ARCH 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Dahshur, Narmer, Saqqara
27 Jun 2018
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Mesopotamian Civilization (continued)
Home to Uruk (considered the worlds first true city)
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Development of Writing:
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see Feder Chapter 10 for a discussion of the beginning of the written
record (pg. 376-378)
Cuneiform **
This is a type of writing invented in Southern Mesopotamia
3500 B.C**.
□
Written by impressing wedge shaped signs into wet clay using
a stylus
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Earliest information about economics
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§
Know the different phases of writing in Mesopotamia**
Five stages in Mesopotamia
9000 ya keeping track by small tokens--16 basic shapes
of tokens in the archeological record (counters for
particular goods--found in public places, like temples)
1)
6000 ya--more elaborate--there is about 300 different
types of tokens--various different etchings
2)
5500 ya--tokens are no longer the separate counters--
tokens are sealed inside envelopes (clay)
3)
5200--stopped using enveloped--instead pressed tokens
against wet clay
4)
5000-5100 ya--stopped using tokens--scribe --stylus
would press against wet clay and write like that (see true
system of writing)
5)
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Cylinder Seals
About inch-inch-and-half
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A characteristic Mesopotamian artifact is the cylinder seal.
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Smooth cylinder carved with intricate scenes often including humans
and animals. **
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Became widespread during the Uruk period.--wide spread around
3500--same time period of the development of writing
§
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Tells
Mounds of accumulated rubble representing the site of an ancient
city.--layers of debris
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A tell differs in both scale and content from a midden
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Tell Barri, Syria--inhabited (not just a garbage dump)
§
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Fall of state-level civilization was irrigation
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Early State Civilizations - Egypt**
NE Africa--Nile River Valley (fertilize the land with rich silt--excellent for
farming)
Important for communication and transportation
§
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No need for large scale irrigation system
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Chronology of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian civilization is divided into several broad periods.
§
Predynastic Period 4500-3000 B.C.
Upper and Lower Egypt were ruled by a number of chiefdoms
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Several predynastic chiefdoms flourished in Upper Egypt (ex.
Naqada and Nekhen)
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Increase in social complexity
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Nomadic moved into Nile and practiced domestication
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Social status emerging--tell by the burial goods
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New housing forms--living in rectangular mud brick
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The Dynastic period (the early dynastic 3000 B.C.-2575 B.C.)
Dynasty 1-3
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Major sites Hierakonpolis, Abydos, Saqqara
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Begins 3000 B.C.
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Marked by the Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt--one
ruler
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Narmer first ruler (of both Upper and lower Egypt)
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Depicted on the Narmer Palette
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Periods of integration (ruled under one leader) and collapse
§
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Hieroglyphics
The picture-writing of ancient Egypt.
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Origins are more difficult to understand
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5200 yo tokens from a tomb at Abydos--found tags
§
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Rosetta stone: aided in the interpretation of hieroglyphics
Carved around 196 B.C
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The stone had three types of script
Hieroglyphics--Egyptian script
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Demotic--Egyptian script
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Greek--language of administration
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Pharaoh
Title of the king or ruler of ancient Egypt.
§
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Old Kingdom 2575 to 2134B.C.
Dynasty 4-8
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Giza , Memphis
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Pyramids at Giza were constructed during this period
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The era of pyramid building was short lived, with most being
constructed during the Old Kingdom Period
§
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Images and descriptions of the following pyramids will be presented:
Djoser’s pyramid at Saqqara, 2650B.C.
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Pyramids of Sneferu at Dashur, about 2600B.C.
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The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, 2560B.C.
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Khafre’s pyramid and sphinx at Giza, 2532B.C.
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Origins of the State: Mesopotamia cont'd/Egyptian
Civilization (pg. 378-388, 395-402)
Monday, November 6, 2017
11:21 AM
Document Summary
Home to uruk (considered the worlds first true city) Development of writing: see feder chapter 10 for a discussion of the beginning of the written record (pg. This is a type of writing invented in southern mesopotamia. Written by impressing wedge shaped signs into wet clay using a stylus. Know the different phases of writing in mesopotamia** 9000 ya keeping track by small tokens--16 basic shapes of tokens in the archeological record (counters for particular goods--found in public places, like temples) 6000 ya--more elaborate--there is about 300 different types of tokens--various different etchings. 5500 ya--tokens are no longer the separate counters-- tokens are sealed inside envelopes (clay) 5200--stopped using enveloped--instead pressed tokens against wet clay. 5000-5100 ya--stopped using tokens--scribe --stylus would press against wet clay and write like that (see true system of writing) A characteristic mesopotamian artifact is the cylinder seal. Smooth cylinder carved with intricate scenes often including humans and animals.
