Favorable environmental factors aided agriculture, architecture, and eventually social order appeared earlier in ancient Mesopotamia.
While human civilization flourished in many parts of the world, it arose as far back as the Middle East thousands of years ago. “We know that the first cities, the first writing and the first technologies originated in Mesopotamia,” said Kelly-Anne Diamond, archeology and history specialist at the University of Villanova (United States), said.
The name “Mesopotamia” comes from the ancient Greek meaning “the land between rivers”, in particular the Tigris and Euphrates rivers – two main sources of water for domestic use. current border of Iraq and part of the territory of Syria, Turkey, Iran.
The presence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers has a lot to do with the reasons why Mesopotamia has developed complex societies. Frequent flooding along the two rivers makes the land around them fertile for food crops. This is the reason why Mesopotamia became the main site of the new stone revolution, or agricultural revolution, almost 12,000 years ago.
“The agricultural revolution transformed the lives of people on the planet, and Mesopotamia is the starting point of this process,” says Diamond.
When the elders began to cultivate and tame animals, they were able to live in a fixed place and gradually form villages. Eventually, these small settlements evolved into primitive cities, where there are many characteristics of civilization such as dense population, massive structures, and division. working, social and economic classes.
However, the emergence and development of civilization in Mesopotamia was also influenced by many other factors, especially the change in climate and the natural environment. These factors have forced the inhabitants of the region to live together more to cope and adapt.
The natural environment nourishes civilization
“Civilizations have not developed in the same way throughout the region,” said Hervé Reculeau, historian of ancient Mesopotamia at the University of Chicago (USA). “Urban societies developed independently in Southern Mesopotamia (what is now southern Iraq where the Sumerian civilization was born) and northern Mesopotamia (including northern Iraq and part of the region). Western Syria) ”.
One of the favorable factors that helped human civilization to thrive in both places was the climate of the ancient region of Mesopotamia around 6000 to 7000 years ago, much wetter than the Middle East today. ‘hui.
“The first settlements in southern Mesopotamia developed near a large swamp, which provided abundant natural resources for construction (reeds), food (wildlife, fish) and easily accessible water for irrigation. », Explains Reculeau. “In addition, the swamp also plays a role in connecting to sea lanes in the Persian Gulf, helping people living in southern Mesopotamia to trade long distance with other places.”
In northern Mesopotamia, there is enough rainfall that people do not need to water their crops much, according to Reculeau. They can also go to the mountains or jungles to cut trees for timber and hunt wild animals.
According to the British Museum, the main crops of ancient Mesopotamian farmers were barley and wheat. They also create gardens that grow a variety of plants, including beans, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, grapes, apples, figs. They milk sheep, goats and cows for butter and slaughter them for their meat.
Ultimately, the agricultural revolution in Mesopotamia led to what Diamond describes as the next big step in human development, the urban revolution.
About 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, Sumerian villages in southern Mesopotamia developed the city. One of the oldest and most important towns is Uruk, a fortified community of 40,000 to 50,000 inhabitants. Other cities include Eridu, Bad-tibira, Sippar, and Shuruppak, according to the Encyclopedia of Ancient History (Encyclopedia of Ancient History).
The Sumerians developed the first writing systems and created intricate works of art, architecture and a ruling apparatus to oversee agricultural, commercial and religious activities. The Sumerians embodied a spirit of curiosity and innovation, as they took in the achievements and inventions of other ancient peoples [for example, making pottery, weaving fabrics and trying to implement them on a large scale. large.
During this time, the region of northern Mesopotamia developed its own urban areas such as Tepe Gawra, where researchers discovered brick temples with intricate niches and trenches, and found other evidence. on a rich and unique culture.
Changes in living environment
According to Reculeau, climate change may have played a role in the growth of Mesopotamian civilization. “Around 4000 BC, the climate became drier and the flow of the river became unstable,” explains Reculeau.
The swamps of southern Mesopotamia disappeared, leaving settlements with arable land that needed regular irrigation. It requires people to actively work and work closely together to survive. From there, they gradually developed a more complex governance apparatus and social structure, in which elites used meals or paid wages in exchange for the work of others.
In contrast, in northern Mesopotamia, humans cope with the dry climate by developing social structures in reverse. “This area is transforming into a less complicated social organization. Backyard people mainly depend on villages and small-scale solidarity, ”Reculeau said.
Mesopotamia eventually saw the rise of empires like Akkad and Babylon. These are two of the empires considered the largest and most powerful of antiquity.
