Babylon was a city-state that occupied the middle of Mesopotamia between the Euphrates river and Tigris river for about a 100 years. Mesopotamia can be found in southwest Asia, situated between these two rivers. The Greek term “Mesopotamia,” which is formed with the words meso and potamos – meaning middle or between – forms the definition of land between the two rivers. Mesopotamia has a rich history that is marked with inventions such as math, the concept time, sailboats and maps. The region was ruled by different rulers for a long period of time. Mesopotamia, because of its many inventions, is part of the Fertile Crescent. In the modern world, this region includes Iraq, Kuwait and Turkey. Mesopotamia’s culture, history, and government system have shaped our world today.
After its founding in 1894 BCE. Hammurabi’s rule from 1792-1750 BCE changed the world. Hammurabi, a ruler of exceptional merit who created a bureaucracy and taxation, was a remarkable figure. He liberated Babylonia from foreign rule. Then he ruled southernmost Mesopotamia and brought stability to the region. It lasted 260 year until 1531 BCE when the Babylonian Empire fell. The Neo-Babylonian empire ruled Babylon between 626 and 539 BCE. The Persians overthrew this empire in 539 BCE. They ruled until Alexander the Great arrived in 335 BCE.
Hammurabi’s Code was at the center of Mesopotamian politics. Hammurabi, Babylon’s sixth king, created 282 laws in 1754. It’s considered one of the most significant documents of Babylon’s First Dynasty and was a rewrite of Sumer laws, Akkad laws, and Assyrian laws. The code of Sumerian King Ur-Nammu, who lived between 2100 and 2050 BCE, is similar. Hammurabi Code is the oldest known deciphered text of any length. Documents highlighted the punishments depending on your social status. If, for example, someone of higher rank broke the arm of a slave, they were fined. The Code is viewed by some as a form constitutional government. The laws are arranged into groups to make it easier for citizens to read. Number 196 was one of most famous laws. It stated that if a person breaks another’s bone or destroys an eye, they must destroy the eye. One gold mina is due if you break a bone or destroy the eye of an unfree man. If you break the bone of someone else’s slave, or destroy his eye, then you will have to pay half of their price. A basalt steeel containing the cuneiform inscriptions in Akkadian, containing the Hammurabi code, is on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Other museums have replicas.
In Mesopotamian cultures, religion was very important. Mesopotamians believed that God had a profound impact on all aspects of life. People would pray and perform religious rituals in public during holy days. Mesopotamians practiced polytheism and worshipped many minor gods. Each Mesopotamian cite had a patron god. Each Mesopotamian culture or era interpreted Gods differently. Marduk, Babylonian God, is known in Sumer as Enki. The Bible reflects some Mesopotamian myths, including the Garden of Eden and Flood, as well as Creation, and Tower of Babel. Mesopotamian ideas, which are the oldest monotheistic beliefs in existence, heavily influence today’s monotheistic belief systems, including Christianity, Judaism or Islam. Early Mesopotamia was ruled by priests, who were God’s highest authority. Priests represented God as well as acted as a mediator between God and people. Later, the secular powers were transferred to a King, who still had certain religious duties. The God-favor of the kings was a major factor in their rule. Mesopotamian people honoured kings as well as priestesses and priests.
As civilization evolved, so did culture. Many festivals, ceremonies and traditions were also observed. Most of the traditions and rituals are based on passages such as marriage or birth. These events were marked by a banquet, which included food, music, and dancing. The type of food served was determined by the social status and wealth of a family. It was not known what music was played by the instruments found in Mesopotamia. Men would work in Mesopotamia, usually a specialist job like a musician or builder. Women stayed at home to take care of the children and household chores. A Mesopotamian family would have 3-4 children on average, if all survived until an age of maturity. Infant mortality was high, as were miscarriages. To protect her unborn baby, mothers would wear amulets with the symbol of demon Pazuzu, to ward away deities who would wish to harm the child. They would also perform rituals following the birth to ensure that evil spirits would not steal the child.
Mesopotamian gods were human-like. Like people, they fought, ate, drank, married and had children. Despite their immortality, they felt pain as well as death. An, Ki Ninhursag Enlil Enki, were the four main deities who ruled Heaven, Earth, Air, and Sea. Elil gradually stole all the power from An and eventually became God. These four gods were the ancestors for the rest pantheon. In Mesopotamian mythology, there were four other Gods who had great importance. Nanna was the name of a moon God. Sin was the sun God. Utu was the god of judgement. Inanna represented love and war. The rich mythology of Mesopotamia is based on its pantheon.
The Fertile Crescent was home to many empires. Sumerians of southern Mesopotamia were the first to establish schools. When writing was invented in the mid-fourth millennium BCE the idea of education became a reality. Kings realized they needed educational scribes. The first writing was pictograms. Later, cuneiform (wedge-shaped marks) inscribed on clay replaced them. The word Cuneus is a Latin term that means wedge shaped. The triangular shape pens were used to create the wedge-shaped marks. Sumerians used writing to record everything: business records, inventories and stories. Cuneiform has the advantage of being able to adapt to any language. For example, the English alphabet is used by French, German and other languages. The Sumerian cuneiform alphabet was adopted by Babylonians and Assyrians for their own language, Akkadian.
Mesopotamian literacy was a major focus of education. By the 3rd millennium complex cuneiform had developed. Twelve years were required to master the cuneiform symbols and the general knowledge of scribes. Temples were also responsible for educating boys who wanted to become priests and scribes. In the early days, scribal and temple schools were closely linked. Scribes established schools, charging high tuition. Due to the high cost of tuition, only wealthy boys could get a Mesopotamian school education. Sons of rich merchants, government officials and priests attended school every day from dusk to dawn. Sumerians did not know how to read or write cuneiform due to its difficulty. They could, however, recognize certain words. In Mesopotamia, boys probably started school around the age of 7 or 8. The only exception was for girls who were either the daughters of kings (or priestesses in training) or those who were preparing to become priestesses. Former scribes and priests who taught in the schools were extremely strict about discipline. Students were punished with whipping. Students were punished by whipping if they did not speak in turn, spoke without permission and dressed inappropriately. Teachers expected their students to obey. Students learned reading, math, writing and history. Students were required to study geography, zoology and botany as well as astronomy and engineering. Even though schools were reserved for the wealthy, it was still necessary to study a great deal to become a writer.
Cuneiform was an essential part of Mesopotamian schooling. Teachers would have students write sentences and then ask them to repeat the process until they made no mistakes. To help younger children, a teacher assistant or “big bro” was available to help. The students learned to read and write by copying, reciting, and practicing. Archaeologists found clay tablets that contained student attempts, some of which had been corrected by their teacher. A scribe who has graduated could go on to be a priest after receiving more intensive training, but he can also become a professional scribe, working in the military.
The basic cuisine of the day was Mesopotamian. The main food consumed was produce grown in the fertile crescent. Also, they consumed meat from livestock. Around 9000 BC, people started cultivating edible and useful plants. They stayed in the same place because they could produce large amounts of food. Throughout Mesopotamian History, many civilizations rose and fallen, including the Babylonians and Sumerians. However, they all ate the same food and raised domestic animals. Barley is the primary crop grown in this area. It grows easily and in abundance in this region. Bread and beer were made from barley, which was a major part of their diet. Mesopotamians were also known to grow and eat wheat, beans, chickpeas or chickpeas. They also ate onions, garlic cloves, grapes or eggplants. Mesopotamians mostly drank beer. Also available was wine, which was more expensive. Around the time of agriculture, people began to domesticate animals. The people also raised other animals, such as sheep and pigs. From milk, they also produced cheeses and other dairy products. Fish were swimming in the canals and rivers dug to irrigate gardens and crop fields. Cuneiform inscriptions reveal that their diet included more than 50 varieties of fish. Even though the people lived in cities and towns, they still hunted gazelle and deer for sport. They ate a type of gruel that was made up of grains and lentils. The gruel was eaten with barley at every meal. Beer, too, is said to be a staple. Jean Bottero, an Assyrian scientist from France, decoded tablets to reveal the first ever recipes of Mesopotamian food. These included a spicy meat stew with vegetables, a duck and vegetable soup, and braised turnips.
Between 2700 BCE and 2350 BCE, the Sumerian culture reached a high-level. Both genders wore woolen skirts that had the skin inside, and were tufted with decorative tufts. The skirts would be pinned to place, and they would extend from the waist down to the ankles or knees for higher classes. The shoulders were covered by a second sheepskin. Wool fabric began to replace sheepskin around 2500 BCE. The time also saw the wearing of long cloaks, as well as materials such a leather and feltted wool for clothing and headcoverings.
Mesopotamia’s rich culture, history and government system offered a lot and was a blueprint for modern life. Writing has evolved a lot in modern times thanks to creations such as cuneiform. Early education and the government built the foundations for today, and they both were taken seriously. The ancients introduced many ideas that have helped to shape clothing and food.
