Mesopotamia, Sumer, and Akkad Notes

Cuneiform: Distinctive script style developed in Mesopotamia; wedge-shaped signs impressed on clay tablets.
Empire: Political unit comprising extensive territory/s ruled by single supreme authority.
Pottery: Ceramic ware made from clay and baked in a kiln.
Social Complexity: Approach acknowledging both hierarchical and heterarchical conditions of inequality.
State: Group of people comprising the government of a sovereign state.
Urbanism: Culture and way of life of city dwellers.

Initial archaeological work (1860s-1900s) focused on collecting monumental art for European museums.
Post-1920, emphasis shifted to chronological categorization, material culture sequencing, and architectural stratigraphy.
In the 1960s, broader structural and process-driven questions emerged, exploring origins of agriculture, states, and chiefdoms.
Historical narratives often dominate the interpretation of archaeological data, particularly emphasizing urban centers.
Recent innovations include the use of satellite imagery in settlement archaeology, enhancing landscape studies.

Mesopotamia is defined by the Tigris (east/northeast) and Euphrates (west/southwest) rivers.
Rainfall is crucial, with northern regions suitable for rainfall agriculture and irrigation needed in the south.
A sophisticated canal system likely dates back to at least 6000 BC for agricultural development.
Resources include clay, utilized for construction, pots, writing tablets; bitumen for waterproofing; and textiles from sheep and goats, with exports exceeding local needs.
The southern marshes provided essential materials, emphasizing the varied resource base of Mesopotamia.

Pottery is the primary archaeological tool, with established sequences for diagnostic forms aiding chronological understanding.
Mounded tell sites are evidence of continuous occupation, while other archaeological features include sherd scatters and remnants of ancient roads.
Erosion and agricultural practices threaten archaeological sites, compounded by looting and illegal excavations.

Uruk period (c. 4000-3000 BC): Emergence of urbanism, temples, mass production, early writing, and standardized art forms, most notably cylinder seals which represent authority.