What do you know about Mesopotamia? I know that this place had sad stories. People conquered, and were conquered by next intruders. No natural barriers and unpredictable deluge was no good feature for any civilization. But, Mesopotamia had two huge rivers that offset the defects of living in a region near the river.
The reason this area is called the Fertile Crescent is that its geography resembled a curve. Without any further ado, people living in Mesopotamia used their brains. 'How can we stop this disaster?' They must have thought over and over again, until finally they had an idea: irrigation. Irrigation might solve the problem. Not only was the deluge problem, but the draught could cause their early death. So, irrigation and some ditches solved their problems.
Guess what. Do you know why Mesopotamian region today is barren? Why do you think it is too arid to farm? It was until AD 1200 that irrigation system worked well. After around AD 1200, some great incident swept over Mesopotamia. Well, at that time, Mesopotamia was under the rule of the Seljuk Turks. Did the Seljuks ruin the proficient system of irrigation? No. They liked Persian, and even further promoted the development of Persian culture. Malik Shah even used a Persian as a prime minister. But, then how on earth that land became hard for farming? The answer lies to the Mongolians. Hulago Khan destroyed the irrigation, and that system became irreparable forever.
Anyway, this area was good for farming in spite of drawbacks. Sumerians created many city states like Ur(as you heard in the third story for cauldron), Uruk, and Umma. In one of this city, Abraham was born. You see? Sumer can be called a hometown for Judaism, though Abraham moved to many other cities.
City life was not that complicated. It was like living in a small nation. Yet, priests and monarchs were there to rule over the citizens. We generally do not call this form of city state as an empire yet. Later it would appear in this area as the Akkadians attacked numerous city states. Though till then, you should understand that culture was diffused into many areas so that each city state influenced others. Akkad, for those who wants to know, was located north of Sumer. Sumerians did not use Semitic language, while the Akkadians used it. Semitic people used a language very similar to Arabic and Hebrew. You can relate this fact into one another.
Also, what you should remember before I further explain the Babylonians is that Sumerian people had legend called the Epic of Gilgamesh. The contents of this legend, for you to get the gist, were about the hero called Gilgamesh. At that time, Sumerian believed that God was relentless and enjoyed harassing people. An immortal man once said to him that even at the underworld,
you couldn't rest as God besets you. I think God was depicted as vicious because the daily life for Sumerians was unstable. Every time, they had to worry about the intruders with houses built with mud. You know, any one can break mud easily apart. Imagine a group of soldiers who wielded swords slashing and murdering your neighbors. You won't feel happy at all.
But, because their lives were so unstable, they developed a way to protect themselves. They did not rely upon Gods as the Egyptians did. They developed arithmetic and geometry. Even the clock that ticktocks at your desk was based on their number system. Especially, their technique for bricks or mortars was excellent and practical since they should produce the best out of limited resources.
So they lived and died. And, the Ammorites, another Semitic group, invaded the Akkadian empire. These people founded Babylon.
Remember at least one thing about the Babylonian empire: the Hammurabi's code. Do you think this is fair system? It is up to you to judge. But, considering the different standards imposed on different classes, I think it is unfair. Well, classification of people are already biased. You have to remember that Sumer was a place of constant struggles. One could be slave overnight. Yet, do not misinterpret this information rashly. One's status could be changed so easily that social status was not as important as later period.
The Code of Hammurabi was harsh and severe, and even discriminating. Nevertheless, remember this code was the first unified code for the ruled. It meant that the government finally would take the responsibility for the citizens. It is something similar to the law enforcement in modern society.
After the fall of the Babylonian empire, the Assyrians and Hebrews would appear. Assyrians were the cruel warriors who attacked Egypt but were civilized enough to build one of the largest library at Nineveh. Hebrews were people who would wander under the leadership of Abraham.
This is for the fourth story for cauldron. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy and learn some from it.
The reason this area is called the Fertile Crescent is that its geography resembled a curve. Without any further ado, people living in Mesopotamia used their brains. 'How can we stop this disaster?' They must have thought over and over again, until finally they had an idea: irrigation. Irrigation might solve the problem. Not only was the deluge problem, but the draught could cause their early death. So, irrigation and some ditches solved their problems.
Guess what. Do you know why Mesopotamian region today is barren? Why do you think it is too arid to farm? It was until AD 1200 that irrigation system worked well. After around AD 1200, some great incident swept over Mesopotamia. Well, at that time, Mesopotamia was under the rule of the Seljuk Turks. Did the Seljuks ruin the proficient system of irrigation? No. They liked Persian, and even further promoted the development of Persian culture. Malik Shah even used a Persian as a prime minister. But, then how on earth that land became hard for farming? The answer lies to the Mongolians. Hulago Khan destroyed the irrigation, and that system became irreparable forever.
Anyway, this area was good for farming in spite of drawbacks. Sumerians created many city states like Ur(as you heard in the third story for cauldron), Uruk, and Umma. In one of this city, Abraham was born. You see? Sumer can be called a hometown for Judaism, though Abraham moved to many other cities.
City life was not that complicated. It was like living in a small nation. Yet, priests and monarchs were there to rule over the citizens. We generally do not call this form of city state as an empire yet. Later it would appear in this area as the Akkadians attacked numerous city states. Though till then, you should understand that culture was diffused into many areas so that each city state influenced others. Akkad, for those who wants to know, was located north of Sumer. Sumerians did not use Semitic language, while the Akkadians used it. Semitic people used a language very similar to Arabic and Hebrew. You can relate this fact into one another.
Also, what you should remember before I further explain the Babylonians is that Sumerian people had legend called the Epic of Gilgamesh. The contents of this legend, for you to get the gist, were about the hero called Gilgamesh. At that time, Sumerian believed that God was relentless and enjoyed harassing people. An immortal man once said to him that even at the underworld,
you couldn't rest as God besets you. I think God was depicted as vicious because the daily life for Sumerians was unstable. Every time, they had to worry about the intruders with houses built with mud. You know, any one can break mud easily apart. Imagine a group of soldiers who wielded swords slashing and murdering your neighbors. You won't feel happy at all.But, because their lives were so unstable, they developed a way to protect themselves. They did not rely upon Gods as the Egyptians did. They developed arithmetic and geometry. Even the clock that ticktocks at your desk was based on their number system. Especially, their technique for bricks or mortars was excellent and practical since they should produce the best out of limited resources.
So they lived and died. And, the Ammorites, another Semitic group, invaded the Akkadian empire. These people founded Babylon.
Remember at least one thing about the Babylonian empire: the Hammurabi's code. Do you think this is fair system? It is up to you to judge. But, considering the different standards imposed on different classes, I think it is unfair. Well, classification of people are already biased. You have to remember that Sumer was a place of constant struggles. One could be slave overnight. Yet, do not misinterpret this information rashly. One's status could be changed so easily that social status was not as important as later period.
The Code of Hammurabi was harsh and severe, and even discriminating. Nevertheless, remember this code was the first unified code for the ruled. It meant that the government finally would take the responsibility for the citizens. It is something similar to the law enforcement in modern society.
After the fall of the Babylonian empire, the Assyrians and Hebrews would appear. Assyrians were the cruel warriors who attacked Egypt but were civilized enough to build one of the largest library at Nineveh. Hebrews were people who would wander under the leadership of Abraham.
This is for the fourth story for cauldron. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy and learn some from it.
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