Mesopotamia: The World's Earliest Civilization (The Britannica Guide to Ancient Civilizations)

Celebrated for numerous developments in the areas of law, writing, religion, and mathematics, Mesopotamia has been immortalized as the cradle of civilization. Its fabled cities, including Babylon and Nineveh, spawned new cultures, traditions, and innovations in art and architecture, some of which can still be seen in present-day Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Readers will be captivated by this ancient culture’s rich history and breadth of accomplishment, as they marvel at images of the magnificent temples and artifacts left behind. TITLE......Page 4 COPYRIGHT......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 6 INTRODUCTION......Page 11 BACKGROUND INFORMATION......Page 18 THE CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE OF ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA......Page 21 ACHIEVEMENTS......Page 23 CLASSICAL, MEDIEVAL, AND MODERN VIEWS OF MESOPOTAMIA......Page 25 MODERN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS......Page 28 THE EMERGENCE OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION......Page 32 THE BEGINNINGS OF AGRICULTURE......Page 33 THE EMERGENCE OF CULTURES......Page 34 MESOPOTAMIAN PROTOHISTORY......Page 38 CHAPTER 2 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION......Page 41 SUMERIAN LANGUAGE......Page 43 SUMERIAN CITY LIFE......Page 45 LITERARY AND OTHER HISTORICAL SOURCES......Page 46 FIRST HISTORICAL PERSONALITIES......Page 49 EMERGENT CITY-STATES......Page 50 TERRITORIAL STATES......Page 51 SARGON'S REIGN......Page 55 ASCENDANCY OF AKKAD......Page 58 THE END OF THE DYNASTY......Page 59 THE THIRD DYNASTY OF UR......Page 61 ADMINISTRATION......Page 63 ETHNIC, GEOGRAPHIC, AND INTELLECTUAL CONSTITUENTS......Page 64 UR III IN DECLINE......Page 65 CHAPTER 3 THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD......Page 67 LITERARY TEXTS AND INCREASING DECENTRALIZATION......Page 68 EARLY HISTORY OF ASSYRIA......Page 70 THE OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE......Page 72 BABYLONIAN LAW......Page 73 BABYLONIAN LITERATURE......Page 76 THE HURRIANS......Page 77 THE KASSITES IN BABYLONIA......Page 79 THE HURRIAN AND MITANNI KINGDOMS......Page 82 THE RISE OF ASSYRIA......Page 85 BABYLONIA UNDER THE SECOND DYNASTY OF ISIN......Page 87 ASSYRIA BETWEEN 1200 AND 1000 BC......Page 88 ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA UNTIL ASHURNASIRPAL II......Page 90 SHALMANESER III AND SHAMSHI-ADAD V OF ASSYRIA......Page 91 ADAD-NIRARI III AND HIS SUCCESSORS......Page 93 TIGLATH-PILESER III AND SHALMANESER V......Page 94 SARGON II (721–705) AND MARDUK-APAL-IDDINA OF BABYLONIA......Page 95 SENNACHERIB......Page 98 ESARHADDON......Page 102 ASHURBANIPAL (668–627) AND SHAMASH-SHUM-UKIN (668–648)......Page 103 DECLINE OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE......Page 108 NEBUCHADREZZAR II......Page 109 THE LAST KINGS OF BABYLONIA......Page 112 MESOPOTAMIA UNDER THE PERSIANS......Page 114 SELEUCUS......Page 116 POLITICAL DIVISIONS......Page 118 GREEK INFLUENCE......Page 119 MITHRADATES II AND HIS SUCCESSORS......Page 121 CONFLICT WITH ROME......Page 123 DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES......Page 124 PARTHIAN ARTS......Page 126 THE SASANIAN PERIOD......Page 127 ARDASHIR I AND HIS SUCCESSORS......Page 128 WARS WITH THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE......Page 129 POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND TAXATION......Page 131 CHAPTER 6 MESOPOTAMIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE......Page 134 ARCHITECTURE......Page 136 SCULPTURE......Page 138 ARCHITECTURE......Page 141 SCULPTURE......Page 142 SUMERIAN REVIVAL......Page 143 ARCHITECTURE......Page 145 SCULPTURE......Page 147 PAINTING AND DECORATIVE ARTS......Page 149 NEO-BABYLONIAN PERIOD......Page 150 STAGES OF RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT......Page 151 THE LITERARY LEGACY: MYTH AND EPIC......Page 152 SUMERIAN LITERATURE......Page 154 MYTHS......Page 155 EPICS......Page 159 AKKADIAN LITERATURE......Page 160 THE MESOPOTAMIAN WORLDVIEW AS EXPRESSED IN MYTH......Page 169 COSMOGONY AND COSMOLOGY......Page 170 THE GODS AND DEMONS......Page 171 HUMAN ORIGINS, NATURE, AND DESTINY......Page 173 CULT......Page 174 SACRED TIMES......Page 175 SACRED PLACES......Page 176 THE MAGICAL ARTS......Page 178 RELIGIOUS ART AND ICONOGRAPHY......Page 179 AN......Page 180 ENKI......Page 181 INANNA......Page 182 NANNA......Page 183 TAMMUZ......Page 184 UTU......Page 186 ASHUR......Page 187 ERECH......Page 188 KISH......Page 189 MARI......Page 190 NINEVEH......Page 191 NIPPUR......Page 194 UR......Page 195 GLOSSARY......Page 199 PREHISTORY TO THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD......Page 201 MESOPOTAMIA FROM C. 320 BC TO C. AD 620......Page 202 INDEX......Page 203 TITLE 4 COPYRIGHT 5 CONTENTS 6 INTRODUCTION 11 CHAPTER 1 THE ORIGINS OF MESOPOTAMIAN HISTORY 18 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 18 THE CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE OF ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA 21 ACHIEVEMENTS 23 CLASSICAL, MEDIEVAL, AND MODERN VIEWS OF MESOPOTAMIA 25 MODERN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS 28 THE EMERGENCE OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION 32 THE BEGINNINGS OF AGRICULTURE 33 THE EMERGENCE OF CULTURES 34 MESOPOTAMIAN PROTOHISTORY 38 CHAPTER 2 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION 41 SUMERIAN LANGUAGE 43 SUMERIAN CITY LIFE 45 LITERARY AND OTHER HISTORICAL SOURCES 46 FIRST HISTORICAL PERSONALITIES 49 EMERGENT CITY-STATES 50 TERRITORIAL STATES 51 SARGON'S REIGN 55 ASCENDANCY OF AKKAD 58 THE END OF THE DYNASTY 59 THE THIRD DYNASTY OF UR 61 ADMINISTRATION 63 ETHNIC, GEOGRAPHIC, AND INTELLECTUAL CONSTITUENTS 64 UR III IN DECLINE 65 CHAPTER 3 THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD 67 POLITICAL FRAGMENTATION 68 LITERARY TEXTS AND INCREASING DECENTRALIZATION 68 EARLY HISTORY OF ASSYRIA 70 THE OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE 72 BABYLONIAN LAW 73 BABYLONIAN LITERATURE 76 THE HURRIANS 77 CHAPTER 4 MESOPOTAMIA TO THE END OF THE ACHAEMENIAN PERIOD 79 THE KASSITES IN BABYLONIA 79 THE HURRIAN AND MITANNI KINGDOMS 82 THE RISE OF ASSYRIA 85 BABYLONIA UNDER THE SECOND DYNASTY OF ISIN 87 ASSYRIA BETWEEN 1200 AND 1000 BC 88 ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA UNTIL ASHURNASIRPAL II 90 ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA UNTIL ASHURNASIRPAL II 90 SHALMANESER III AND SHAMSHI-ADAD V OF ASSYRIA 91 ADAD-NIRARI III AND HIS SUCCESSORS 93 THE NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE (746–609) 94 TIGLATH-PILESER III AND SHALMANESER V 94 SARGON II (721–705) AND MARDUK-APAL-IDDINA OF BABYLONIA 95 SENNACHERIB 98 ESARHADDON 102 ASHURBANIPAL (668–627) AND SHAMASH-SHUM-UKIN (668–648) 103 DECLINE OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE 108 THE NEO-BABYLONIAN EMPIRE 109 NEBUCHADREZZAR II 109 THE LAST KINGS OF BABYLONIA 112 MESOPOTAMIA UNDER THE PERSIANS 114 CHAPTER 5 MESOPOTAMIA FROM C. 320 BC TO C. AD 620 116 THE SELEUCID PERIOD 116 SELEUCUS 116 POLITICAL DIVISIONS 118 GREEK INFLUENCE 119 THE PARTHIAN PERIOD 121 MITHRADATES II AND HIS SUCCESSORS 121 CONFLICT WITH ROME 123 DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES 124 PARTHIAN ARTS 126 THE SASANIAN PERIOD 127 ARDASHIR I AND HIS SUCCESSORS 128 WARS WITH THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE 129 POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND TAXATION 131 CHAPTER 6 MESOPOTAMIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE 134 SUMERIAN PERIOD 136 ARCHITECTURE 136 SCULPTURE 138 AKKADIAN PERIOD 141 ARCHITECTURE 141 SCULPTURE 142 SUMERIAN REVIVAL 143 ASSYRIAN PERIOD 145 ARCHITECTURE 145 SCULPTURE 147 PAINTING AND DECORATIVE ARTS 149 NEO-BABYLONIAN PERIOD 150 CHAPTER 7 MESOPOTAMIAN RELIGION 151 STAGES OF RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT 151 THE LITERARY LEGACY: MYTH AND EPIC 152 SUMERIAN LITERATURE 154 MYTHS 155 EPICS 159 AKKADIAN LITERATURE 160 THE MESOPOTAMIAN WORLDVIEW AS EXPRESSED IN MYTH 169 COSMOGONY AND COSMOLOGY 170 THE GODS AND DEMONS 171 HUMAN ORIGINS, NATURE, AND DESTINY 173 INSTITUTIONS AND PRACTICES 174 CITY-STATE AND NATIONAL STATE 174 CULT 174 SACRED TIMES 175 ADMINISTRATION 176 SACRED PLACES 176 THE MAGICAL ARTS 178 RELIGIOUS ART AND ICONOGRAPHY 179 APPENDIX A: MESOPOTAMIAN GODS AND GODDESSES 180 ADAD 180 AN 180 ASHUR 181 ENKI 181 ENLIL 182 ERESHKIGAL 182 INANNA 182 NANNA 183 NINLIL 184 TAMMUZ 184 UTU 186 APPENDIX B: MESOPOTAMIAN CITIES 187 ASHUR 187 BORSIPPA 188 ERECH 188 ERIDU 189 ESHNUNNA 189 KISH 189 LAGASH 190 MARI 190 NINEVEH 191 NIPPUR 194 TALL AL-'UBAYD 195 UR 195 GLOSSARY 199 BIBLIOGRAPHY 201 GENERAL WORKS 201 PREHISTORY TO THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD 201 MESOPOTAMIA TO THE END OF THE ACHAEMENIAN PERIOD 202 MESOPOTAMIA FROM C. 320 BC TO C. AD 620 202 INDEX 203 1615301127,9781615301126,1615302085,9781615302086 The innovation and progress that characterize modernity often eclipse the accomplishments of ages past. However, close examination of ancient civilizations reveals a sophistication in both thought and accomplishment that in some ways surpasses what is observed in the present. The books in this series detail the ancient lifestyles and cultures that have produced concepts and technologies still in use today. Illustrations complement the text and instill excitement for the achievements of these rich and highly developed societies. Presents an introduction to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, from the earliest rise of the Sumerians to the seventh century C.E. Sasanian period, discussing the history, government, literature, religion, art, and architecture of each era. Provides an overview of the history, origins, culture, religion, art, literature, and people of Mesopotamia, covering the Sumerian civilization, the old Babylonian period, the Archaemenian period, and other important periods up to 620 AD