Chapter 16 Uruk Culture

readx;?? The temple architecture is magnificent and larger than that of the Obaid culture, with the temple as the center, large-scale settlements emerged, and developed into the city, laying the foundation of the Sumerian city. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Uruk is the most famous of these settlements. The area of the urban area at the time of the 6th floor is not less than 0.81 square kilometers. Among them, official buildings, garden cemeteries and private houses each account for one-third. The temple buildings are concentrated in the temple of Iana and the temple of Tenjinan. The representative buildings of the former are the White Temple, the Red Temple, the Labyrinth and the Cone Palace. The colonnade of the hall is arched by two rows of columns with a diameter of 2.62 meters, and the walls are decorated with red, white and black conical inlays. The grandeur of the scale and the high level of mosaic decoration of these buildings reflect the level of development of the productive forces of the time.

In particular, this period produced the earliest hieroglyphs in Mesopotamia.

A small stone slab was found at Ohaimir Heights, near the ruins of Kish, with straight lines on both sides depicting pictorial symbols representing various things, including the recognizable human heads, hands, feet, and linear symbols, dating to about 3400 BC, which is the earliest writing ever discovered. At present, more than 2,000 hieroglyphs of the Uruk culture have been discovered, most of which are written on clay tablets.

The culture is popular with wheeled red or gray polished pottery, some decorated with simple inscriptions, and shaped like bell-shaped jars with high handles and long mouths. This period was also characterized by the prevalence of metalwork, mainly bronze weapons such as spears and clubs, and gold and silver vessels. Stone production tools such as stone axes and knives, as well as pottery sickles, continue to be used. The inhabitants are engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, and artificial irrigation is known. Handicrafts, especially pottery and quarrying, were increasingly separated from agriculture and became independent industries. The alabaster statues of this culture are also exquisite.

During the Timget Nase culture period (3100~2900 BC), the widespread use of writing, the appearance of clay tablets, and significant advances in irrigation facilities, civil engineering, and metalworking led to the formation of a city-state centered on the shrine. It can be seen that the development of ancient civilizations in the Sumerian region was a coherent process.

In 3023 BC, Mesh Gyag Ghasher established the First Dynasty of Uruk. It also adopted the method of "divine authority of kings", claiming to be the king of Uruk with the permission of the goddess of the earth, Qi, so there is a middle word for enlightenment in the name, but for some reason, its descendants all believe in the god Ianna, and built the temple of Ianna in the city of Uruk.

Mash Giag Gasher 'ag-, reigned 24 BC, 3023-2999 BC.

During his reign, the foundations of his rule were laid, but the kingdom system was not formally established. But Uruk had become the hegemon of the Sumerian region of southern Mesopotamia. It has always posed a significant threat to the rule of the neighboring Kishdynasty. At that time, the Sumerians ruled mainly in the Sumerian region.

The reign of Mesh Giyag Ghasher forced the First Kish Dynasty to pay tribute to Uruk. Uruk had become the de facto overlord of southern Mesopotamia.

He claimed to be the son of the sun god Utu, and legend has it that he entered the sea and became a god when he died.

Nmocal, reigned: 10 years, 2999-2989 BC. Prefix: Great King.

In 2999 BC, Uruk's son, Nmokal, succeeded to the throne of Uruk, the second king of the First Uruk dynasty.

St. Lugar Banda, reigned 20 years, 2989-2969 BC. Prefix: Holy, Intermediate Word: Great King.

In 2989 BC, the priest-turned-Banda came to power as King of Uruk through a mutiny, the third king of the First Dynasty of Uruk.

Among the Sumerians, the theocracy was at the top, so many kings were born into the priestly class.

Lugar, is one of the titles of the kings of the Sumerian city-states. The Sumerian city-state kings had three titles, namely "En", "Ensi", and "Lugar".

In Sumerian, the word is made up of two morphemes: lu+ means "man" and gal means "great". Literally translated as "Lord", i.e. King. "Ensi" was the city administrator, with a lower status than the king, and had independence in the early days, written én-si. Enn itself is the abbreviation of the god Enki, which was later extended to two meanings: one is "master", and the other is the highest sacrifice of the temple, and does not specifically refer to the king of the city-state (the ancient king used this title in the epic), not the special title of the king. But in the early Sumerian period, the meaning of grace was similar to that of Lugar.

En and En Si are both the title of the agent of the main deity of the state, and their duties are to manage the finances of the gods, manage the economy of the temple, and preside over the construction of public works. In addition, there may be military and judicial powers.

Lugar originally meant "lord", and later it came to mean "master" and "king". What may have started as a "dictator" who was temporarily elected in the event of an emergency such as war gradually evolved into a permanent position as a result of the ongoing war. The positions of Lugar and Ensi are generally hereditary. In contrast, Lugar was more powerful, and only the ruler or overlord of a powerful country was qualified to be called Lugar.

For example, one of Kish's powerful dynasty founders called Lugar, and the seven rulers who succeeded him were so weak that they abandoned the title of Lugar in favor of En-Si, who called the patron saint of his city "the true Lugar".

But neither En Si nor Lugar were autocratic monarchs. At this time, there were two other authorities in the Sumerian states, namely the Council of Elders and the Assembly of Citizens. Together, they are called the Council of the City-States (Sumerian, Akkadian). The Council of Elders, made up of nobles, and the Citizens' Assembly, which consisted of "adult men," constrained and constrained the royal power.

During the reign of St. Lugar Banda, Uruk's power was weakened.

Later in his reign, King Kish's power was at the height of the power, and although he did not attack Uruk, he reduced his tribute to Uruk.

St. Tumus, reign: 40 years, 2969-2929 BC. The name is derived from the god Tumus. Tumus is from the city of Ku'ara in Kuwara.

In 2969 BC, Toumus, a fisherman, as the commander of the army, staged a mutiny to oust Lugarbanda and became the king of Uruk, the fourth king of the First Uruk Dynasty.

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