Mesopotamia Land Between the Rivers Part Two
Sargon A Semite Akkad c. 2300-2200 BC Established himself as King over the North Founded Akkad Reigned 55 years Peaceful First time Mesopotamia reunited in over 2,000 years
Sargon Bust of an Akkadian ruler, probably Sargon, Nineveh, ca. 23rd - 22nd century BC.
Akkad c. 2300-2200 BC Sargon Ruled from upper to the lower sea Future Kings were inspired to see this as their territorial limits Maintained control by Having other cities destroy their walls Placed garrisons and former governors Took members of ruling families as hostages Took control of Lebanon s wealth Silver Timber
Lebanon Cedar in the Forest of the Cedars of God
Akkad Akkad c. 2300-2200 BC Capital was Agade Somewhere near Babylon Not found archeologically
Society Changes Akkad c. 2300-2200 BC Language Akkadian begins to be written in cuneiform Sumerian continued along side Principal deities were Sumerian See: http://www.sarissa.org/sumer/sumer_g.php
Akkad c. 2300-2200 BC Short in supply, the Empire gain abundance of Bronze Silver Wood Precious stone
Akkad c. 2300-2200 BC Empire begins to shift From city-state to centralized government From temple or government owned property to private property From few individual rights to increased rights
The Guti c. 2200 BC Mountain peoples living on eastern border Blamed for bringing down Akkad Disrupting communication and trade with Mesopotamia Upsetting country s elaborate irrigation system Dominate power for about 100 years Many cities remain total free of their rule
The Guti c. 2200 BC Mesopotamians called them barbarians Period is characterized as political unrest Who is King? Who is not King? Overthrown by a King Utuhegal or Uruk followed by Ur-Nammu who founded a new dynasty
UR III c. 2100-1800 BC Third Sumerian dynasty of Ur Called the Sumerian Renaissance Sumerian becomes the major language Founded by Ur-Nammu True dynasty, father to son Kings considered themselves gods Last time this is seen in Mesopotamia
Ur-Nammu (seated) bestows governorship on Ḫašḫamer, patesi (high priest) of Iškun-Sin (cylinder seal impression, ca. 2100 BC)
UR III c. 2100-1800 BC Domestic affairs major thrust for Ur- Nammu Law code formed Oldest known Preamble states that it was written so justice might be established in the land King wanted to do away with those, who seize the oxen, sheep or donkeys.
UR III c. 2100-1800 BC King also wanted social justice for the poor and helpless Wanted to make sure, the orphan was not given over to the rich, the widow was not given over to the powerful, the man of one shekel was not given over to the man of one mina.
Law Code of Ur-Nammu Sample Laws http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/code_of_ur-nammu If a man commits a murder, that man must be killed. If a man commits a robbery, he will be killed. If a man violates the right of another and deflowers the virgin wife of a young man, they shall kill that male If a man has cut off another man s foot, he is to pay ten shekels
UR III c. 2100-1800 BC End of Dynasty Amorites who had crossed the rivers to graze their flocks since the Early Dynastic Period began to threaten the political stability of Ur One Amorite became King of Larsa while King Ibbi-Sin was King of Ur (city-state)
Amorite Notes The Amorites may have come of European origin, though no one is sure what was their ethnic origin. They were represented on the Egyptian monuments with fair skins, light hair, blue eyes, curved or hooked noses, and pointed beards. They were supposed to have been of great stature.their king, Og, is described by Moses as the last "of the remnant of the giants" (Deut. 3:11)
Amorite Notes They seem to have originally occupied the land stretching from the heights west of the Dead Sea to Hebron, embracing "all Gilead and all Bashan", with the Jordan valley on the east of the river, the land of the "two kings of the Amorites," Sihon and Og See: Gen 14:7,13:8; Deut 3:8-10, 4:46-49, 31:4; Josh. 2:10; 9:10
Amorite Notes The five kings of the Amorites were defeated in a great slaughter by Joshua (10:10). They were again defeated at the waters of Merom by Joshua, who smote them till there were none remaining (Josh. 11:8). It is mentioned as a surprising circumstance that in the days of Samuel there was peace between them and the Israelites (1 Sam. 7:14).
UR III c. 2100-1800 BC Famine Struck One of King Ibbi-Sin s Generals staged a coup Elamites swept in from the east Burned Ur to the ground
Elamite Notes Descendants of Elam, whose name was given to the district of Elam Genesis 10:22 Also Known as Men of Susa Ezra 4:9 Present at Pentecost Acts 2:9
Abraham http://www.theology.edu/abraham.htm Abraham was probably born under the new Sumero- Akkadian Empire of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2135-2025 BC). Ur-Nammu took the title "King of Sumer and Akkad"; His mightiest work was the erection of the great ziggurat at Ur, which remains the best preserved of all monuments of this type.
Ziggurat of Ur The Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu erected on top of a smaller structure which may have been as old as the reign of Mes-Anne-padda of the First Dynasty of Ur (c. 2800-2600 BC). Its upper part was the work of Nabonidus. The bulk of the great artificial mountain, however, had been constructed by Ur-Nammu, and his name and title were discovered stamped on the bricks.
Ziggurat of Ur The tower was a solid mass of brickwork 200 feet long, 150 feet wide and about 70 feet high. The facing, covering the inner core of unbaked brick, consisted of baked brick set in, eight feet in thickness. The ziggurat was thus a mountain of brickwork, a "high place" or artificial hill
Ziggurat of Ur Originally the shrine of Nana (Nannar or Sin), the moon god, stood on the uppermost stage Ur was dedicated to this deity Other deities might have their temples, but at Ur a whole quarter of the city was set apart for him He was called "the Exalted Lord", the "crown of Heaven and Earth", "the Beautiful Lord who Shines in Heaven"
Nana (Sin) Was the moon god Nana or Sin Moon god Second in rank of all the gods Controlled the night, month and calendar Able to read into the dark future and see the destinies of people Figurines of the god(s) were placed under the threshold of the house and worn as amulets to protect them from evil
Nana or Sin Moon god On cylinder seals, he is represented as an old man with a flowing beard and the crescent as his symbol. Represented by the number 30 and the moon, symbolic of the moon's crescent This number probably refers to the average number of days (correctly around 29.53) in a lunar month, as measured between successive new moons
Abraham The Old Testament states that Abraham's home was originally in lower Mesopotamia, specifically the city of Ur he subsequently emigrated to Haran in upper Mesopotamia on his way to Canaan (Gen. 11:28-31; 12:1-4; 15:7; Neh. 9:7) Abraham's native city is referred to as Ur of the Chaldees. (The qualifying phrase "of the Chaldees" may not be an anachronism as many critics hold, but simply a later gloss to explain to a subsequent age, when Ur and its location had vanished, that the city was located in southern Babylonia)
Abraham Abraham s father Terah was polytheistic - Joshua 24:2 By 2000 BC the Mesopotamians had created over 4000 deities! There is the story told in the Talmud, of when little Abraham was six or seven, his father left him in charge of his idol shop while he went out to conduct some business.
Abraham When his father got home, he discovered to his horror that all the idols had been smashed, but one -- the big one in the center, who was holding a stick in its hands. "Abraham, what have you done?" demanded his father. "I? Nothing. The Big idol got angry and smashed all the little idols." "Don't take me for a fool, son. Idols don't get up and walk around, they don't breathe, they don't eat and they don't move -- and they certainly can't smash anything." "Then why do you bother worshipping them?"
Abraham Abraham witnessed numerous smaller Elamite and Amorite states in Mesopotamia who between 2100 and 1800 BC took over the heritage of the Third Dynasty of Ur after its collapse and the subsequent destruction of the capital city, Ur. Egypt, during Abraham, was powerful; it was the time of the strong Middle Kingdom, under the Twelfth Dynasty (2000-1780 BC).
Abraham His brother Haran lived there long enough to father Lot Haran died in Ur III City of Ur Protected by a defensive wall 2 ½ miles in circumference Chief deity was the moon god Nana (Sin) Streets meandered and some came to a sudden dead-end (!?)
Abraham Typical House found in Ur Two story of mud bricks, usually whitewashed First floor entrance, single door, led to small lobby Lobby opened up to a courtyard around which rooms were arranged Rooms surrounding courtyard were used as work or guest rooms
Abraham Courtyard had drain to channel rainwater into a cistern for storage Some wealthy homes had running water Raised cistern, pressure Staircase led to balconied second floor where sleeping and leisure rooms were located
Abraham Clothing in Ur Outer garment like a classical Roman toga For work, men wore a wrap-around kilt Men usually bearded (ringlets) and full heads of hair Women s clothing was more draped with addition of jewelry
Foods Abraham beer, milk, wine beef, duck, goat, lamb, shellfish, snails apples, cherries, figs, dates, mulberries, peaches, pomegranates, raisins cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, peas millet, rye, wheat and don t forget barley! Common people saw little meat except on festival days meat sacrificed to the gods/goddesses
Abraham Emigrated from Ur when it was just entering its heyday of power and prestige, with a dynasty that lasted over a century. He would, moreover, be leaving Haran for Canaan when his native city had reached the height of its influence in southern Mesopotamia.
Abraham s Move Terah decided to move Abraham and Lot followed Probably traveled from Ur to Larsa where the main road to the North began At Simppar had to choose whether to continue along the Euphrates River or cross over the Tigris
Abraham s Move Gen 11:31 states the destination was Canaan, but they only went as far as Haran, it seems they crossed the Tigris This Road to Emar led north through Assyrian territory and west toward the Mediterranean No reason given why Terah stopped at Haran
Abraham s Move Possible reasons for stopping in Haran An important caravan city Politically peaceful Gone farther, enter a foreign culture Perhaps it was because Ur and Haran both had the same principle deity Nana Notes: Among Haran's trading partners was Tyre (Ezekiel 27:23). One of Haran's specialties was the odoriferous gum derived from the stobrum tree.
Traditional mud brick "beehive" houses in the village of Harran, Turkey.