Uruk: Origins and Legends of History's Earliest City

Summary

This 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

• 🌐 Curiosity Stream is a subscription streaming service offering documentaries and non-fiction titles.
• 🏺 Uruk, modern-day Warka, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, founded millennia ago and abandoned in the 4th century AD.
• 📜 Uruk is famous for producing the first epic poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and is considered a birthplace of writing.
• 🏛 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.
• 🌾 Uruk's agricultural practices evolved from basin irrigation to furrow irrigation, which increased productivity and necessitated a centralized administration.
• 🌱 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.
• 🏙️ Uruk underwent an urban revolution, transitioning from small groups of farmers to a complex society with macro-society and task specialization.
• 📈 The city's surplus was reinvested by the palace or temple, leading to the expansion of agricultural infrastructure, construction of defenses, and trade.
• 🔢 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.
• 🏰 Uruk's infrastructure and administrative systems developed significantly during the 4th millennium BC, including urban planning and political influence over the region.
• 🛠️ 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

00:00

🏛️ 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.

05:02

🌾 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.

10:06

📜 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.

15:06

📚 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.

20:08

🏺 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.

🗝️ 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.

Keywords

💡Curiosity Stream

Curiosity Stream is a subscription streaming service that offers a vast library of documentaries and non-fiction content. It is mentioned in the script as the sponsor of the video, offering a 30-day free trial. The service is relevant to the video's theme as it provides educational and informative content, which aligns with the video's focus on ancient history and archaeology.

💡Uruk

Uruk, also known as Warka, is identified as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back to ancient Mesopotamia. The city plays a central role in the video's narrative, detailing its historical significance, cultural advancements, and architectural marvels such as ziggurats. Uruk is highlighted for its innovations in writing, urban planning, and societal structure.

💡Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh refers to the legendary hero and king of Uruk, who is central to the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the first epic poems. In the video, Gilgamesh symbolizes the city's cultural and mythological heritage. His story illustrates the city's ancient roots and the development of literature and oral tradition.

💡Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia, often called the 'Cradle of Civilization,' is the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers where some of the earliest human civilizations developed. The video discusses how Uruk, located in this region, was influenced by its geographical location, which in turn affected its agricultural practices and societal structure.

💡Ziggurat

A ziggurat is a massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia, typically featuring a terraced, pyramidal shape. In the context of the video, ziggurats are highlighted as architectural innovations of Uruk, serving both religious and administrative functions. They are indicative of the city's architectural prowess and the importance of religion in ancient society.

💡Cuneiform

Cuneiform is one of the earliest systems of writing, developed by the Sumerians of Uruk. The script is characterized by its wedge-shaped marks made on clay tablets. In the video, cuneiform is discussed as a significant innovation that facilitated administration, record-keeping, and the development of literature, exemplified by the Epic of Gilgamesh.

💡Irrigation

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to land to assist in growing crops. The video explains how early inhabitants of Uruk developed irrigation techniques to manage the unpredictable rainfall and utilize water from nearby rivers. These methods were crucial for the city's agricultural success and its ability to support a growing population.

💡Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy refers to the administrative system or set of rules that govern an organization. The video mentions that Uruk introduced the first forms of bureaucracy, including the use of cylinder seals for personal property and signatures on documents. This innovation reflects the city's complex social structure and the need for organized administration.

💡Alluvial Plain

An alluvial plain is a flat and fertile area of land created by sediment deposited by rivers. The video describes Uruk's location in the alluvial plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provided fertile soil for agriculture. This geographical feature was instrumental in the city's growth and development.

💡Sargon of Akkad

Sargon of Akkad was the first ruler to unify the entire region of Mesopotamia under one empire. The video discusses how Uruk and Sumer fell under Sargon's rule, which led to periods of rebellion and eventual decline. Sargon's conquests highlight the political shifts and the impact of external powers on the city's autonomy and culture.

💡Sacred Marriage

The sacred marriage was a ritual practiced in ancient Mesopotamia, symbolizing the union between a goddess and a mortal representative. In the video, the ritual is mentioned in relation to the goddess Inanna of Uruk, where the king would participate in this ceremony to ensure the city's prosperity and protection. It underscores the intertwining of religion and state in ancient societies.

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

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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

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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

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