Ancient Civilizations: Notes to Lecture #9

The Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations

Notes to Lecture #9

Sumerian Civilization

Introduction
Sumer was the world's first civilization, with the world's first cities and states

3500 B.C. onward--more rapid cultural evolution than previously

Distinction between territorial state pattern and city-state pattern

TERRITORIAL STATE: A large area is brought under unified political control and governed through a hierarchy of administrative centers at the national, provincial, and local levels; there is a single capital city (as in ancient Egypt, for example)

CITY-STATES: The landscape is divided among a number of cities, each controlling a relatively small rural area around itself

A city-state civilization is characterized by competition and shifting alliances among the ruling groups of the individual city-states

Alliances are often established and maintained through intermarriage of the ruling elites

Sumerian City-States
Sumer was a CITY-STATE civilization

The first city was Uruk (Warka, Erech), ca. 3500 B.C.

The Sumerian landscape was eventually divided among about two dozen city-states

Each city-state had one or more patron gods or goddesses and was organized around the temples (ziggurats) and temple precincts of those patron deities

Patrons of Uruk = Anu (god of the heavens) and E-anna (goddess of love)

Patron of Nippur = En-lil (god of the winds); and so on

The Development of Sumerian Civilization
The textbook and "Urban Revolution" handout use a chronological framework to discuss the development of Sumerian civilization
As an alternative way of looking at developmental trends, this lecture is organized around major themes (demography, irrigation, etc.)
But I do want to emphasize two major episodes of change in the Sumerian chronology

Beginning of Early Dynastic period (ca. 2900 B.C.)--rise of secular kingship; coordination of irrigation networks

Beginning of Early Dynastic III (ca. 2600 B.C.)--first writings dealing with anything other than economic matters

Demography and Settlement Patterns
Major trends are population growth and increased nucleation (clustering); urbanism

Causes: increased birth rate, immigration from rural areas to population centers, adoption of sedentism by some (not all) nomads

Uruk had 25,000 people by 3100 B.C. and 50,000 by 2900 B.C.

Irrigation
Through time, increasing standardization and centralized control of irrigation

Uruk period: many small, irregular, locally managed networks

Created differences in value of land (irrigated land more productive, worth more than non-irrigated land)

Jemdet Nasr: networks more regular, but still small and locally managed

Early Dynastic: consolidation into a few large networks, each centrally coordinated by a city-state

Technology
Technological advances, increasing specialization and coordination
Increasing standardization and "mass production"

Uruk period: slow potter's wheel, standardized vessel shapes. More copper metallurgy, some copper-arsenic bronzes

Jemdet Nasr: fast potter's wheel, copper-tin bronzes (tin from Anatolia)

Early Dynastic: first "utilitarian" metallurgy 2900 B.C.

Tools and weapons of copper and bronze

BUT found only in elite burials--apparently still had some function as status symbols and were not used by commoners

Economic Organization
Uruk and Jemdet Nasr periods: temple economy

Temples store and redistribute surplus rural production

Temple at Lagash gave out rations of bread and beer for 1,200 people each day

Uruk beveled-rim bowls: standardized volumes--ration bowls?

Increasing specialization

Lagash temple rolls list farmers, herders, fishermen, soldiers, sailors, scribes, accountants, weavers, carpenters, metalsmiths, potters, leatherworkers, brick masons, stonecutters, basket weavers, etc.

Trade--note lack of resources in southern Mesopotamia

Wood, utilitarian and precious stones, copper, tin, etc., imported

Tablets say grain and textiles exported

Tepe Yahya (chlorite bowls), Shar-i-Shokta (lapis lazuli)

Writing
Writing develops in context of economy and trade
Before 2600 B.C., all writing deals with economic accounts: lists of workers, goods; transactions, receipts; deeds of ownership

Uruk period: stone carvings like the Blau Monument

Deal with ownership and sale of land by kin-groups (private property, but not owned by individuals)

Also clay tablets with pictographs, ideographs

Jemdet Nasr, Early Dynastic I-II: designs on cylinder seals provide some information on non-economic matters

BUT tablets with cuneiform writing still deal only with economic accounts

Early Dynastic III: first tablets dealing with non-economic information (religion, etc.)

Warfare and Secularization
Kings and palaces arise at the beginning of the Early Dynastic period as Uruk, Ur, Kish, and Lagash vie for political supremacy
Thorkild Jacobsen's interpretation: Early Dynastic III mythological texts actually reflect Early Dynastic I political events

Position of lugal (war-leader) originally elected and only temporary

Eventually a lugal at Kish refused to step down

Became the first Sumerian king and built the first palace

The rise of the institution of kingship came to some extent at the expense of the temple priesthood

The king became the chief mortal servant or steward of the gods

Plaque of Ur-Nanshe, king of Lagash (Early Dynastic III, ca. 2460 B.C.): commemorates building of a temple by the king

BUT the temple priesthoods retained considerable wealth and power throughout the Early Dynastic period

The rise of the institution of kingship did not end rivalries and conflicts among the city-states

For example, Lagash and Umma fought each other for more than a century in a dispute over the ownership of a particular tract of irrigated land

Stela of Eannatum, king of Lagash (Early Dynastic III, ca. 2430 B.C.): commemorates a victory over Umma

Social Organization
Organization of Sumerian society into four classes (from top to bottom):

Nobles: administrators, priests, merchants (merchants had anomalous status)

Commoners (with farmlands owned by kin-groups)

Artisans (landless)

Slaves (landless)

BUT membership in the lower three classes was fluid

The most important division was into two tiers: nobles (who could own land as individuals) and everyone else (who could not)

Distinctions most dramatically reflected in the Royal Cemetery of Ur

Over 1,500 burials excavated, but only 20 were "royal"

The "Death Pit" and Queen Shubad's tomb--displays of wealth and pomp

Sacrifices of soldiers, musicians, craftworkers, servants

Each buried with the goods of his/her trade: chariots, wagons, weapons, tools, musical insturments, jewelry, food, etc.

Note the extensive use of imported raw materials

Queen Shubad buried in her own chamber

Her body covered with jewelry of gold, silver, precious stones

Other sacrifices and offerings

BUT the burials of commoners were very simple, with few or no goods

(Interestingly, despite these vast differences in wealth, the afterlife was essentially unhappy for everyone)

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Last updated: 2 January 2000
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