HIST 1A Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Fertile Crescent, Mudbrick, Ziggurat
Document Summary
Cities: communities of people with fixed social boundries. Markers of civilization: religion, social classes, economic speciilzation of individuals, development of the arts, literacy: appears ususally last. These elements are in mesopatmia: the first civilization. Its in a fertile area called the fertile crescent: has a crescent shape, they could grow crops easily, earliest civilizations are here. They called the southern portion sumer and the northern portion akkad. The cities were clusters of mud brick buildings. Surrounded by mud brick walls and moats. Mudbrick: mud that was shaped and baked in the sun. Each of these earliest cities was an independent unit. Artisans and politicians were inside the walls. They came to exercise the powers of monarchy. In sumerian socity: government was tied w religion. They were governed by a god represented by a king: king supported by priest, king plus priest was the highest socioeconomic class, religion was based in temples, sumer had temples called ziggurat.
