Near East: Early Dynastic Mesopotamia

tell

an artificial mound created from centuries of human occupation

Levantine geography

• coastal mountain ranges

• east of these mountains is desert (wind and rain from sea is stopped by mountains)

• cedar trees

Mesopotamian geography

• Euphrates and tigris rivers

• separated from other areas of near east by Arabian desert in the south west

• Zagros mountains in the east

• tributaries of Euphrates and tigris make the land fertile

• in early 2nd millennium flow of the rivers changed and civilizations once on the river bank were no longer (people abandoned them and moved)

Early Dynastic Period timeline

I: 2900-2750 BC

II: 2750-2600 BC

IIIa: 2600-2450 BC

IIIb: 2450-2350 BC

• these are all archaeological distinctions based on stylistic changes in material culture, politically view as one consecutive period

Sumerian King List

• details kingship of the Early Dynastic Period

• written 700 years AFTER EDP

• not entirely factual

Lagash in Early Dynastic Period

• largest group of EDP inscriptions found

Political Themes & Structure in Early Dynastic Period

• city-states (about 35)

  • an urban center with control of the hinterland

• urbanization

  • transitioning out of nomadic life

  • rise and population as groups settled

  • “urban” officially around 2600 BC

• cities viewed as dwellings of a specific god

• temples were main administrative unit

  • distributed agricultural resources

    • ideology was, gods received them as gifts and gave them back to the people

  • head of temple = leader of city-state

    • (this will slowly change through conflict and the intro to war leaders)

• “primitive democracy”

Primitive democracy

in times of war a popular assembly would elect a war leader who was given authority on a temporary basis and whose movements were controlled by the assembly

• led to development of military class, kings and palaces, and dynastic succession

City-state interaction in EDP

• shared religion

  • subscribed to same pantheon

• shared languages

  • Sumerian and Proto-Akkadian

    • scribal culture in Sumerian

• diplomatic and hostile relations

  • border dispute between Lagash and Umma

  • trade relations

    • store room in Ur with the seals of different cities able to unlock the door (hints at acceptance of some higher authority for some commercial affairs)

• military cooperation

  • around 2600 BC, “King of Kish” regional coalition

• ongoing process of conquest and then occupation eventually led to unification (of Southern Babylon) with King Lugalzagesi

  • (near end of EDP)

• OVERVIEW: politically divided, but culturally connected. city-states interacting through diplomatic, commercial, and conflict related means

Trade in Early Dynastic Period

• began to incorporate Persian Gulf region (unlike in previous Uruk period)

  • access to copper, timber, and precious stones

• trade w/o permanent presence/colonies (also unlike Uruk period)

• brining luxury goods to the new class of elites

Agricultural differences between N. Mesopotamia/Syria and S. Mesopotamia

• North & Syria: rely on rainfall, intense labor but requires less land = smaller cities more villages

• South: riverain irrigation, lighter labor but more land needed = larger population in cities

Governmental differences between North and South Mesopotamia

• North: secular authority, palatial

• South: religious/temple institutions

The Household in Early Dynastic Society

• society organized into “households”

  • social units (larger than nuclear family) that lived together, acting as a unit of production and consumption

  • autonomous and self-sufficient

    • land, tools, boats, farmers, shepherds, craftsmen, etc.

  • hierarchal organized

    • labors at the bottom and in highest number

      • not slaves, but dependent and paid in rations based on status and sex

• individual members of the elite had their own households

  • é-mí: the queen’s household, which consisted only of women and she ran independently

• household could be both secular and religious (temple)

Scribal Culture in Early Dynastic Period

• major, but gradual developments to newly invented writing

• Cuneiform: writing system using signs

  • originally traced into clay but later in EDP bevel-tipped reed was used to impress the signs

• signs became less pictorial and more indicative of spoken language

  • (still little grammar)

• Babylon and Southern Mesopotamia dominated scribal culture and authority

  • Northern Mesopotamia and other areas of the Near East followed Southern traditions

• tablets

  • divided in vertical columns, read top to bottom

• literature in EDP

  • incantations, hymns, wisdom literature

Early Dynastic Period Summary

• city-states with patron deity

• military rulers elected by assemblies (primitive democracy)

  • emergence of kingship

• priests elected by gods through signs/omen

Early Dynastic Period Temples

• made with mud bricks (as all buildings)

• cultic activity happened outside the temple

  • only priests allowed inside

• temple was the home of the god

• cult statue was the vessel in which the patron deity could visit

  • catastrophic loss if taken (“god-napping)

• Eridu

  • rectangular, cella with cult statue, auxiliary rooms around perimeter

• Temple of Abu

  • votive figurines of people

Votive Offerings in Early Dynastic Period

• animals were most valuable offerings

  • handmade clay in shape of animals were used as offering for the poor who could not afford to sacrifice

• figures of people (temple of Abu)

  • men with beards, naked torso and skirt

  • women in long garments

  • all with hands clasped in front of chest and stones used for eyes

  • inscriptions indicate they are meant to be a copy of the dedicator