Early great civilizations - how and why cities formed

1. Ci#es:
Who
needs
‘em?
• What
are
some
of
the
advantages
of
living
in
a
city?
Disadvantages?
• Why
do
you
think
ci#es
came
into
existence
in
the
first
place?
• What
condi#ons
would
be
needed
in
order
for
a
city
to
come
into
existence?

2. Ancient
Ci#es

5. Some
requirements:
• Enough
food
for
a
concentra#on
of
popula#on
(who
don’t
raise
their
own
food):
agriculture
and
livestock
• Services
provided
for
residents:
security,
religious
prac#ce,
etc.
• Jobs
• Supplies
of
needed
items:
salt,
cloth,
luxury
goods,
food
• Social
organiza#on/government

6. Benefits
of
ci#es
in
ancient
#mes:
• Security
in
numbers
• More
ar#s#c
produc#on
• Technological
development
• Trade
• WriPen
language
• Development
of
formalized
religion
• Defensible
loca#on

7. First
city:
Uruk
Ca.
4000
–
3100
BCE

8. Anu
Ziggarut,
Uruk

9. Computer-­‐generated
view
of
Uruk
hPp://www.dlr.de/eoc/en/desktopdefault.aspx/
tabid-­‐8297/14218_read-­‐37947/

10. Inven#on
of
the
wheel
ca.
4000
BCE
• PoPer’s
Wheel
• In
Sumeria

11. First
wheeled
vehicle
ca.
3500
BCE

12. Proto-­‐Cuneiform
tablet,
ca.
3100
BC
Documents
grain
distribu#on

13. Ca.
1920
BCE
Assyrian
tablet
detailing
court
tes#mony
regarding
the
ownership
dispute
of
a
business
enterprise.

14. Enheduanna
of
Ur

15. Epic
of
Gilgamesh,
Sumerian
king
The
“Deluge”
Tablet,
Ca.
700
BC

16. Sumerian
vo#ve
figures,
ca.
2600
BCE

17. Assyrian
Empire:
ca.
2000
BC
–
612
BC

18. hPps://www.khanacademy.org/
humani#es/ancient-­‐art-­‐civiliza#ons/
ancient-­‐near-­‐east1/assyrian/v/
ashurbanipal-­‐hun#ng-­‐lions-­‐assyrian
• Ashurbanipal
hun#ng
lions
–
large
stone
relief
from
palace
in
Nineveh,
ca.
670
BC
–
now
in
Bri#sh
Museum,
London

19. Babylonian
Empire,
ca.
2000
–
539
BCE
Depic#ons
of
Ishtar

20. Stele
of
the
Code
of
Hammurabi,
Louvre

21. Wall
relief
of
Gate
of
Ishtar,
constructed
under
rule
of
Nebuchadnezzar

22. Reconstruc#on
of
Gate
of
Ishtar