Marshall High School Mr. Cline Western Civilization I: Ancient Foundations Unit Two BA
Have you ever happened across a dollar on the sidewalk? What about a gold ring or an expensive watch? Perhaps you are part of that rare breed that traipses around the beach with a headset and a metal detector searching for buried treasure. In essence, carefully digging for buried treasure is what archaeologists do every day, except rather than looking for lost jewelry with a metal detector, archaeologists search for the treasures of history, using specialized tools and an incredible amount of care. The archaeological equivalent of finding the crown jewels occurred in 1926, when Charles Leonard Woolley discovered the Royal Tombs of Ur. Dating back to approximately 2,600-2,000 B.C. and composed of 16 large tombs, the site contained the burials of 1,840 men, women and children. In addition, the tombs held a rich variety of artwork, inscriptions, and other artifacts that have helped archaeologists and historians to understand better the lives and culture of the ancient Sumerians. Most of the artifacts excavated by Woolley now reside in the British Museum or at the Penn Museum, although some artifacts do make traveling exhibitions.
Highlights The Royal Tombs of Ur contained such a wealth of artisanal pieces and historically important discoveries that it is impossible to detail them all here - indeed, many items are still being studied and sorted over 80 years after excavations took place! Here are some of the main discoveries and artifacts that have been studied and their significance to historians' understanding of ancient Sumeria. The 'Ram in the Thicket' - This ornate, 18-inch sculpture is one of the more beautiful works of art recovered from the tombs. Made of gold leaf, copper, shells, and lapis lazuli, it depicts a goat standing on its hind legs to eat the leaves off the top of a bush. It may have had a functional use; historians have theorized that the column protruding from its back may have once held a serving tray or supported a table.
Highlights The Standard of Ur - This 8.5 x 19.6-inch trapezoidal box depicts common life in Sumeria in times of war and peace. Although some historians have theorized that it may have been a musical instrument or a box used to hold civic funds, the box was likely mounted to a pole and used as a battle standard. The detailed scenes depict a Sumerian king marshaling his troops, winning a battle, and then celebrating the victory with a feast supplied by the community.
Highlights The Great Death Pit - Including six men and 68 women, the 'Great Death Pit' contains one of the largest body counts on the site. It is most important because archaeologists have deciphered that many went to their deaths willingly; they were most likely servants to a dying king or noble. Many of the women wore elaborate headdresses and jewelry. The tomb not only confirms the practice of human sacrifice in ancient Sumeria, but also reveals a small part of the ancient Sumerian belief system: most participants likely sacrificed themselves with promises of a better afterlife.
Highlights 'Queen' Pu-abi's Tomb - Although historians are uncertain whether or not Pu-abi was actually a queen, her tomb is unique in that it is one of the only royal tombs which had not yet been looted by grave robbers when Woolley did his excavations. Numerous treasures survive from the tomb, including a board game (which may have been a precursor to modern-day backgammon) a ceremonial wooden chariot that was likely used in her funeral procession, several ornate lyres, and three scrolls depicting ancient Sumerian banquets. As in the Great Death Pit, many of Queen Pu-abi's attendants were dressed ornately and buried with her.
Conclusions Without the wealth of artifacts discovered in the tombs, historians would have no knowledge of ancient Sumerian religious practices such as human sacrifice and elaborate funerals. Similarly, the ancient Sumerians' ability to craft incredible works of art such as the 'Ram in the Thicket' would not be known. Indeed, Woolley really hit the archaeological jackpot when he discovered the Royal Tombs of Ur - something to think about next time you scoff at your kooky uncle and his metal detector.
The Sumerian Civilization was the earliest of the world s urban civilizations Sumer is the ancient name of the area of southern Mesopotamia, where it developed around 4500 B.C. in the Uruk Period The rapid population growth of the Ubaid period continued into the Uruk, and towns and villages grew into large cities, that developed into city states The specialization of labor required someone to direct it, and manage it, and thus began the development of kings It also required record keeping, which required the development of a literate class Hence, the earliest writing developed in Sumeria in the form of pictographs
The educated elite were most usually connected to religious functions (priests, etc.) because excess food and trade goods were usually required to be donated to the religion in order to satisfy the gods, and continue future good fortune. Even the king had to perform a religious function, and his right to rule was based on his favorable connection with the gods. Law codes issued by kings were seen as divine directives given him by the gods Sumerian religion centered on a polytheistic religion, which is one in which many gods were worshipped at once in a pantheon or related family of deities Each city usually had their own patron deity, but two of the more popular ones were Enlil, the King of the Gods, and Ishtar, the goddess of love and war The largest of the Sumerian city states was Uruk, where the mythical hero Gilgamesh lived. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written around 2200 B.C.
The Sumerian city states were not united, and only shared a similar culture. They became so large, that whenever one wanted to expand, it was at the expense of another, and so a great deal of feuding took place Constructing city walls, and extravagant military displays of strength thus became an important part of kingship. The city of Uruk s main rivals were Ur and Kish. The King of Kish, Mesilim, became the nominal overlord of the area known as Sumeria around 2500 B.C., although the city states still existed independently. The superiority of Kish was brought to an end in about 2400 B.C. by the rise of the King of the city of Lagash, Eannatum, and its rule was itself turned over to the King of the city of Umma, Lugalzagesi, around 2350 B.C. when he conquered all of the city states and made one Sumerian kingdom.
Sumerian Art and Architecture Sumerians inhabited mostly southern Mesopotamia from about 4000 BC to about 2000 BC. This area was prone to violent weather conditions, such as unexpected flooding. These chaotic conditions resulted in the Sumerians becoming a highly religious society. Religion provided a sense of order and reason behind the disorder. Much of the art created by the Sumerians is religious themed. Materials used included shell, lapis lazuli, limestone and gold.
Cuneiform Cylinder seals were used to print cuneiform and images onto clay.
Cuneiform One of the earliest known cities was called Uruk. In Uruk, we have found some of the earliest written records. Sumerians created the earliest form of writing, called cuneiform. Cuneiform began as picture symbols but developed into wedge-like shapes used to represent sounds. There was a temple in Uruk honoring a goddess named Innanna. Much of the produce from the city would be left at the temple for the goddess, then processed for use (barley used for beer, for example) and given back to the people. Records were created to record this process. These records were made by using cuneiform on clay tablets.
Cylinder Seals To create the signature on a tablet, the Sumerians created beautiful, elaborate cylinder seals. The seals would contain carvings that, when rolled across wet clay, would leave an impression in the clay. Seals may have contained images or cuneiform to represent a signature. They may have also been an indication of social status. Many of the seals were very small, usually less than two inches in height. Seals were usually carved in agate, chalcedony, lapis lazuli, steatite, limestone, marble, quartz or hematite. Some seals were carved in gold or silver. The images on the seals were carved with great attention to detail. Seals are important because of their unique nature. Each seal contained its own images, reflective of its owner. Seals may have also reflected what was popular stylistically at the time of their creation, opening another window into Sumerian culture.
The Standard of Ur Another ancient city in Sumer is known as Ur. The city may have been founded by the Ubaids, who preceded the Sumerians in inhabiting the area. Ur became so powerful that it held control over all of Sumer at varying times. The Standard of Ur is an artifact that was found in an excavation at Ur. The standard may have originally been a hollow box. Its original purpose is still unknown. It consists of a number of wooden fragments containing vivid mosaics. The standard contains images of many participants in Ur's society. Figures include kings, soldiers, commoners and even livestock being brought as a gift to the king.
The Standard of Ur The images depicted are reflective of Sumer's largely farming culture. Sculptures Sumerian sculptors used colored stones in place of eyes.
Sculptures In addition to the carvings created in cylinder seals, Sumerians also created freestanding sculptures and statuettes. Carvings indicated artists took great care in creating delicate details. Statuettes found at a temple are carved in a similar nature but are mostly cylindrical in shape. They are of varying heights, indicating a hierarchy. For example, the tallest figure is a deity, while a slightly shorter figure represents a priest. The statuettes are made of marble, and each has large, staring eyes. The insets in the eyes would have once held a colored stone. The figures face forward with their hands clasped in front of them.
Sculptures