The Ancient Civilization In Mesopotamia Research Paper Sample

Introduction

Believed to be the cradle of man’s civilization, the significance of Mesopotamia in world history could not be undermined . Located between the rivers of Tigris and Euphrates, ancient Mesopotamia, which means ‘land between two rivers’ in Greek, has nurtured the earliest human society. Historians believe that an urban civilization developed in the area of modern day Iraq as early as the Stone Age or at around 10,000 B.C. As to how exactly these settlement occurred could not be fully established because of lack of historical evidence. Scholars, however, theorized that the richness of the region may have attracted nomadic tribes to settle and eventually engage in sustenance agriculture. On the other hand, some scholars believe that religious practices of nomadic tribes eventually led them to settle down and create some crude form of civilization. Whatever the reason may be, Mesopotamia provides a picture of how human societies have evolved from a primitive way of living, which has important implications not only for the study of history but also for a deeper understanding of human society.

The Start of Archeological Interest in Ancient Mesopotamia

For years, it was believed that man’s civilization evolve out of agricultural settlements. It is commonly accepted that ancient cities grew within the radius of agricultural areas where primitive people dwell and create their habitation. This particular belief may have influenced archaeologists to look for traces of agricultural and residential settlements in finding for a place to dig. As early as the 12th century, there have been individuals that have expressed their interests in studying Mesopotamia. As observed, “Descriptions of the dilapidated mounds of Mesopotamia were available to the western world only through the work of travelers like Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela in the 12th century, Pietro de Valle in the 17th century, and Carsten Neibuhr in the 18th century”. However, modern knowledge about Mesopotamia and the civilizations that have risen in the ancient region did not draw interests until in the 19th century. Inspired by biblical accounts of Babylon and Nineveh, the British Claudius James Rich was among the first scholar to take interest into discovering Mesopotamia and its ancient secrets. Rich’s exploration piqued the interests of other explorers such as Paul Émile Botta who began the first explorations in Nineveh and Khorsabad in 1842 and 1843. At the start of the 20th century, German began to extensively explore an area identified to be ancient Babylon. Among the notable find during this period are the ancient city of Fara, Ashur and Ur. Archeologists and other social scientists have remained interested in the region and enormous artifacts have been excavated and are being excavated until today. The richness of the culture of ancient Mesopotamia continues to amaze modern scholars.

Early Settlements in Tigris and Euphrates

In the dry and arid region of the Middle East, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have become a key geographical feature that provides support to the earliest settlement in the area. The settlement in Mesopotamia began to emerge at the end of the Paleolithic period. It is believed that clans of hunters and gatherers of Semitic origin began to gather and hunt in the fertile plains of the Tigris and Euphrates. Eventually these hordes of hunters and gatherers gradually learned agriculture and settled permanently in the region. Scholars believe that there might have been several primitive clans that have settled in Mesopotamia however their presence could not be verified because of lack of records and artifacts that proves their existence. The earliest people to have left a trace of habitation in Mesopotamia are the Sumerians. According to Soltysiak, the Sumerians were definitely not the first ethnic group to have emerged in Mesopotamia but due to their sophisticated civilization most especially with their invention of the earliest known writing called cuneiform, they were able to make their identity known to modern scholars. Important cities emerged under Sumerian rule, which according to scholars began at around 6,000 to 3,000 B.C.. Among the famous cities are the cities of Eridu, Uruk, Ur, Kish, Nuzi, Lagash, Nippur, Ngirsu and Susa. Even the city of Ur has an important biblical significance even in Jewish traditions as the Patriarch Abraham was known to have lived in Ur before he journeyed to Canaan. However, at around 2300 B.C., the region was conquered by the Semitic people known as Akkadians. The Akkadians established an Empire that dominated Mesopotamia for several centuries until Assyrian expansion in at around 2,000 B.C. gradually declined Akkadian rule. It was the Assyrians that established the Babylonian dynasty; a cultural and economic center of the ancient world. It should be noted though that the region is full of conflicts from other nomadic tribes such as the Amorites, the Kassites and the Elamites. The Assyrians, however, were able to suppress these constant threats and established their control over Mesopotamia until the Iron Age at around 1,000 to 500 B.C. when Babylon was conquered by the Persians, which eventually ended the Babylonian culture.

Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia

Religion in ancient Mesopotamia is not taken lightly. Some scholars theorized that the settlements in Mesopotamia may have been influenced not only by the natural resources of the region by important sacred sites that has been established by religious cults in the region. As one historian observed, the settlements in Mesopotamia is “perhaps no more than the natural inclination of human beings to gather together for safety from the elements, or it could have its roots in religion and communal religious practices which, among the benefits they offer, provide an assurance that there is order and meaning behind the seemingly random events of life”. Nearby regions were found to have purely religious settlements as early as 10,000 B.C. One particular excavation site that may prove the religious background of the settlement in Upper Mesopotamia is the Göbekli Tepe archeological site in Anatolia or present day Turkey. The Göbekli Tepe, which means ‘navel hill’ in Turkish, is located six miles from Urfa, one of the ancient cities in Upper Mesopotamia. The site sits on top of a hill, which, according to Schmidt, is the highest point of an extended mountain range that can be seen for many kilometers within its radius. The monuments were not readily recognizable as they were buried beneath layers of dirt that reach, at some point, to up to 15 meters. As observed by scholars, the geographic region where the Göbekli Tepe was located has a rich religious background. According to Schoch, “The appellation City of Prophets is rightfully applied to Urfa, for not only did Abraham reside here, there are legends that connect this modern metropolis of half a million people with Lot, Jacob, Job, Elisha, Jethro, Moses, and the early Christian disciple Thaddeus (St. Addai), to name just a few”. Scholars believe that it is in these particular sites where human being realized the “transition from the hunter gatherer lifestyle to agriculture for the first time in world history”. As carbon dating suggests, religious structures of the Göbekli Tepe pre-dates known religious activities in this area or in any area in the world. Also, the stone relics that were found on Göbekli Tepe and their formation suggest evidence of being a religious center. Schmidt believes that the hill was not used for habitation. Instead, the site resembles that of religious sanctuaries. The main monuments that were excavated are T-shaped monolithic pillars but no residential buildings have been discovered so far. The absence of residential dwelling suggests that the site was solely used for religious purposes or perhaps a religious destination just like the Mecca or Jerusalem of modern times.

The Role of Religion in the Rise of Mesopotamian Civilization

Scholars are fascinated and intrigued of these discoveries as it suggests that early mankind may have engaged on religious activities older as any historical fact to date could point out. The stone formation found in several archeological sites in Mesopotamia as well as the carved images of wild animals such as boars, foxes and birds suggests some form of pagan worship. Among, the two major religious themes of the Mesopotamian religions are phallocentrism or the emphasis on the penis and the worship of the wild animals. What puzzles scholars though is that in the immediate vicinity of the Göbekli Tepe, no residential dwellings have been discovered. These scholars further theorized that the site may have served only as a religious center of far and nearby villages; perhaps a religious destination for man’s early ancestors. It is believed that having a religious site is unique for the Neolithic period (Curry, A., Seeking the Roots of Ritual, 2008). Evidently, as hunter-gatherers, man’s early ancestors in this era are thought to be incapable of such sophisticated religious rituals so much more creating such great religious edifices. Schmidt theorized that for a long period of time, the area may have once been abundant of food sources such as fruit trees and wild animals that the hunter-gatherers may have paused regularly in this area (Curry, A., Seeking the Roots of Ritual, 2008). In Göbekli Tepe, for example, scholars are still puzzled how hunter-gatherers could have made such outstanding edifices. Accordingly, these primitive people do not have what it takes to build such temples because of their crude lifestyle. Schmidt, however, believes that the groups of these nomadic people may have gathered in the Göbekli Tepe at an appointed time and may have pooled their resources to build the structures (Curry, A., Seeking the Roots of Ritual, 2008). Perhaps by doing so, these hunter-gatherers began to develop their socialization skills and gradually established permanent settlement in the area.

Cultural Influence

Ancient Mesopotamia has developed a rich cultural heritage that still amazes modern scholars. The Sumerians, for example, are noted for their interests in arts and sciences. As observed by Mark, “Urbanization, the wheel, writing, astronomy, mathematics, wind power, irrigation, agricultural developments, animal husbandry, and the narratives which would eventually be re-written as the Hebrew Scriptures and form the Christian Old Testament all came from the land of Mesopotamia”. As observed, among their notable accomplishments is the invention of the wheel as well as the invention of cuneiform, one of the earliest forms of writing. The wheel may have greatly revolutionized the Sumerians as compared to their neighboring tribes while their ability to write has enabled them to preserve their knowledge and hand them over to the preceding generations. Interests in learning are also one of the notable attributes of ancient Mesopotamia. As observed by Mark, “intellectual pursuits were highly valued across the region, and the schools (devoted primarily to the priestly class) were said to be as numerous as temples and taught reading, writing, religion, law, medicine, and astrology”. Among the greatest accomplishments of early Mesopotamian culture is the invention of the first legal system the world has known. The code of Hammurabi, which was a decree of King Hammurabi of Babylon, reflects the desire of early people in Mesopotamia to establish order in their society. The Myth of Adapa and the Epic of Gilgamesh are also among the most controversial contributions of Mesopotamia to the modern world especially in the field of mythology and religion. Considered as the oldest written story in the world, these ancient myths possess a striking resemblance to the story in the Judeo-Christian Old Testament bible regarding the fall of man as well as the great flood. In this perspective, it is quite apparent that there are certain Mesopotamian legacies that remain hidden behind the surviving cultures of the modern civilization.

Conclusion

In studying ancient civilizations, the one that emerged in ancient Mesopotamia is of utmost importance primarily because it provides a glimpse of how humans may have evolved into its modern day society. As observed, from being hunter-gatherers, man’s early ancestors managed to group themselves and establish one of the most enduring civilizations the world has ever known. However, as to how these civilizations came about could not be fully established because of the lack of historical records. Scholars can only speculate that early humans may have been influenced by their religious beliefs; that because of a practicing their religion, they were able to develop a sophisticated form of socialization that eventually led to building permanent settlements. On the other hand, some scholars believe that perhaps the abundance of the Tigris and Euphrates area may have encouraged nomadic tribes to settle and engage in farming and agriculture. Although a consensus could not be established as to how ancient societies evolved, it could not be denied that ancient Mesopotamia has developed a rich and diverse culture that still fascinates modern scholars.

References

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Mark, J. (2009, September). Mesopotamia. Retrieved April 2015, from http://www.ancient.eu/: http://www.ancient.eu/Mesopotamia/
Mark, J. (2014, April). Mesopotamia: The Rise of the Cities. Retrieved April 2015, from http://www.ancient.eu/: http://www.ancient.eu/article/678/
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Soltysiak, A. (2006). Physical anthropology and the “Sumerian problem”. Retrieved April 2015, from http://www.antropologia.uw.edu.pl/: http://www.antropologia.uw.edu.pl/SHA/sha-04-07.pdf
UNESCO. (2015). The Archaeological Site of Göbeklitepe. Retrieved April 2015, from http://whc.unesco.org/: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5612/