Ancient Mesopotamia 101
Transcript
The story of writing, astronomy, and law.
The story of civilization itself begins in one place.
Not Egypt, not Greece, not Rome.
But Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamia is an exceedingly fertile plain situated between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers.
For five millennia, the small strip of land situated in what is today Iraq, Kuwait and Syria fostered innovations that would change the world forever.
Inhabited for nearly 12,000 years, Mesopotamia’s stable climate, rich soil and steady supply of fresh water made it ideal for agriculture to develop and thrive.
About 6,000 years ago, seemingly overnight, some of these agricultural settlements blossomed into some of the world’s first cities.
In the period between 4,000 and 3,100 BC, Mesopotamia was dotted with a constellation of competing city states.
At one point, they were unified under the Akkadian Empire and then broke apart forming the empires of Assyria and Babylon.
Despite near constant warfare, innovation and development thrived in ancient Mesopotamia.
They built on a monumental scale from palaces to ziggurats, mammoth temples served as ritual locations to commune with the gods.
They also developed advanced mathematics, including a base 60 system that created a 60-second minute, a 60-minute hour and a 360-degree circular angle.
The Babylonians used their sophisticated system of mathematics to map and study the sky.
They divided one earth year into 12 periods. Each was named after the most prominent constellations in the heavens, a tradition later adopted by the Greeks to create the zodiac.
They also divided the week into seven days, naming each after their seven gods embodied by the seven observable planets in the sky.
But perhaps the most impactful innovation to come out of Mesopotamia is literacy.
What began as simple pictures scrawled onto wet clay to keep track of goods and wealth developed into a sophisticated writing system by the year 3,200 BC.
This writing system would come to be called cuneiform in modern times and proved so flexible that over the span of 3,000 years, it would be adapted for over a dozen different major languages and countless uses including recording the law of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, which formed the basis of a standardized justice system.
But Mesopotamia’s success became its undoing.
Babylon in particular proved too rich a state to resist outside envy.
In 539 BC, the Persian king Cyrus conquered Babylon and sealed his control over the entirety of Mesopotamia.
For centuries, this area became a territory of foreign empires.
Eventually, Mesopotamia would fade like its kings into the mists of history.
And its cities would sink beneath the sands of Iraq.
But its ideas would prevail in literacy, law, math, astronomy and the gift of civilization itself.
Vocabulary List
exceedingly
(adverb) extremely; very; very much
plain
(noun) a large area of flat land
foster
(verb) to promote the growth or development of something; to help something to succeed
inhabit
(verb) to live in a particular place
thrive
(verb) to grow or develop well; to be successful
seemingly
(adverb) apparently or as it seems to be
overnight
(adverb) in a very short time; suddenly
settlement
(noun) a place where people live, especially one that is small or remote
blossom
(verb) to become more healthy, confident or successful
dot
(verb) to spread things or people over an area; to be spread over an area
monumental
(adjective) very large or important; of great significance
mammoth
(adjective) very large or impressive; gigantic
commune
(verb) to have a close or intimate relationship with someone or something
prominent
(adjective) noticeable or important; standing out from others
embody
(verb) to represent or typify something; to be a concrete example of something
impactful
(adjective) having a strong or significant effect
scrawl
(verb) to write or draw quickly and carelessly
sophisticated
(adjective) advanced in development or knowledge; complex and refined
standardized
(adjective) made uniform or consistent in accordance with a standard
undoing
(noun) the act of causing someone or something to fail or be destroyed
envy
(noun) the feeling of wanting something that somebody else has
conquer
(verb) to defeat or overcome someone or something by force
fade
(verb) to lose color, strength, or intensity
prevail
(verb) to be more powerful or influential than others; to be dominant or widespread
Grammar Point
make it + adjective
Inhabited for nearly 12,000 years, Mesopotamia’s stable climate, rich soil and steady supply of fresh water made it ideal for agriculture to develop and thrive.
The pattern “make it” + adjective mean to cause something to be or become something.
The above sentence means:
The stable climate, rich soil and steady supply of fresh water caused Mesopotamia to become ideal for agriculture to develop and thrive.
Examples:
Try to make it simple.
Don’t make it complicated.
I will try to make it short.
despite
Despite near constant warfare, innovation and development thrived in ancient Mesopotamia.
The word “despite” is a preposition that is used to introduce a clause that contrasts with the main clause of a sentence. It can be used to show that something happened or was achieved even though there were obstacles or challenges.
Despite near constant warfare, innovation and development thrived in ancient Mesopotamia.
= Innovation and development thrived in ancient Mesopotamia even though there were near constant warfare.
We can use “despite” with a noun, noun phrase, a gerund or a noun clause.
We DO NOT use “despite” with “of.”
We can use “despite” at the beginning of a sentence.
despite + noun phrase
The game continued despite the rain.
The game continued despite of the rain. (wrong)
Despite the rain, the game continued.
Despite of the rain, the game continued. (wrong)
despite + gerund
He got the job despite having no experience.
He got the job despite of having no experience. (wrong)
Despite having no experience, he got the job.
Despite of having no experience, he got the job. (wrong)
despite + noun clause
He carried on despite what they had told him.
He carried on despite of what they had told him. (wrong)
Despite what they had told him, he carried on.
Despite what they had told him, he carried on. (wrong)
despite + the fact that + subject + verb
He got the job despite the fact that he had no experience.
He got the job despite of the fact that he had no experience. (wrong)
Despite the fact that he had no experience, he got the job.
Despite of the fact that he had no experience, he got the job. (wrong)
Common Expressions
at one point
At one point, they were unified under the Akkadian Empire and then broke apart forming the empires of Assyria and Babylon.
The phrase “at one point” can be used to refer to a specific time in the past, but it is often used more generally to refer to a time in the past when something happened. It can be used to introduce a new topic or to provide additional information about something that has already been mentioned.
For example, you might say “At one point, I was really interested in becoming a doctor.” This would tell the listener that you had a specific interest in becoming a doctor at some point in the past, but that you no longer have that interest.
You could also say “At one point, the dinosaurs ruled the Earth.” This would tell the listener that dinosaurs were the dominant species on Earth at some point in the past, but that they are no longer around.
near constant
Despite near constant warfare, innovation and development thrived in ancient Mesopotamia.
The term “near constant” means that something is almost constant, but not completely. It can be used to describe a value that changes very little over time, or a quantity that is always close to a certain value.
For example, the speed of light is near constant. It is always the same, regardless of the motion of the light source or the observer. The temperature of the human body is also near constant. It fluctuates slightly throughout the day, but it always stays within a narrow range.
become its undoing
But Mesopotamia’s success became its undoing.
The phrase “become its undoing” means that something becomes the cause of its own destruction or downfall. It is often used to describe a situation where someone’s own strengths or qualities end up being their weakness.
For example, a person who is very confident may become arrogant and make mistakes that lead to their downfall. Or, a person who is very successful may become complacent and lose their edge, which could lead to their failure.