HIST 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Cyrus Cylinder, Cyrus The Great, Fokker E.Ii
Document Summary
Early civilizations: mesopotamia sumerian" civilization, indus valley in east asia harrapan" civilization, china shang" era, began in 2nd millennium bce. Mesopotamia (sumerian: social organizations extend beyond household beyond individual towns and their hinterland, city states (pop. 1000) on tigris and euphrates river (fertile crescent: next to river for resources and trade, increasing division of labor (improvement in pottery, wheels, use of bronze, tin, and cooper, mesopotamia = huge extension compared to catal hoyuk. Babylonian empire: only lasted until hittie invasion (aids transmission of. Mesopotamia culture to greeks: cuneiform spreads from fall, harrapan culture disappears. Writing used in religion: number of deities (gods) including river and mountain gods and long- dead ancestors, tortoise shells used for divination (foretelling future) Writing and political narrative sumerian city of uruk: epic of gilgamesh, ruler or uruk, tale of heroism but battle against natural odds, cyrus cylinder: records peaceful capture of babylon by persian king.
