Civilization in the Fertile Crescent
Gold vessel in form of ostrich egg
Courtesy University of PA
Photo by Patricia Aakhus
Civilization in the Middle East centered around the Fertile Crescent or Mesopotamia, an area of arable land surrounding the Tigris-Euphrates River valley. The major ancient civilizations centered in this area were the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians. The fertile land around the Tigris-Euphrates allowed for a shift from a culture of nomadic hunters to the development of agricultural settlements and, eventually, commercial centers built around trade. In this way, the culture and way of life of Mesopotamian culture was founded on the links between the people and the rivers. The timing of planting around the seasons, the phases of the moon, and the movements of the stars led to a culture that valued the bounty of the earth and the regular cycles of the heavens. These values are reflected in Mesopotamian mythology.
Sumer 3000-2350 B.C.: (see map)The most significant figure in Sumerian mythology is Gilgamesh (Matthews and Platt 6), and the Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest known works of literature (Carnahan, par. 1). Writing appears in Sumeria by 3000 B.C. (Matthews and Platt 7).
Akkadia 2350-2000 B.C.: (see map) The greatest ruler of Akkadia was Sargon, whose empire stretched from India to Egypt. The Akkadians adopted much of the Sumerian culture (Matthews and Platt 6).
Babylonia 2000-1600 B.C.: (see map) The most important figure in the ancient Babylonian empire was Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.). The Code of Hammurabi was an important set of legal statutes which parallels in many ways the Mosaic Law. The code addresses treatment of slaves and women, and outlines courses of retribution. For instance, women were protected from false accusations of infidelity. and, for people of equal social status, "an eye for an eye" was the rule. The law did, however, offer some protection for lower class citizens from abuse by upper class citizens by requiring monetary restitution for physical abuse (Brians). One copy of the code was found on a stele (see image) which is now kept in the Louvre, Paris (Matthews and Platt 10).
Great Lyre from the 'King's Grave' at Ur
Courtesy Univ. of PA
Photo by Patricia Aakhus 
Great Lyre from the King's Grave at Ur
Courtesy Univ. of PA
Photo by Patricia Aakhus
All three civilizations held to the same religious beliefs
- Humans created to serve the gods
- All control lay in the hands of the gods
- Obedience to and worship of the gods required
- Little concern with an afterlife
- Harsh life
- Gods manifestations of nature; two groups: sky gods and earth gods
- Gradual movement away from Earth mother religion toward patriarchal religion
(Matthews and Platt 8).
The most prominent architectural structure was the ziggurat (see image), which was "a terraced brick and mudbrick pyramid that served as the center of worship." The design of the ziggurat suggests its intent was to allow humans to ascend to the realm of the gods for worship and, perhaps, communion (Matthews and Platt 11).
Works Cited
"342ziggarut.jpg." World Food Issues: Past and Present. FSHN 342, AG 342, Univ Stud 342, TSC 342 EnvS 342. Fall 2004. <http://www.public.iastate.edu/%7Ecfford/342WFI.htm>. Instructor: Clark Ford. Iowa State University. Web. 18 Aug. 2004 <http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfford/342GGSChapter14.htm>.
Brians, Paul. "The Code of Hammurabi [18th Century BCE]." Excerpt from Reading About the World. Vol. 1. Ed. Paul Brians, et al. Web. 18 Aug. 2004 <http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/hammurabi.html>.
Carnahan, Timothy R. "The Epic of Gilgamesh." Academy for Ancient Texts. 7 June 2001. Academy for Ancient Texts. Web. 18 Aug. 2004 <http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/>.
Matthews, Roy T. and F. Dewitt Platt. The Western Humanities. 2nd ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1995. Print.
"Study map of the Near East and Mesopotamia ." CC 302k/ARY 302:Introduction to Archaeological Studies II. Instructor: Constanze Witt, Classics Department. University of Texas at Austin <http://www.utexas.edu/depts/classics/>. Web. 17 Aug. 2004 <http://www.utexas.edu/courses/classicalarch/images.html>.
"Sumerian Timeline." The Story of Humankind: From Stone to Steel. 1985 - 2004. The International World History Project <http://ragz-international.com/>. Web. 18 Aug. 2004<http://ragz-international.com/timeline.htm>.
