Uruk: Origins and Legends of History's Earliest City
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the ancient city of Uruk, considered the first city in civilization's history. It delves into Uruk's innovations like the first epic poem, the 'Epic of Gilgamesh', and the origins of writing. The city's strategic irrigation and agricultural advancements led to social and political complexity. Uruk's trade networks and the significance of its goddess Inanna are highlighted. The video also touches on the city's decline due to environmental changes and the Sassanian empire's trade route shift, and the modern archaeological efforts to uncover its mysteries.
Takeaways
- π Curiosity Stream is a subscription streaming service offering documentaries and non-fiction titles.
- πΊ Uruk, modern-day Warka, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, founded millennia ago and abandoned in the 4th century AD.
- π Uruk is famous for producing the first epic poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and is considered a birthplace of writing.
- π The city-state of Uruk introduced large architectural stoneworks like ziggurats and was the first to develop the cylinder seal for personal property and signatures.
- πΎ Uruk's agricultural practices evolved from basin irrigation to furrow irrigation, which increased productivity and necessitated a centralized administration.
- π± The rise in barley cultivation due to new irrigation methods led to the development of new tools and animal traction, and a surplus of food and labor.
- ποΈ Uruk underwent an urban revolution, transitioning from small groups of farmers to a complex society with macro-society and task specialization.
- π The city's surplus was reinvested by the palace or temple, leading to the expansion of agricultural infrastructure, construction of defenses, and trade.
- π’ The development of writing in Uruk was initially for administrative purposes, to keep track of payments and revenues, and later evolved into the cuneiform system.
- π° Uruk's infrastructure and administrative systems developed significantly during the 4th millennium BC, including urban planning and political influence over the region.
- π οΈ The city's trade networks extended to regions with access to resources not available in Mesopotamia, such as timber and metals.
Q & A
What is the significance of the city of Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia?
-Uruk is considered the first city in the history of civilization, known for its social revolution that transitioned early human society from small groups of loosely organized farmers to a complex society with macro-society and task specialization.
What is the connection between Uruk and the legendary hero and king Gilgamesh?
-The walls of Uruk were once protected the realm of the legendary hero and king Gilgamesh, who is the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, likely the first epic poem ever written.
How did the city of Uruk contribute to the development of writing?
-Uruk is considered the birthplace of writing, or at least where writing really took off. The city-state featured the first examples of large architectural stoneworks and introduced bureaucracy and the cylinder seal, which was used to designate personal property or to apply signatures on documents.
What role did the geographical location and climate of Uruk play in its development?
-Uruk was located in the southern Mesopotamian plains, an area known as the alluvial plain, which is one of the hottest in the world with unpredictable rainfall. This led to the development of irrigation methods that were essential for the city's growth.
What was the significance of the shift from basin irrigation to furrow irrigation in Uruk?
-The shift to furrow irrigation allowed for more efficient cultivation of barley, which in turn incentivized the development of tools, use of animal traction, and the emergence of a centralized administration, all of which contributed to increased productivity and surplus.
How did the surplus of food and labor in Uruk lead to societal changes?
-The surplus allowed the community to expand its agricultural infrastructure, build defenses, and trade. It also helped free more people from the burden of producing their own food, leading to the development of a new class of specialists and administrators.
What is the Ziggurat, and how is it related to Uruk?
-A Ziggurat is a pyramid-like temple characteristic of Mesopotamia. Uruk featured some of the first examples of large architectural stoneworks such as Ziggurats, which were significant in the city's religious and administrative life.
What is the Epic of Gilgamesh, and how does it reflect the city of Uruk?
-The Epic of Gilgamesh is a cycle of poems and legends that narrates the adventures of the great king of Uruk. It reflects the city's evolution from early settlement to city-state and from a society founded in oral tradition to one steeped in the written word.
How did Uruk establish trade ties and what were the implications for its development?
-Uruk formed trade ties with near and faraway lands to compensate for its lack of strategic resources. This allowed the city to import a broad range of goods, from essential unprocessed resources to prestige goods, which were necessary to maintain social and political relationships.
What was the role of the goddess Inanna in Uruk's society and religion?
-Inanna, also known as Ishtar, was the primary tutelary goddess of Uruk. She was celebrated as a figure of fertility, human sexuality, and a fierce warrior. The rulers and kings of Uruk were traditionally bound to Inanna in the sacred ritual of the sacred marriage.
What happened to Uruk towards the end of its existence, and why was it eventually abandoned?
-Uruk faced a period of extreme aridity and drought, which depopulated the area. The city also failed to maintain and extend its irrigation canals, leading to a decline in agricultural production. These factors, along with a shift in trade routes, contributed to Uruk's eventual abandonment.
Outlines
ποΈ Uruk: The First City and its Historical Significance
The paragraph introduces Uruk, an ancient city dating back millennia, which was continuously inhabited until the 4th century AD. It highlights Uruk's claim to fame as the first city in civilization's history, with contributions such as the production of the first epic poem, 'The Epic of Gilgamesh,' and the development of writing. The city was known for its large architectural stoneworks like ziggurats and was the first to introduce bureaucracy through the invention of the cylinder seal. Uruk's advancements in agriculture, particularly the shift from basin to furrow irrigation, played a significant role in its urbanization and the rise of a complex society.
πΎ Agricultural Innovations and the Rise of Uruk
This section delves into the agricultural practices that led to Uruk's urban revolution. It discusses the transition from basin irrigation to furrow irrigation, which was better suited to the landscape and the cultivation of barley. The new method necessitated the development of tools, animal traction, and centralized administration. The resulting surplus in food and labor allowed for societal expansion, the building of infrastructure, and the emergence of a new class of specialists and administrators. The paragraph also covers the growth of Uruk's administrative centers and the development of the Sumerian city-state.
π The Emergence of Writing and Urban Planning in Uruk
The paragraph discusses the development of writing in Uruk, which began as a system for record-keeping and evolved into the cuneiform script. It explains how the city's administrators used writing to manage resources and payments, marking a significant step in administrative complexity. The text also covers Uruk's urban planning and the division of labor, as well as its political influence over the region during the Uruk period. The citizens of Uruk also perfected the mass production of ceramic artifacts, which were essential for their economy and society.
π The Epic of Gilgamesh and Uruk's Cultural Evolution
This section explores the 'Epic of Gilgamesh,' a collection of poems and legends that reflect Uruk's history and cultural evolution. It discusses the tales of Gilgamesh's ancestors and how the city formed trade ties to compensate for its lack of strategic resources. The paragraph also describes the archaeological evidence of Uruk's extensive trade networks and how these networks influenced the development of societies outside of Mesopotamia. Additionally, it covers the religious significance of the goddess Inanna in Uruk's society and her role in the city's mythology.
πΊ The Ziggurat of Inanna and Uruk's Decline
The paragraph focuses on the religious and cultural aspects of Uruk, particularly the district of Eanna dedicated to the goddess Inanna. It describes the structure and function of the Eanna district and how it reflects the city's attitude towards its deities. The text also discusses Inanna's role as a fertility goddess and a fierce warrior, as well as her importance in Uruk's society. Furthermore, it covers the historical events that led to Uruk's decline, including its conquest by Sargon of Akkad and the challenges posed by periods of extreme aridity and changes in trade routes.
ποΈ Archaeological Exploration of Uruk and its Legacy
This section details the archaeological exploration of Uruk, from the early excavations by William K. Loftus to the more recent work by archaeologists and geophysicists. It highlights the findings that have shed light on Uruk's history, including its sophisticated buildings, extensive gardens, and waterways. The paragraph also discusses the challenges of excavating such an ancient city and the potential for future discoveries. It concludes by emphasizing the enduring legacy of Uruk as the most ancient city in the world, with many of its secrets still waiting to be uncovered.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Curiosity Stream
π‘Uruk
π‘Gilgamesh
π‘Mesopotamia
π‘Ziggurat
π‘Cuneiform
π‘Irrigation
π‘Bureaucracy
π‘Alluvial Plain
π‘Sargon of Akkad
π‘Sacred Marriage
Highlights
Curiosity Stream offers a subscription streaming service with thousands of documentaries and non-fiction titles.
Uruk, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, was abandoned in the 4th century A.D.
The city walls of Uruk were once protected by the legendary hero and king Gilgamesh.
Uruk is considered the birthplace of writing and the origin of the first epic poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Uruk introduced the world to bureaucracy and the cylinder seal for personal property designation.
Uruk is recognized as the first city, symbolizing a social revolution from small groups to complex society.
Uruk's location in the southern Mesopotamian plains made it a hot and unpredictable climate for early inhabitants.
The rise of Uruk was linked to the development of irrigation methods due to the region's unpredictable rainfall.
Furrow irrigation, a more efficient method, led to the development of new agricultural tools and centralized administration.
The surplus of food and labor in Uruk was reinvested by the palace or temple, differentiating human activity and creating specialists.
Uruk developed urban planning, division of labor, and political influence over a larger region during the Uruk period.
The art of writing and mass production of ceramic artifacts were perfected by Uruk's citizens.
The oldest pay stub in recorded history was discovered, detailing a worker's beer ration.
Uruk established trade ties with distant lands to compensate for a lack of strategic resources.
Archaeological evidence confirms Uruk's influence on the development of societies outside Mesopotamia.
Inanna, the primary tutelary goddess of Uruk, was celebrated as a figure of fertility, sexuality, and war.
The sacred marriage ritual bound the rulers of Uruk to Inanna, embodying the god Dumuzi.
Uruk fell under the rule of Sargon of Akkad but later regained independence as a city-state.
Uruk's prosperity declined due to a shift in the Euphrates river and poor maintenance of irrigation canals.
Excavations of Uruk began in the 19th century and continue to reveal the city's rich history.
Recent archaeological findings suggest that less than one percent of ancient Uruk has been explored.
Transcripts
this episode is brought to you by
curiosity stream a subscription
streaming service that offers
thousands of documentaries and
non-fiction titles for just 2.99 a month
get a 30-day free trial by clicking the
link in the description below
more about them in a bit
it's a city as old as time itself
continuously inhabited from its founding
millennia ago
until the 4th century a.d when it was
abandoned by its people
lay alone and buried until its walls
were explored
by a victorian traveler those were the
walls that had once protected the realm
of the legendary hero and king gilgamesh
the
pillars once blessed by the almighty
goddess nana
known as ishtar those bricks covered in
sand and dust were the relics of a city
as old as the idea of a city itself
i'm talking about the remains of a rook
the first
city in the history of civilization
[Music]
throughout its history uruk produced a
number of firsts for which every
civilization should be grateful for
example it produced
what is most likely the first epic poem
ever the epic of gilgamesh which
narrates the adventures of its great
king
uruk is also considered the birthplace
of writing or at the very least where
writing really took off the city-state
featured the first examples of large
architectural stoneworks such as the
ziggurats
a pyramid-like temple's characteristic
of mesopotamia the authorities in europe
also have the dubious honor of having
introduced the joys of bureaucracy to
mankind they were the first to develop
the cylinder seal which was
later used throughout mesopotamia to
designate personal property or to
apply one signature on documents this
may appear
as a small innovation but these seals
represented their owner's identity and
reputation in a symbolic way
by inventing the cylinder seal uric
authorities were the first to recognize
the importance of the individual
in the collective community but all of
these inventions and innovations pale in
comparison to the fact that uruk is
widely recognized
as the first city uruk was the epitome
of social revolution that ferried our
ancestors from
small groups of loosely organized
farmers and hunter-gatherers to a
complex society built on macro-society
and task specialization
but let's start by exploring the
location and climate of this city two
features
which are inexorably linked to its
development
[Music]
uruk which is modern-day warqua was
located roughly 300 kilometers south of
baghdad and 15 kilometers east of the
city of samarwa
the region was once known as mesopotamia
the swath of land between the rivers
tigris and euphrates which
became the cradle of several
civilization thanks to its great
fertility sumerians acadians assyrians
and babylonians all thrived here at
different stages of history uruk thrived
in the southern mesopotamian plains
crossed by rivers and canals where water
collects into depressions and marshes
this area is also known as the alluvial
plain
or alluvium and is one of the hottest in
the world with highs exceeding 50
degrees celsius rainfall is
unpredictable and unreliable meaning the
first inhabitants of the alluvium had to
devise irrigation methods that were able
to take advantage of the nearby rivers
towards the end of the 5th millennium bc
during the abide period the first
villagers appeared in the area later
coalescing into a single larger
settlement which would
eventually become a rook we don't have
the precise details of how this happened
but we can rely
on the studies of mario liverani
professor of ancient
near east history at sapienza university
of rome
in his book called uruk the first city
professor levirani describes how the
choice of local crop and the
agricultural techniques eventually led
to an urbanistic revolution i'll try to
oversimplify
the chain of events now the region of
sumer was first inhabited during the
ubaid period approximately 54100 bc
during this period dwellings did not
exceed 150 square meters in surface and
were inhabited by one extended family
their main occupation and means of
subsistence was agriculture and the most
widespread method of watering their
fields was
the so-called basin irrigation it
consists of submerging a small square
field under a thin layer of water these
patches were perfectly horizontal and
delimited by small embankments a single
family could arrange a field by itself
and there was little need for
coordination
planning or centralization between
adjacent fields these agricultural
practices gradually shifted to new
evolved methods between 4000
and 3500 bc around that time the sea
level of the persian gulf rose changing
the landscape of the deltas where the
tigris and the euphrates meet the sea
the area became more prone to floods and
the countryside was crisscrossed by
several rivers and canals flowing
on disparate levels this type of
landscape favored the cultivation of a
specific cereal crop above
others barley it was a particularly
sturdy plant which could withstand
floods as well as the constant presence
of locusts early mesopotamians found
that the basin irrigation was not the
most efficient way to grow barley they
also found that the new landscape of
their region favored the novel method of
furrow irrigation
to simplify this you have to imagine a
fish skeleton the backbone of the fish
is a river or canal the fish bones are
long and narrow fields which decline
over a gentle gradient
towards a marsh or drainage basin as the
water flows on the backbone it seeps
into the fish bones evenly irrigating
these long and narrow fields
furrow agriculture incentivized the
development of tools and the use of
animal traction
archaeologists have found remnants and
artistic depictions of clay sickles
cedar plows and thrashing sledges
perhaps more importantly
the new method required the emergence of
a centralized administration
in order to function these
administrative agencies are identified
by leveraging
as the palace or the temple the
coordination of agencies and the use of
advanced tools eventually increased
productivity
by 500 or more generating a huge surplus
of food and labor the presence
of a surplus was not exclusive to
southern mesopotamia or
uruk other less evolved societies and
settlements the highlands north of
mesopotamia for example could rely on a
surplus of food and labor but in those
cases
the surplus was seized by a chief which
used it for conspicuous consumption to
increase his own personal prestige or
that of his clan in the case
of southern mesopotamia the surplus was
reinvested by the palace or temple into
society this allowed the community to
expand its agricultural infrastructure
build defenses
or trade most importantly it helped
differentiate human activity
if more and more people were freed of
the burden of producing their own food
they could develop into a new class of
specialists and administrators
with time this system grew more complex
as the administrative class provided
services to the community for example
defense or construction work
the palace was able to collect taxes so
society was changing and with
the urban landscape the increase in food
reserves required storage
space and the increasing availability of
human labor allowed them to build it
thus the size of the administrative
centers be it a temple or a palace
grew with time the architectural styles
and materials also became more complex
and more durable until the once small
neolithic temples expanded into the iana
precinct which
we'll explore later
[Music]
after this slow urban revolution
throughout the 4th millennium bc iruk
developed much of its infrastructure and
administrative systems we're talking
about urban planning a division of labor
and broader political influence over the
larger region it all came to be in a
period of 7 centuries
aptly named the uruk period from 3300 bc
the citizens of auric developed the art
of writing and perfected the mass
production of ceramic artifacts two
achievements which are strongly linked
the most common and most popular ceramic
products were basic disposable bowls
made from a mold these bowls were used
as standard containers for barley
awarded as wages to farmers laborers and
other personnel employed by the temples
administrators needed to develop a
system to keep track of these payments
as well as the revenues collected by the
temple they did so by recording simple
signs and drawings on clay tablets which
later evolved into the earliest system
of writing uniform this consisted
of using a reed or stick to carve signs
onto a clay tablet
these signs were wedge-shaped hence the
name of the writing system
cuneiform from the latin word for wedge
cunious
an example of such tablets excavated
from uric depicts a human head eating
from a bowl this most likely indicates
the concept of
a ration next to it was the drawing of a
conical vessel interpreted
as meaning beer archaeologists believe
that this tablet recorded the amount of
beer which a particular worker had been
paid
in other words this is the oldest pay
stub in recorded history i should now
clarify that proto-uniform writing
may have existed in syria and turkey as
early as the mid-fourth millennium bc
so it's incorrect to say that writing
was invented in uric but we could say
that uric administrators
were the first to utilize writing as a
routine practice for their counting
and record-keeping needs and surely they
had quite a bit to keep track of
at the start of the third millennium bc
in the early dynastic period
eric was the largest center in the
region of southern mesopotamia or suma
by now a powerful city-state uruk played
a crucial political and military role in
the eluvian this is attested by
its might and scale which would be
surpassed only by babylon
in the sixth century bc in the early
dynastic uruk had a surface area of 5.5
square kilometers and his mighty
fortifications were nine kilometers long
according to legend these walls had been
erected by the legendary hero king
gilgamesh now before we
hear the story of gilgamesh let's first
have a word from today's fantastic
sponsor curiosity stream
curiosity stream is a subscription
streaming service that offers thousands
of documentaries and non-fiction titles
from some of the world's best filmmakers
including exclusive originals curiosity
streams available on many platforms roku
android xbox one smart tvs
that list really does go on if you've
got a relatively recent device with a
screen on it
you could probably watch curiosity
stream if you're enjoying today's video
why not check out a modern take on the
middle east with curiosity streams nine
episode series curious minds the middle
east
it's a great follow-up to our more
ancient focused video right now you can
go to curiositystream.com forward
geographics for unlimited access to the
world's top documentaries
and non-fiction series and it costs only
2.99 a month or 19.99 for the whole year
and right now is a special deal for you
guys you can get a free 30-day trial use
the code geographics at checkout
and let's get back to that gilgamesh
bloke
the epic of gilgamesh is a cycle of
poems and legends belonging to ancient
oral sumerian tradition they were for
sure sung
at the court of the ura kings of the
third dynasty around the 22nd and 21st
centuries bc
but they may be much older the
protagonist is hailed as one of the
first kings of orrick it is not clear if
he is completely fictional or
a semi-mythical version of an existing
ruler but before we look
at the big man himself let's talk about
the stories of his ancestors grandfather
en mccarr and his dad lugu bender
in these tales the city of uruk is at
war with the eastern land of arato or
modern-day iran uruk is described as
blessed with bountiful harvests while
errata
is rich in stoner metals grandfather en
makar is
sent to arata by the city goddess inanna
to procure gems and metals to adorn her
temple
enmika then enters a battle of wits with
the lord of arata as they exchange oral
messages via envoys
and macar is frustrated by his
messenger's inability to remember a
lengthy speech in a stroke of divine
inspired genius and macar invents
cuneiform writing on the spot
as a result he is able to establish
trade ties with errata by the time his
son
le goldbender comes of age uruk and
arata are at war with the help of
vinana lugolbander is victorious and
brings back to uruk not only raw
materials but also stone cutters and
metalsmiths previously absent from sumer
and then we get to gilgamesh amongst his
many adventures the hero travels to the
west to lebanon where
he and his sidekick and kidu defeat the
demon
huawei guarding up wood of cedars he
then returns to uruk with another rare
commodity
high quality timber gilgamesh then
crosses the step and travels east
to the edge of the world here he meets
atrahasis or the extremely wise one he
is the eldest survivor of a flood that
has wiped out humanity
generations earlier atrahasis instructs
gilgamesh on how to become a proper king
this the institution of kingship will be
his lasting contribution
to aruk the tales codified in these
poems reflected the evolution of a rook
in history from
early settlement to city-state from
society founded in oral tradition to
a culture steeped in the written word
what is interesting is that they capture
the process
by which iraq formed trade ties with
near
and far away lands as a means to
compensate its lack of strategic
resources
archaeological evidence has confirmed
uruk's ties with the mountainous regions
of northern mesopotamia persia and
anatolia these societies
may have been less sophisticated than
uruk perhaps but they had access to raw
materials and other commodities that
were mostly absent from the fertile
crescent by establishing these trade
networks uruk was able to influence the
development of societies in other areas
outside of mesopotamia this is apparent
in the susana plain in modern-day iran
where archaeologists have found
artifacts from the mid to late uric
period mainly
tablets and tokens used for accounting
practices besides artifacts researchers
have found entire uric enclaves in the
cyro mesopotamian plains on the border
between modern day syria and turkey
these enclaves commanded a junction
where overland trade routes intersected
a river and included a large urban
settlement surrounded by smaller
villages
enclaves included samsat kashmich tel
cuadas and
even nineveh the eventual capital of the
assyrian empire
in addition to these enclaves uruk
established several smaller stations
founded on the overland routes linking
the enclaves with the uric area
finally the indepatical people of
southern mesopotamia found small
outposts deep in the northern highlands
for example god in tepe and tepe sarlak
on the zagras mountains of modern-day
iran this complex system of trade nodes
allowed urugu to import a broad range of
goods which we can group into two
categories first
the essentials unprocessed resources
necessary for the day-to-day operation
of a complex society for example timber
like the cedarwood imported by gilgamesh
or
copper bitumen and even slaves and well
maybe those craftsmen brought by
logalbander were not willing migrants
after all the second category were
prestige goods necessary to consolidate
and
maintain social and political
relationships with elite groups these
included the rare metals and precious
stones like the ones
emma carr brought back to inanna to
adorn her temple in the
iana precinct so now it's time to enter
the precinct and meet
the lady of a rook
archaeologists over time have identified
two main sections within ancient uruk
the district of iyana
dedicated to goddess inanna and the
older district of anu god of heaven
sometimes described as
inanna's father the historian samuel nur
cramer suggests that annu presided over
the early city until
the rise in popularity of inanna she was
then given her own ziggurat
the typical mesopotamian terrorist
temple the ziggurat was surrounded by
the iana district structured as a series
of courtyards each courtyard housed a
number of small rooms which served
mainly ceremonial purposes but
could be used as administrative offices
shops or even schools the alna district
was enclosed in a high wall which may
have had a ceremonial meaning or the
more practical goal of keeping anu's
male priests away
from inanimate ziggurat eventually the
changing attitude towards the two
deities was reflected in the city's
mythology
according to legends the temple of iana
was brought to a rook by inanna herself
who stole it from anu
in honor was not content with simply
stealing a temple though she also stole
the
sacred mare from the god enki at the
sacred city of
eredu and brought them to iraq the mayor
can be described as cultural concepts or
divine
decrees on which sumerian culture is
built upon and because
eredu was associated with rural life in
sumerian myths this narrative suggested
that
inanna transferred the seat of culture
from a rural settlement
to an urban one given iana's prominent
place at the center of such important
allegories
you can guess how important this goddess
is to the citizens and
society of baruch inanna who was also
known as ishtar in other mesopotamian
cities was in fact the primary tutillary
goddess of baroque her name can be
translated as
mistress of heaven and is frequently
described as a ruling figure
of innumerable divine powers she was
celebrated as such in him composed by
high priestess
anhaduna daughter of emperor sargon of
akkad in
the 23rd century bc fun fact anne
harduana is probably the world's first
author identifiable by name by the way
if we want to be more detailed about her
powers inanna held sway over a
particular sphere of existence fertility
and human sexuality among the mere
relics which she stole we can find
sexual encounters kissing and
prostitution strangely for a goddess of
fertility her myths only attribute to
children to her the gods
shara and lalal one interpretation is
that inanna
is never in a maternal state because she
is always in a state of fertility
another legend in which she is called
ishtar explains the extent of her
fertility and sexual powers
in this story it is said that 120 young
men can satisfy themselves with ishtar
and at the end the young men have grown
tired ishtar
will not grow tired inanna is also
described as a fierce warrior depicted
as riding a lion into battle
this war-like aspect is closely linked
to the amorous one the rulers and kings
of uruk were traditionally bound to a
nana in the sacred ritual
of the sacred marriage in this ceremony
the rulers became the embodiment of the
god
damuzi inanna's partner in mesopotamian
mythology the goddess was traditionally
embodied by a high priestess or by the
queen herself
after the ritual the rulers became
inanna's darlings or children
and if enemies of the city-state were to
harm or endanger these children inanna
would unleash her fearsome powers on
them
devouring their corpses like a beast of
prey
not even the wondrous powers of inanna
herself could help rook against
sargon of akkad the first emperor to
unify all of mesopotamia during the
acadian period from
2340 bc onward uruk and the rest of
sumer fell
under the yoke of sargon's empire
sumerians did not particularly
enjoy the rule of this outsider
rebelling several times against sargon
but the emperor quashed these rebellions
every time eventually
placing aruk under the supervision of
his daughter and herduana the priestess
and
poet we already encountered eventually
the acadian empire crumbled and the
region of sumer was once again divided
into city-states
in the second half of the 18th century
bc uruk had to face
a worse threat than the akkadian armies
a period
of extreme aridity the drought
depopulated the area and for 300 years
the inhabitants of baruch relocated
to the city of kisch the south was
ravaged by three further centuries of
drought from
1200 to 900 bc and yet a rook
still stood when the second dry period
ended the city was repopulated and
rebuilt
flourishing once more despite sitting
inland from major bodies of water uruk
benefited from the sea trade which
linked the mediterranean
the persian gulf and india thanks to its
beefed-up economic power the city became
the chief mediator between the
babylonian kings and the city-states of
the south new settlers continued to
migrate to aurora
attracted by the opportunities that it
offered up until the sassanian period in
the 3rd century a.d
the city was an economic powerhouse
during this period the
learned elite to baruch maintained
regular contact with the greek schools
of philosophy
allowing for a lively dialogue between
mesopotamian knowledge and western
philosophy alas all the philosophy in
the world could not prevent uruk from
heading toward another slow-moving
catastrophe
over the last decades and centuries the
euphrates river had gradually shifted to
the west
all the while the rook had failed to
properly maintain and extend the
irrigation canals that had been
connected to it by this point
for thousands of years as a result these
canals eventually ran dry and
agricultural production plummeted urban
civilization in the area had sprung and
thrived as a direct consequence of
irrigation
and now poorly maintained canals marked
its doom in the 4th century a.d the
population could not be sustained any
longer
german archaeologist marguerite vanessa
offers another interpretation
according to her uruk's prosperity came
to an end when the sassanian empire
shifted trade to inland routes farther
to the north perhaps both factors
contributed
to iraq's sunset period the city was
almost completely abandoned and since
then almost never mentioned in
local chronicles one of the last
mentions of note is the battle for al
waka the
arabic name for a rook here in 634 a.d
arab general al muthana led his cavalry
in a victorious charge against the
sasanian army for centuries the ruins
of the city of inanna and gilgamesh
suffered erosion and weathering its
foundation slowly sinking
into the mesopotamian silt
[Music]
above the ground much of what was suma
became sparsely settled with its
extensive lands used as pasture grounds
by pneumatic shepherds
and this archaeologically speaking was
great news as no new cities were built
over the remains of a rook the
foundations and
buried artifacts over rook survived in
good condition eagerly waiting for
that soft touch of the archaeologist's
brush the first researcher to show
up for the appointments with history was
william k loftus he was a member of an
anglo-russian commission charged with
settling a turco persian border dispute
in 1853
he led a dig around a rook finding
objects from the seleucid and parthian
periods which
he entrusted to the british museum more
formal excavations took place in 1912
and 1913 led by julius jordan and
conrad prusa and financed by the
german-oriented society
the expedition chartered a topographical
plan of the city explored the ziggurat
of banana and
located a sanctuary dedicated to goddess
bit resh wife of annu
inside the sanctuary they found a
colossal temple protected by walls seven
meters high
and twelve metres thick unfortunately
more pressing matters put an
end to the work of the german-oriented
society as world war one
excavations resumed only in 1928 when
the newly created country of iraq was
under british control
the new excavations focused on the iana
precinct of the ziggurat of inanna
stretching well into the 1970s with
obvious interruptions due to other
interim conflicts
archaeologists dug through the surface
of the courtyards of the district
finding pre-existing levels dating
back more than 5 000 years the findings
proved that the site had been used for
worship since as early as 3500 bc
and that successive temples and shrines
had been built over their predecessors
some of the earliest buildings they
found appeared incredibly sophisticated
at the time as their facades were
decorated in the geometrical and elegant
patterns of
clay cone mosaics more recently from
2001 to 2019 the site was explored again
by
a team that included archaeologist van s
and geophysicists jorg fassbinder and
helmut becker of ludwig maximilian's
university of munich the team
used a magnetometer to produce a map of
the city's buried foundations and
structures their map revealed several
surprising features for example that the
center of a rook stands on top of
35 layers of building lying on top of
one another to a depth of 25 meters
the oldest lair can be dated back to 4
500 years ago other findings match
descriptions of the city from the epic
of gilgamesh uruk was graced by the
presence of extensive presumably
luxurious gardens and maintained thanks
to a network of waterways which
crossed the city from north to south the
larger canals were used also for
transport as attested to by the presence
of harbors watergates and landing places
which
gave access to different city quarters
of venice in the eluvian
in their recently published reports the
munich team highlighted how just a tiny
fraction of ancient aurora has been
properly explored perhaps less than one
percent it may take
years before we get to admire any of the
remaining structures as
excavating at depth could endanger the
city structures or its artifacts
six millennia of history wait to be
discovered in the depths of iraq
what is buried down there is anyone's
guess but as proved by the recent
findings one thing is for sure
the most ancient city in the history of
the world could still be hiding
plenty of surprises for us in the future
so i really hope you enjoyed this video
thanks again to curiositystream for
sponsoring it and of course
if you're looking for more content
particularly about archaeology and
modern engineering projects please do
make sure that you subscribe to another
channel that i run called side projects
which
focuses on all kinds of digs
investigations and all sorts of local
small scale projects we put out three
videos a week on that channel so if
you're looking for more
there is a link below and thank you for
watching
Browse More Related Video
Washington D.C.
The rise and fall of historyβs first empire - Soraya Field Fiorio
Early Dynastic Mesopotamia | Ancient Documentary | The Sumerian and Akkadian Empires.
Who built Great Zimbabwe? And why? - Breeanna Elliott
The INDIAN OCEAN TRADE Network, Explained [AP World History ReviewβUnit 2 Topic 3]
World of the Fatimids and Short Films - AKDN in Cairo
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)