Terry Brown

· 29 Nov 2022

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Mesopotamia

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Mesopotamia

Abstract

There has always been a lively discussion about the primacy of ancient civilizations. The Mesopotamian civilization is recognized as one of the oldest formations of people. Despite the unified title, the Mesopotamian civilization consisted of numerous ethnic groups. The universal historical approach was used to conduct a comprehensive study of the Mesopotamian civilization, its outstanding leaders, and its contribution to the life of modern society. The dialectical, analysis, and synthesis methods were employed in the study. The study allowed drawing a number of conclusions. Firstly, the civilization originated from the Sumerian tribes, although it reached its greatest prosperity during the existence of the Babylonian kingdom. Secondly, the Mesopotamian civilization significantly increased its territory in the time of Sargon and Hammurabi. Finally, the achievements of the Mesopotamian civilization in writing, literature, and architecture are used by modern people.

Keywords: Mesopotamia, ancient history, Mesopotamian civilization.

Mesopotamia

The Mesopotamian civilization is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. At the end of the fourth millennium B.C., human society moved from the stage of primitive development to the age of antiquity. Since that time, the history of modern humanity has begun. The transition from primitive development to antiquity and from barbarism to civilization meant the creation of the fundamentally new type of culture and the birth of the new type of consciousness. Both the former and the latter are closely connected with urbanization, complex social differentiation, the emergence of statehood, and the new character of relationships between people in society, which are typical characteristics of the Mesopotamian civilization. The Mesopotamian civilization not only defined the boundary separating the primitive culture from the ancient one but also significantly contributed to the life of modern society.

Literature Review

Research is based on the comprehensive analysis of works devoted to archaeological and documentary materials relating to the period of the Mesopotamian civilization. Another group of sources is devoted to the contribution of the Mesopotamian civilization to the life and culture of modern society. In the paper, the most important studies on socio-economic problems encountered by the Mesopotamian civilization and the ancient world are also taken into account.

Methodology

The methodological basis of the study is the concept of the unity of the world-historical process. The dialectical method was used in the work, which allowed studying the Mesopotamian civilization as a complex historical and cultural phenomenon. The synthesis method was used for gathering information about the outstanding leaders of the Mesopotamian civilization and their influence on its development. Finally, the analysis method made it possible to establish the contribution of the Mesopotamian civilization to the life of modern society.

The Beginning and Rise of the Civilization

The Mesopotamian civilization was not homogeneous in its composition. The Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Hurrites, Hittites, Elamites, and other tribes took part in its formation]. These tribes had similar cultures since they all had a single writing system, common scientific, religious, and mythological ideas, similar literary subjects, and constant forms of the economy. The two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, were called Mesopotamia by ancient Greek geographers. Today, this is the territory of modern Iraq. It is believed that due to the Sumerians, Mesopotamia started to prosper and make accomplishments in different spheres that fundamentally influenced the culture of its immediate neighbors.

Due to its geographical location, the Sumerian city was transformed into a territorial labyrinth as the Tigris and Euphrates rivers restricted the connection with neighboring territories. Communication between isolated cities was difficult and sometimes dangerous. However, in the middle of the fourth millennium B.C., first communal political structures in the form of cities emerged]. To a certain extent, precisely because of geographical location, each Sumerian city became a state that was independent of others. At the beginning of the third millennium B.C., in the southern part of Mesopotamia, there were several such state formations, namely Ur, Lagash, Uruk, and Nippur]. The emergence of new cities was, on the one hand, the manifestation of the increase in the population, and on the other – the sign of the success of agriculture.

The Sumerians laid the basic social, economic, and intellectual models of the Mesopotamian civilization; however, despite these cultural benefits, long wars weakened their power. Approximately in 2331 B.C., Semitic leader Sargon conquered Sumer and created his empire, and in 2334 B.C., he became a king of the new formation – Akkad. Despite the fact that the Sargon Empire was enormous, it lasted only a few generations. It was reigned by Sargon and five more kings from his dynasty, who were in power for less than a century and a half. In 2220 B.C., the attack by the mountain tribes that lived in the north led to the collapse of the whole kingdom. The Amorites, people who migrated from Arabia and settled near the middle reaches of the Euphrates, conquered the land in 2003 B.C. Approximately in 1894 B.C., they created an independent state with a capital in Babylon. Due to its commercial value, the city grew from the small settlement into the first great city in the history of humanity.

Famous Leaders

The greatest impact on the development of the Mesopotamian civilization was made by such prominent figures as Sargon I and Hammurabi. Sargon I (about 2400 B.C.) was the creator of the world's first long-lasting empire. Sargon led several successful military campaigns and established the first empire in the Middle East, stretching from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. It is believed that he was the first to create the regular army. Later, Tiglath-Pileser III continued his policy, reforming the military sphere and expanding the borders of the empire. King Sargon also cared about the infrastructure of his empire. In particular, the irrigation system was introduced in all parts of the empire; single measuring and weighing systems were introduced. The Sargon Empire spread the Mesopotamian culture around the Noble Crescent – rich agricultural lands stretching from Mesopotamia to Syria in the east and Egypt in the west. In the Ancient Near East, a universal culture developed on the basis of the Mesopotamian culture, but it also included the traditions and lifestyle of other peoples.

Hammurabi is one of the most famous kings of the Babel dynasty. He conquered Akkad and Assyria in the north and Sumer in the south. His goal was to unite Mesopotamia and secure the dominance of Babylonia. The success of Hammurabi in proclaiming Marduk the most important god who ruled over all inhabitants of Mesopotamia made Babylon the center of Mesopotamia. The conquest of Hammurabi and the activity of Babylonian merchants expanded the Mesopotamian culture to Anatolia in the north and Syria and Palestine in the west. Moreover, the law code of King Hammurabi was of great importance as it covered virtually all spheres of the Babylonian society at that time (civil, criminal, administrative law). The first set of laws in Mesopotamia dates back to 2100 B.C. . Despite its harshness, the code of Hammurabi was filled with the spirit of justice and sense of responsibility, which testifies to the king's desire to fulfill his duty to the people. All in all, during the reign of Hammurabi, the Mesopotamian civilization reached its peak.

The Contribution of the Mesopotamian Civilization

The Mesopotamian civilization was the most important center of culture, which had a strong influence on the development of the whole world. Mesopotamia can be considered the cradle of writing. Writing was invented to ease accounting, which was considerably complicated in the developed urban economy. Writing was of great importance in the formation and consolidation of the new culture of ancient society. Mesopotamian writing in its most ancient pictographic form appeared at the end of the fourth and the beginning of the third millennium B.C. . One of the most prominent achievements of the Babylonian-Assyrian culture was the creation of libraries and archives. One of the largest libraries of that period was the library of Assyrian king Assurbanipal (669-633 B.C.), containing about 25 thousand clay tablets with the records of the most important historical events, laws, literary and scientific texts. Consequently, the Mesopotamian civilization made a significant contribution to the development of literacy.

The most outstanding achievements of the culture of ancient Mesopotamia include the construction of palaces and temple complexes. Even during the Sumerian period, a certain type of temple architecture was formed. The Sumerians used artificial platforms as the foundation of the central temple. Such temple towers were constructed in every Sumerian city. The famous Babylonian tower was a ziggurat consisting of seven levels. There was the sanctuary dedicated to supreme god Marduk on its top. One of the Seven Wonders of the World were the Hanging Gardens at the palace of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 B.C.). In the field of architecture, the creation of arches and vaults, which are also used in modern architecture, became an important achievement of Mesopotamia.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Mesopotamian civilization combined both primitive and ancient cultures. It made some great achievements, which still play an important role in modern society. The Mesopotamian civilization consisted of numerous cultures and ethnicities, which were united by common characteristics creating the single civilization. The first representatives of the civilization were the Sumerians, however, the Mesopotamian civilization reached the greatest prosperity at the time of the Babylonian kingdom. The most famous leaders of the civilization were Sargon and Hammurabi, who greatly expanded the borders of the Mesopotamian civilization. The achievements of Mesopotamia in the field of writing, literature, and architecture made a significant contribution to the world’s cultural treasury.