbanisation
Changes of the urban revolution
- Settlement patterns
- Agricultural innovations
- Specialisation of jobs
- Monumental architecture
Late Uruk Period
- 3400/3300- 3100
- Uruk was first city
- dramatic increase in pop density
- increase in settlement size (250 hectares for Uruk)
- settlement size according to hierarchal system
- central area that reached out to surrounding towns,
villages - so many people that there must have been
migration from N. Meso and W. Iran
Agricultural innovations
- Most important factor creating pop growth and food
surplus - N. Meso had rain agriculture/ S. Meso needed irrigation but could produce more food
- sloping canals with irrigation canals
- seed plough
- long field system
** S. Meso could produce more- 1 to 30 ratio instead of the 1 to 5 in N. Meso
Specialisation of jobs
- Surplus allows for a diverse range of people who don’t have to grow their own food
- workmen and admin
- they establish the social, polit, and econo elites of
the state - they live in the city center
Creation of elites
- 2 reasons: Surplus and Creation of Institutions
- 2 institutions were the palace and the temple
- served as collection and redistribution centers
- Land distribution
- 1 part divided and given to the institutions
- 1 part divided and given to the individuals of the org (specialised services in exchange for the land)
Creation of villages
- Villages are income sources for the center
• Community of free land owners – had to pay
percentage of produce to central institution
• ACCUMULATION OF THE FOOD - then gets
redistributed as rations to specialists and everyone
else sometimes
• Development of “villages” = areas further from
centre developed, places growing produce that
was like tax for the centre
o These goods given to centre = form of income
Seasonal tasks that need a big work force = an obligation of these villagers like a corvee system
Evidence of distribution system
- Uruk 4 level
- proto- cuneiform tablets
- compared to 3rd mill. we can read that they were
ration lists
- compared to 3rd mill. we can read that they were
- Bevelled rim bowls used for distribution
- standard shape and sizes- utilitarian and mass
produced - 4th mil.
- standard shape and sizes- utilitarian and mass
- cylinder seals- admin tool w/ carved scenes and
work of specialists
- proto- cuneiform tablets
Social prerequisites to the urban rev
• Vertical - Pre-Uruk period (Ubaid) = show potential
for there to be social distinction / diff ranks of
families
o Some social elements already there – help
explain why changes happen in URUK & NOT
in everywhere could handle that much surplus
• Ubaid period – had egalitarian society BUT was
different
o Powerful conceptual tool = diff b/w horizontal
& vertical egalitarian societies
• Main difference b/w NOW & BEFORE
o Systematic separation b/w primary production
& secondary specialization
o food processors (in countryside) & specialists
in the palaces (at centres) = relation became
hierarchical
Food > crafts people & goods > food
producers
- the country work and centre work
created a natural hierarchy and social
difference/economic inequality was set
up
Monumental architecture
- differentiated country for center
- 1st time we see monuments by specialists
• Heart of the city dedicated to economic activities
• Practical needs = admin, craft, storage buildings
• Ideological “propaganda”
Temples in Uruk
- Temple of Anu
- Temple of Eanna “House of Heaven”
- series of monumental buildings
- rebuilt several times in Uruk 4
- featured cone mosaics in geometric patterns in clay
and stone- stone must have been imported
-buildings needed 15,000 workers, 10hrs a day, 5 yrs
Temple/ administrators role
- this came from a need for a new specialist as collection and redistribution became more complex
- WRITING came from a need to keep to count goods from the complex economy
- Priest- king- the top of the society
- men who were at the top bc of their temple roles
(scholar/priests)
- men who were at the top bc of their temple roles
Ideology of Uruk society
- make people contribute food in exchange for a future service
-RELIGION was the basis- the god of the city received the goods nd
redistributed it to the society
- the god of the city received the goods nd
- each city had its own god
Uruk expansion early 4th mil
o Suza (southwest Iran) = large settlement emerged
due to local factors
But later in the millennium, their material
culture was entirely influenced by S Meso
(Uruk)
o Diff. situation in Upper Meso - SE Turkey, Syria, N
Iraq
Already had monumental archi. influenced by
Uruk
Uruk culture clearly seen in mid 4th mill.
BUT growth in these places slowed in mid 4th
mill.
Uruk expansion in mid 4th mil.
URUK CONTINUED GROWING – size & complexity
o Uruk established close links to the North
Their influence on the North varied
depending on each site & degree they affected
them varied
o 4 types of interactions with other sites:
- Completely different sites outside S Meso w/
material culture looks wholey imported from Uruk
• ie. Jebel Aruda, Habuba Kabira - Uruk people established into other settlements –
they introduced innovations to local pop. there
• ie. Beveled Rimmed bowls, painted cone mosaics,
numerical notation tablets = all S stuff
• BUT they didn’t fully replace the local stuff, just
added to it - Influence were less, came from more restricted
trade (elites imitating similar practices &
monumental building) - Some places had absolutely no influence from Uruk = fully indigenous
Jemdet Nasr
- 3100- 2900, Uruk expansion suddenly stops
• CHANGES IN THE OUTSIDE
o Suddenly Uruk influences disappeared in
outside sites & their indigenous traditions
came back
o Village life became norm again (in N Meso &
Syria)
o People from Zagros Mountains took over
Suza
• CHANGES IN URUK
o Don’t know what happened in Uruk
o Monumental buildings were razed & leveled
-Then built on top of (Level III) – had many
tablets, more elaborate than in Level IV
o The city was still pretty big BUT other cities in
upper Meso developed got bigger
- & the Jemdet Nasr culture seemed to
dominate in influence of nearby sites
-Direct contact w/ Persian Gulf area seen
now
Early Dynastic period
- 2900-2350
- Conflict and collapse of a system brings about the
new system of city-states - S. Meso. sees alot of similar sized citites influencing
the area around them
- Conflict and collapse of a system brings about the
Main points:
- City-states
- Development of leaders/kings
- No distinction between secular and religious
authority
- Cultural unity through religion
- Beginning of territorial control
*** By the end, centralised power under 2 city dynasties (Akkad and Ur)
City-States (dynastic period)
• Usually urban centre controlled surrounding territory where people lived in villages
o BUT we find centres with larger control
Lagash controlled other surrounding cities (ie.
Girsu, Telloh, etc.)
Umma controlled a small state
• Have information about these 2 centres
b/c we have a lot of texts
o They had long conflict b/w each other
o Maybe this was what the general relationship
b/w city-states were like
• Usually cities & villages located near water ways = for irrigation & transport
o Often different political states had settlements
on same water way – advantage for N centres
• Settlements surrounded by agri lands & marshes and pastures (for animals) surrounding agri land
o Marshes / pastures = periphery areas
Considered buffer zones b/w the diff.
states
But later – pop. grew & they extended
agri land =
• erasing buffer zones & created more
blurred borders of where city-states
started and ended -conflict of land for
farming (ex. b/w Umma & Lagash ~2500-
2300 BCE)
• these long lasting conflicts linked to the type of ruler during this period
• Temples continued to be really important to distribution of food & centre of city state
Leaders (dynastic period)
- Development of leaders/ kings- secular and in charge of the military
•Egal “the great household” = royal household
o docs mention this new central institution, the first
real palaces
• House of the gods (temples) & house of the Lugal (“great man”) (egal) – NOT conflicting (image)
• “God” & “King” = two sides of the same coin
o BUT still diff & not same level of import.
King = more of a “seal” of the gods’ land, NOT
really independent entity
• Egal did NOT replace the Temple in importance or
role
King Urukigina
- Last independent ruler of Lagash
- erased lines between secular and religious authority
o In his reforms – removed royal agri lands & gave
to the city’s god, Nigirsu, abolished some taxes
BUT later he & the queen appear to be
chief admins, even tho everything
belonged to the god
Lugal
King ruled by gods favour, BUT he controlled god’s earthly things
No distinction b/w secular & reli
Both merged into single role – a stronger
military figure (prob b/c of all the conflict)
This figure replaced the early priest-kings
Religion (dynastic period)
o since ~3000 BCE – when multiple cities deved &
Uruk had a prominent role in the common religion
Common Babylonian pantheon
o E.D.P. = focus of this cult shifted to Nippur (central
Babylonia)
• Enlil = the head god, power over divine world
& other gods
• Nippur got status that lasted until 18th c. BCE
Diplomacy (dynastic period)
• City-state were the main thing, BUT territorial control of larger regions started
o Through diplomatic relations b/w states =
gifting presents (image)
creation of alliances in wartimes docs
from Shuruppak (2502A0)
• See an alliance b/w Lagash, Umma,
& Adab
o War b/w nations one state occupies another
end of E.D.P. = culmination of process of
conquering and unifying
King of Umma – conquered Ur & Uruk,
defeated King of Lagash = got S
Babylonia
Idea of universal kingship making its
mark
Akkadians
- 2nd largest ethnic group in N. Babylonia
- No ethnic homogenity in the 3rd mil.- everyone just lived together
- They participated in Sumerian culture
- evidence is scribes using Sumerian not E. Semitic
- Dynasty started by someone in the N and incorporatd Sumerian culture
Akkadian Dynasty and Empire
- 2350-2100
• Sargon (a King of Kish) moved capital to Akkad
o He and grandson, Naram Sin Military
expeditions outside of Babylonian – in N Syria
& west Iran
In N – Destroyed Mari & Ebla
In Syria – they set up posts in existing
centres w/ military garrison/reps
• Aim = secure trade routes
In Babylonia – NEW SYS OF
GOVERNMENT
• Rulers of former independent states mostly
remained > became Akkadian governors = Ensi
o Maybe alt. term for lugal – a local variant
• This system shows = conquered states were just
annexed & put in subordinate relationship to the
centre
Ensi
- Akkadian governors
- sometimes former rulers of independent states
Akkadian Empire characteristics
• Akkadian empire = sum of everywhere they
conquered
o NOT a centralized, unified state, politically
o STILL In Lower Meso
Centralized admin introduced for
economy
New system of tax – part of income of
each region sent to capital
Scribes had standardized measurement
unites & dating system
Akkadian = official royal admin language
Sumerian = used for local affairs in South
Ideology and Legacy of Akkadian Empire
Ideologies = universal kingship
• b/c of Sargon King of Kish = “King of the world”
• Naram Sin introduced new title= “King of the 4
quart. of the uni.”
The internal & external conflict
• Met resistance from the political entities that still existed under their rule & pressures from mountain people outside
Led to quick collapse of Akkad rule
Legacy of Akkadian Empire
• The memory & deeds lasted centuries after
o An Assyrian king from 1st mill. named himself
“Sargon”
• After fall = whole of NE reverted into independent
states – some governed by new populations
o In Babylonia = Gushens took over
several city-states (maybe one of the
strongest in region)
Ex. Lagash – Gudae of Lagash
portraits - presents himself as
promoter of holy architectural works
& bringer of prosperity
NOT really emphasising war
The Third Dynasty of Ur
- 2000 BCE
New phase of unification in S Meso
• By a Sumerian dynasty moving capital to Ur
• Called “Third Dynasty” – b/c of the Sumerian Kings
List
• Sumerian = official language of state again
• Last Sumerian dynasty in Meso history
Difference between Ur III and Akkadian
• Ur 3 never reach extent of Akkadian
o BUT achieved better cohesion of city-states in
South & standardized admin
• Admin doc production was HUGE in this period so we have a lot of info about admin
Urnammu
one of the most important kings of Ur III
- Founder of dynasty
& son, Shulgi who reigned 48 years
- Est. basis of admin system for Ur 3 emp.
