HIST 2A Lecture 2: Lecture #2
Document Summary
Mesopotamia questions: (3300-2350 bce) (2340-2110 bce) (2110-2000 bce) (1792-1595 bce) Greek word: land between the rivers -> tigris and euphrates rivers. Mesopotamia = regional name; not the name of the people. 60 cities between the tigris and euphrates in southern mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is the first place that shows agriculture that shapes the land and produces massive population growth. Early mesopotamia from hunter-gather to agriculturalist society. City-states -> independent, autonomic cities; do not get along that well. Irrigation networks -> bring water from the tigris/euphrates river into their farm land. Irrigation contract between king and engineer (5,000 people included in the contract) Economic origin/basis- cylinder seals and tokens (with symbols) Baked clay tablets (write on soft clay, then let it bake and harden) Shrinking agricultural space because of growing populations. A lot of cities competing for resources -> shortage of resources. The problem with city-states -> each had their own king and their god/objectives.
