Between the rivers. Part 1 of 3 : the history of ancient Mesopotamia

"In this course, we will explore Mesopotamian societies from the Neolithic era (c. 9,000 B.C.) to the defeat of the great Persian Empire at Gaugamela by Alexander the Great (331 B.C.) The study will take us from the world of international diplomacy with powerful neighbors in Egypt, Syria, and Anatolia to the mundane issues of daily life, such as providing food for the family, curing disease, and settling legal disputes. It examines archaeological discoveries, historical documents, and literary texts to explore how these lands between the rivers created a civilization that has contributed to the development of our own. A recurring them of the course is the creation of an urban lifestyle, which becomes increasingly sophisticated and complex as cultures expand."--Page 1 of guidebook. Read more... Abstract: "In this course, we will explore Mesopotamian societies from the Neolithic era (c. 9,000 B.C.) to the defeat of the great Persian Empire at Gaugamela by Alexander the Great (331 B.C.) The study will take us from the world of international diplomacy with powerful neighbors in Egypt, Syria, and Anatolia to the mundane issues of daily life, such as providing food for the family, curing disease, and settling legal disputes. It examines archaeological discoveries, historical documents, and literary texts to explore how these lands between the rivers created a civilization that has contributed to the development of our own. A recurring them of the course is the creation of an urban lifestyle, which becomes increasingly sophisticated and complex as cultures expand."--Page 1 of guidebook Between the Rivers: 1 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 1 Part I: The Rise of Civilization 1 Professor Alexis Q. Castor 1 Alexis Q. Castor, Ph.D. 2 Table of Contents 3 Between the Rivers: 3 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 3 Part I: The Rise of Civilization 3 Between the Rivers: 4 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 4 Lecture One 6 The Iraq Museum 6 Outline 6 Lecture Two 9 Geography and Environment 9 Outline 9 Lecture Three 12 Discovering Mesopotamia 12 Outline 12 Lecture Four 15 Archaeological Methods 15 Outline 15 Lecture Five 18 Farming and Early Settlements 18 Outline 18 Lecture Six 21 The Uruk Phenomenon 21 Outline 21 Lecture Seven 24 Writing 24 Outline 24 Lecture Eight 27 Temples 27 Outline 27 Lecture Nine 30 Mesopotamian Deities 30 Outline 30 Lecture Ten 33 Gilgamesh—Hero and King 33 Outline 33 Lecture Eleven 36 The Early Dynastic Period 36 Outline 36 Lecture Twelve 39 Warfare and Diplomacy 39 Outline 39 Maps 42 Timeline 42 Glossary 48 Between the Rivers: 51 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 51 Part II: The Great City-States 51 Professor Alexis Q. Castor 51 Alexis Q. Castor, Ph.D. 52 Table of Contents 53 Between the Rivers: 53 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 53 Part II: The Great City-States 53 Between the Rivers: 54 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 54 Lecture Thirteen 56 The Royal Cemetery at Ur 56 Outline 56 Lecture Fourteen 59 The Akkadians 59 Outline 59 Lecture Fifteen 62 Ideology of Kingship—Naram-Sin and Gudea 62 Outline 62 Lecture Sixteen 65 The Ur III Dynasty 65 Outline 65 Lecture Seventeen 68 Life in a Mesopotamian City 68 Outline 68 Outline 71 Lecture Nineteen 74 Assyrian Trade Networks 74 Outline 74 Lecture Twenty 77 Hammurabi of Babylon 77 Outline 77 Lecture Twenty-One 80 Zimri-Lim of Mari 80 Outline 80 Lecture Twenty-Two 83 Laws 83 Outline 83 Lecture Twenty-Three 86 Medicine, Science, and Math 86 Outline 86 Lecture Twenty-Four 89 Poetry and Literature 89 Outline 89 Maps 92



92 Between the Rivers: 99 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 99 Part III: Empires of the East 99 Professor Alexis Q. Castor 99 Alexis Q. Castor, Ph.D. 100 Table of Contents 101 Between the Rivers: 101 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 101 Part III: Empires of the East 101 Between the Rivers: 102 The History of Ancient Mesopotamia 102 Lecture Twenty-Five 104 Internationalism 104 Outline 104 Lecture Twenty-Six 107 Assyrian Expansion 107 Outline 107 Lecture Twenty-Seven 111 Sargon II 111 Outline 111 Lecture Twenty-Eight 115 Ideology of Empire 115 Outline 115 Lecture Twenty-Nine 118 Control and Revolt 118 Outline 118 Lecture Thirty 121 Medes and the Neo-Babylonian State 121 Outline 121 Lecture Thirty-One 124 The Rise of the Achaemenids 124 Outline 124 Lecture Thirty-Two 127 Persians in Egypt and Greece 127 Outline 127 Lecture Thirty-Three 130 Xerxes’s Invasion of Greece 130 Outline 130 Lecture Thirty-Four 133 Persian Art and Culture 133 Outline 133 Lecture Thirty-Five 136 Alexander the Great 136 Outline 136 Lecture Thirty-Six 139 After Alexander 139 Outline 139 Content: Part 1. The rise of civilizaton. Lecture 1. The Iraq Museum -- Lecture 2. Geography and environment -- Lecture 3. Discovering Mesopotamia -- Lecture 4. Archaeological methods -- Lecture 5. Farming and early settlements -- Lecture 6. The Uruk phenomenon -- Lecture 7. Writing -- Lecture 8. Temples -- Lecture 9. Mesopotamian deities -- Lecture 10. Gilgamesh-- hero and king -- Lecture 11. The early dynastic period -- Lecture 12. Warfare and diplomacy. Part 2. The great city-states. Lecture 13. The Royal Cemetery at Ur -- Lecture 14. The Akkadians -- Lecture 15. Ideology of kingship -- Naram-Sin and Gudea -- Lecture 16. The Ur III dynasty -- Lecture 17. Life in a Mesopotamian city -- Lecture 18. Food and drink -- Lecture 19. Assyrian trade networks -- Lecture 20. Hammurabi of Babylon -- Lecture 21. Zimri-Lim of Mari -- Lecture 22. Laws -- Lecture 23. Medicine, science, and math -- Lecture 24. Poetry and literature. Part 3. Empires of the East. Lecture 25. Internationalism -- Lecture 26. Assyrian expansion -- Lecture 27. Sargon II -- Lecture 28. Ideology of empire -- Lecture 29. Control and revolt -- Lecture 30. Medes and the neo-Babylonian state -- Lecture. 31. The rise of the Achaemenids -- Lecture 32. Persians in Egypt and Greece -- Lecture 33. Xerxes's invasion of Greece -- Lecture 34. Persian and art culture -- Lecture 35. Alexander the Great -- Lecture 36. After Alexander.