Civilizlas civilizations of the ancient East

<span>N IS THE CIVILIZATION OF AN TE N REIO Tiguan. CEPT WITH THE STATE. Arch MO N THE ORIGIN N DIVI NO: some groups of people who settled in the present territories of Egypt, Iran or Iraq and that they formed powerful states, able to dominate large areas around them. They are the empires of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Persia. Although we focus on the first two, all have a number of common characteristics: 1 The economy was predominantly agricultural and was based on the work force posed by slaves. 2 Their political system was formed as a theocratic monarchy. the king, or Pharaoh in Egypt, exercised his power as a god, was considered property of the whole territory and are aided by collaborators (nobles, scribes, etc.). to exercise this power. 3 The society was hierarchical social groups had different economic power, the largest group being formed by slaves and peasants very poor. 4 The religion was animistic and polytheistic, t hese religions believe in the existence of the soul and its persistence after death. 5 The artistic creations are testimony to this spiritual concern and reflect the enormous power of the monarch, including the pyramids of Egypt. MESOPOTAMIA The name comes from "between rivers" will establish several groups of people is between the Tigris and Euphrates. In the history of Mesopotamia one can distinguish several stages. These will happen in time and are as follows: 1. The Sumerians: They settle in around the year 3000 BC, are installed in city-states, major cities were Sumerian Ur, Eridu, Lagash and over all of Sumer, where he took the name of the Sumerian civilization. Sumerian society was as fundamental to the king. One of the great contributions of the Sumerians is writing. Great importance has also discoveries in arithmetic. Religion, politics, had as early deification of the forces of nature and the consecration of the elementsments of this agriculture-based society - pastoral. The Sumerian gods were more than three thousand, An, god of the sky and father of the gods, Enlil, lord of the wind, which determined human destiny and Ea, lord of the water and benefactor of mankind. Sumerian art: It was considered one of the great "science" along with writing and irrigation farming techniques. Architecture: Its foundation clays and is used as adobe brick building element. The temples were formed by a platform that rose three-story rectangular staggered. An example would be the White Temple of Uruk, built between 2800 and 2600 a. C. Plant churches also appear oval, as Kafadyi City. The tombs are built with ramps, most important examples of these tombs are located in the Royal Cemetery of Ur Sculpture: They are well known so-called "tablets" which are reliefs with a central hole and where the sculpturesare arranged in horizontal bands. An example is the tablet of Ur-nina patesi, the city of Lagash. Another example of sculpture are the "Stela", are rectangular plates, rounded at the top, where they represented historical issues, such as acts of war, which were important to the city as the "Stele of the Vultures" sumptuary arts : This name is given to examples of artistic or bras made with precious or semiprecious materials (gold, silver, ivory, lapis lazuli, etc.). The best-known work is called the Standard of Ur. 2. The Akkadian Empire in Mesopotamia The situation in 2340 BC. C is a continuous military conflict between the Sumerian city-states and a lifting of the priests against the king of the city of Uruk, known Lugalzagesi. Sargon conquers the king of Uruk and founded the city of Akad. Akkadian Art The military nature of this people will be reflected in their art forms, while characteristics or rules of the Sumerians. In architecture are los types created by the Sumerians, in sculpture Stela of Naran-free, 3. The period N eosumeria. After the defeat of the Akkadians, the city of Ur dominates and unifies the entire territory and gets a period of peace, economic prosperity and back to the Sumerian culture, among which stand the towns of Lagash, Uruk and Ur. At the end of this period between the twentieth and nineteenth centuries before Christ, the struggles between the various kings of the area and the constant threat of foreign peoples make the whole territory is divided into two parts: the north, which will develop called Assyrian Empire and the south, where the city of Babylon will have a stranglehold. The art of the period N eosumeria. Architecture: It is very important at this time creating a prototype that will have great success in the subsequent architecture of Mesopotamia: the Ziggurat. It is a temple built in height, based on ramps and stairs, arriving to take up to seven stories high, which surface tapers in height and is topped with a small temple that serves orOBSERVATORY, in which the priests watched the stars. The sculptures represent the best representation of the over thirty preserved sculptures of King Gudea of Lagash. They are made in stone brilliant blue or black diorite and dolerite. 4. The Assyrian Empire The Assyrians were a nomadic group that spread across a region in northern Mesopotamia, Assyria, devoted to trade and had established trading enclaves in some parts of modern Turkey. Drawing on the infighting got introduced in the northern territory of the Sumerians. attempt to conquer Egypt and get over some period of time, to be kings of Babylon. Notable are the kings Sargon, Na ran-Sin (with the same name but different at the time of the Akkadian kings), Shalmaneser nasirpal or Assurbanipa Assur-l. in the seventh century BC, Cyaxares, king of the Medes, sacked the capital of the empire. Characteristics of the Assyrian Empire:
Monarchy: The king is considered the representative of the god Assur, appointscourt officials such as Grand Vizier of Assyria, supreme judge, the general of the army, the Great Intendant;'s Herald palace or the Butler staff. The king was treated as a god than a human being. Was consistently protected by servants and military and, before him, the subjects must bow down and kiss the ground. The administration of the Assyrian Empire: The Assyrians were expert warriors and traders. Assyrian society: They were divided into two major groups of human beings: the free or "awilu" and the slave population or "Ardani. The economy: The Assyrians on the land cultivated cereals, sesame seeds, vines and garden products. Large and medium surfaces were worked to free wage labor or slaves. Religion: The gods, headed by the god Assur, were represented with human forms (Anthropomorphic). In different cities rose temples to the god Ashur and his wife, the goddess Ishtar, and Enlil, god of the land; inurta, god of lightning and tormenta or Sin, the moon god. Art: The conquering people, to be submitted to the Babylonians, of which become independent then maintains a warrior character that permeate its forms and manifestations of art Architecture Architecture will have a very important expression of Khorsabad city, built by Sargon the Great. Sculpture: The most important surviving works of Assyrian sculpture decoration comes from the great palaces. 5. The Babylonian Empire
Around 2200 BC, building setbacks from the Sumerians and the decomposition of the kingdom of Ur, some nomadic groups, who came from desert areas, dominated, sometimes peacefully and other violently, cities of southern Mesopotamia ( Isin, Larsa, and Babylon, among others) and settled in them taking over. In these cities their kings were acquiring the character of gods and were assuming and taking the characteristics of the Sumerians. In the early nineteenth century BC, a Babylonian dynasty was installed to and get that for three centuries, this city will become the political and cultural center. The leading figure was King Hammurabi. He became king when he was between 25 and 30 years of age and, once in power, began to dominate militarily or through covenants, all of Mesopotamia. It was called so
"King of Sumer and Akkad" and "King of the four regions," to symbolize his domination of the entire territory, reaching from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. Features Babylonian Empire: The Politics: In an initial period followed by city-states ruled by local kings until Hammurabi unified the whole territory. This empire was divided to be administered in districts or provinces with governors who were sent ahead on behalf of the king. Following the political scheme of antiquity, the king was the representative of the god, Marduk, and was called "Great King". Society Through the Laws made by the kings, especially since the Code of Hammurabi, we know that there were three kinds of people awilium (Free) mushkenum (lower) and wardum (slaves). Saving The king's palace and temples controlled all economic sectors, since they were large landowners. In these cultivated barley and wheat,sesame and palm oil to make to get dates. Metal crafts, jewelry and textiles was highly valued, as well as trade. This encouraged the growth of highly developed economic formulas, such as bail or money order. The law was very developed at this time and are known for the clay tablets or hard stone stelae which were set by law. Religion: Although religion was polytheistic in nature (they are known almost 4000), are governed by Marduk, god of Babylon. For him creating the "Epic of Creation", which appears as a protector god of men. He is credited with the power to heal and to establish the fate of humans and was given a grand temple worship in
Babylon by the statue of his wife, the goddess Zapanitu. Science and technology: We emphasize the mathematical knowledge. They operated with the four rules (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), as well as calculations with powers, radicals and equations of different degrees. Art: Architecture
The great creation of this new rule will be the construction of Babylon, especially the renovations carried out in the sixth century BC by abucodonosor. Sculpture: The sculptures from this period are derived from the decoration of the Royal Palace and other buildings in this city of Babylon. Although not done here but in Anatolia, highlights the huge basalt sculpture known as the "Lion of Babylon."