Mesopotamian Town Planning

ABHISHEK K. VENKITARAMAN IYER

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

HUMAN SETTLEMENTSLECTURE 2

Overview and Timeline of Ancient Mesopotamian Civilization

Mesopotamia is one of the cradles of human civilization. Here, the earliest cities in world history

appeared, about 3500 BC.

c. 5000-3500 BC: The first city-states gradually develop in southern Mesopotamia. This is the

achievement of the Sumerian people.

c. 3500: Writing begins to be developed. At first this is based on pictograms, and takes about

a thousand years to evolve into a full cuneiform script.

c. 2300: King Sargon of Akkad starts conquering the first empire in world history. The empire

reaches its height in c. 2220.

c. 2100: The city of Ur becomes the centre of a powerful Mesopotamian state. It soon falls into

decline. This marks the decline of the Sumerians as the Amorites, a nomadic people, start moving

into Mesopotamia.

1792-49: King Hammurabi of Babylon conquers a large empire. Hammurabi is famous for the

law code which he issues. His empire begins to decline immediately after his death.

c. 1530: Babylonia is conquered by the Kassites, who rule the area for 400+ years.

c. 1500: The Mitanni, an Indo-European people, conquer northern Mesopotamia, plus areas of

Syria and Asia Minor. After 200 years the kingdom of Assyria conquers northern Mesopotamia

from the Mitanni

From 1100: Nomadic peoples such as the Aramaeans and the Chaldeans overrun much of

Mesopotamia. The kingdoms of Babylon and Assyria go into temporary decline.

Ancient River Valley Civilizations

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Oldest known civilization

Cradle of Human Civilization

Nebuchadnezzar

Ziggurat

Hanging gardens

FIRST SUMERIANS

Sumerians first arrived in region around 5000 BC

Typical Paleolithic people motivated by search for game

Settled in region and took up farming

Built dams, dikes, and short canals to use water from the Euphrates

Grew barley and dates and raised sheep and goats

SUMERIAN AGRICULTURE

Each was crisscrossed by irrigation system of major canals and minor channels Designed to bring water from Euphrates to

farmland

Farmland divided into square and rectangle-shaped plots Farmers worked land with plows, seed-drills, and

stone hoes and received yield of 40:1

Other areas set aside as gardens and fruit orchards

Carts pulled by donkeys and boats on the canals took produce to the urban center itself

The Beginnings of WritingFarmers needed to keep records.

The Sumerians were very good farmers. They raised animals such

as goats and cows. Because they needed to keep records of their

livestock, food, and other things, officials began using tokens.

Tokens were used for trade.

Clay tokens came in different shapes and sizes. These

represented different objects. The number of tokens began to be

pressed on the outside of the clay balls. Many experts believe

that this is how writing on clay tablets began.

A system of writing develops.

The earliest form of writing dates back to 3300 B.C. People

back then would draw "word-pictures" on clay tablets using a

pointed instrument called a stylus. These "word-pictures" then

developed into wedge-shaped signs. This type of script was

called cuneiform (from the Latin word cuneus which means wedge).

Who used cuneiform?

Not everyone learned to read and write. The ones that were

picked by the gods were called scribes. Boys that were chosen

to become scribes (professional writers) began to study at the

age of 8. They finished when they were 20 years old.

Geography

This civilisation rose in the valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Some say this Fertile Crescent was the real Garden of Eden.

The layout of cities:

There is not enough at the lower levels of explored mounds to give us a total image of the

Mesopotamian city before the Early Dynastic Period. By then a dozen or so cities containing from

10,000 to 50,000 people prospered, both in lower Mesopotamia or Sumer and further north in

Babylonia.

SUMERIAN CITY-STATES

City-states gradually emerged over next 1000 years

Ur, Uruk, Lagash, Nippur, Kish, Umma, etc.

Larger than Neolithic settlements and displayed evidence of economic specialization and strong political organization

Included the urban center plus surrounding countryside

Each was also an independent political unit

Lagash

In the city-state (or state), kin and tribal loyalties are, by definition, subordinated and replaced by

political ties. What makes a city-state different from an agricultural town is the synergy created

by its people interacting with each other on the basis of political relationships rather than

traditional blood ties.

Why Did These Cities Develop?

Due to the fertile soil in

Mesopotamia, farming was very

successful. In fact, people were

able to create surpluses of food.

This meant that some people could

stop farming and begin doing other

things, like building a city.

As cities began to develop,

people began to worry about

others who might come and

invade their city. They wanted to

protect themselves from enemies,

so people in Mesopotamia built

walls around their cities.

Historical and Analytical account of cities in

Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia means land between rivers.

Four broad segments of chronology will suffice to govern our discussion.

The first is the so-called

Protoliterate Period, from ca.3500 to 3000 B.C.

Early Dynastic Period, from 3000 to 2350 B.C.

Sumerian Period, from 2350 to 1600 B.C.

Assyrian Period, from 1350 to 612 B.C.

2-Early Dynastic Period:

When the role of these leaders was

retained in times of peace as well, kingship,

first elective and then hereditary, became

established. With it raised the monumental

palace, an administrative center which

employed a large retinue of bureaucrats

and entertainers & occupied itself with

raising and supplying an army and

maintaining the defensive system of the city.

1-Protoliterate Period:

During this time , the towns, which had

probably evolved from agricultural

villages, acquired their battlements of ring

walls; and the temple and the ziggurat

began to gain architectural definition.

Political authority resided in an assembly

of male citizens that selected short-term

war leaders.

Uruk: a substantial ceremonial hub by 3500 B.C.

3-Sumerian Period:

This period saw the rise of empire,

the collective rule of several city-

states through the might of a

sovereign king. The first part of the

period is dominated by the Third

Dynasty of Ur whose prodigious

building activity includes the

Ziggurate of Ur-Nammu, the high

point of that building type.

4-Assyrian Period:

The northern region of the two rivers

now flourishes at the expense of

lower Mesopotamia. The Assyrian by

their imposing state reliefs and their

palaces, like the one at Khorsabad.

Ziggurat of Ur Nammu

A Sumerian City

Sumerian city streets were

so narrow that you could

hardly get a cart through

them.

Sumerian houses faced

away from crowded

streets. Instead, they faced

onto courtyards where

families ate and children

played.

Narrow Streets

Courtyard Area

On hot nights, people slept

outdoors on the top of their

houses flat roof.

CITY CHARACTERISTICS

Each city surrounded by walls

Permanent garrisons of soldiers stationed in towers and at each gate

Wide boulevards crossed city, lined by houses of the wealthy

Rest of city made up of narrow, twisting alleys surrounded by small, flat-roofed huts

Homes of farmers, and small craftsmen

A typical Sumerian city with its Ziggurat

The first city

Cities began to emerge in Mesopotamia

(modern Iraq) around 4500 years ago.

Ur, the capital of ancient Sumeria, was

the worlds first city. It supported a

complex and sophisticated society.

Ur(Iraq):

The cities were closed by a wall and surrounded by suburban

villages and hamlets.

The two monumental centers were the Ziggurat complex with its own

defensive wall, overseen by a

powerful priesthood, and Palace

of the king.

Lesser temples were sprinkled here and there within the rest of

the urban fabric, which was a

promiscuous blend of residential

and commercial architecture.

Small shops were at times incorporated into the houses.

In the later Sumerian period at Ur, an example of a bazaar was

found.

Ur, the capital city of Mesopotamia

LAYOUT PLAN OF UR

1.Temenos Precinct

2.Nimin-Tabba Temple

3.Royal Cementery

4.Royal Mausolea

5.Residential Area

6.City Wall

7.Fortification Tower

8.North Harbor

9.West Harbor

5

6

34

7

1

9

6

5

8

7

7

52.

Traffic along the twisted network of unpaved streets was mostly pedestrian. At Ur, one sees on occasion a low flight of steps against a building from which riders could mount,

and the street corners were regularly rounded to facilitate passage.

Street width at the very most , would be 3 meters (9 feet) or so, and that only for the few principal thoroughfares that led to the public buildings. These would be bordered with

the houses of the rich.

Poorer folk lived at the back ,along narrow lanes and alleys. It is hard to imagine much wheeled traffic in this maze, though both service carts (with solid wheels) and chariots had

been in use from an early date.

Once walled the land became precious, and the high value of private property kept public space to a minimum. Ample squares or public gardens were very rare.

The houses were grouped into congested blocks, where partition walls were common.

Ur, residential area southeast of theroyal mausolea in the twentieth

century B.C.;Plan

The houses were , for the most part, one-storey structures of

mud-brick, with several rooms

wrapped around a central court.

There were usually no outside

windows, no attempt to contribute to

a street architecture.

The wealthier classes of Ur lived in ample hoses of dozen or so

rooms, arranged on two storeys,

and whitewashed inside and out.

Architects designed

perfect house plan,

rectangles divided

neatly into orthogonal

rooms around a

central living space.

But the reality of

living town played

havoc with the

conceptual order of

the architect. The

building lots were not

of uniform size. Each

house was compelled

to fit into a

predetermined space.

1. Courtyard

2. Entry Vestibule

3. Reception Room

(Liwan)

4. Private Chapel5. Kitchen

6. Lavatory

7. Stair case

8. Drain

9.Shop

Ur, Residential quarter between the Ziggurat precinct and the West Harbor , Plan

1.

1.

3.

8.

4.

2.

3.

1.

9.

1.1.

4

.

5.6.7.

Temple and Ziggurats:

The temple constituted the heart

of the Mesopotamian city.

For the townspeople the fields and

their produce belong to the deity. The

seeds, draught animals, and implements

of tiling were supplied by the temple,

and the harvest was stored on its

grounds for distribution to the

community. Craftsmen, organized in

guilds, offered part of their output to

the temple, and so did fishermen with

their catch and builders with their

labor.

The temple complex was the hub of

an economic system that has been

described as theocratic socialism.

With its own wall around it , it formed

the last bulwark against the citys

enemies

There were two

ways in which this

temple differed

from others in the

city. It stood on a

tremendous

platform called

the ziggurat, and

being free of the

pressures of

density in its

ample precinct, its

form could afford

to be both regular

and open.

Uruk

For thousands of years,

Nippur was the religious

center of Mesopotamia.

According to Sumerian

religion, it was at Nippur

where Enlil, the supreme

god of the Sumerian

pantheon, created mankind.

Although never a capital city,

Nippur had great political

importance because royal

rule over Mesopotamia was

not considered legitimate

without recognition in its

temples. Thus, Nippur was

the focus of pilgrimage and

building programs by dozens

of kings including Hammurabi

of Babylon and Ashurbanipal

of Assyria.

Map of

Nippur

GA

TES

PARK

TEMPLE

TEMPLECANAL

Political Timeline

Sumer, 3200-2350 B.C. Sargons Empire, 2350-2320B.C. The Dynasty of Ur, 2100-2000B.C.

The Amorite invasions, 2100-1900 B.C. Reign of Hammurapi of Babylon, 1792-1750 B.C.

Economic: trade and farming

Sumerians (Mesopotamians) were known to trade with the Egyptians and the Indus Valley civilizations.

In later years, these trade routes became Silk Road.

SOCIAL CLASSESEstablishment of a social hierarchy where some people had more power, wealth, and privileges than others

Equality originally prevailed in Sumerian city-states

But divisions soon appeared

First group to claim special privileges and status were priests

Gave up working and began to live off work of others

Temples given huge tracts of land which priests rented in small parcels to farmers

Lived off rent The King

The Governors

The Aristocracy

The Peasantry

SLAVERYOriginated with practice of men selling themselves and/or their families to pay off debts Supplemented by using prisoners of war as

slaves

Demand for slaves increased as civilization progressed Advance of civilization did not bring same

benefits to everyone

Some benefited a great deal

Others saw a deterioration in their situation

Civilization brought important benefits but it also introduced inequality, exploitation, taxes, and slavery

LUGAL

Cities originally governed by an assembly of adult males

Kings appeared who claimed to be representatives of the gods and who took control of most government functions Called lugals

Not originally an hereditary position and the kings power was limited to interpreting the will of the gods

But this position would become extraordinarily powerful in a relatively short period of time

GENERAL ANARCHY

Although an occasional city-state would temporarily control the region from time to time, more common were long, anarchic periods where the various city-states fought each other over boundaries and water rights

Constant warfare, shifting alliances, and double-crosses were important characteristics of ancient Sumer

SARGON THE GREAT The worlds first empire

From Akkad

North of Sumer

Originally settled by

nomads from Arabia

Fairly untouched by

Sumerian civilization

for centuries

THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE

In 2000 BC, the Amorites moved into region from Arabia Settled near Babylon and ultimately took it

over

Amorites/Babylonians prospered and became wealthiest and more powerful people in Mesopotamia

Under King Hammurabi, they conquered the region Babylonian Empire Peak of Mesopotamia civilization Produced first written law code

Empire collapsed shortly after Hammurabis death Victim of new invading tribes and jealously

independent spirit of Sumerian city states

Hammurabi

Hanging gardens of Babylonia

The ancient city of Babylon, under

King Nebuchadnezzar II, must

have been a wonder to the

traveler's eyes. "In addition to its

size," wrote Herodotus, a

historian in 450 BC, "Babylon

surpasses in splendor any city in the

known world."

Herodotus claimed the outer walls

were 56 miles in length, 80 feet

thick and 320 feet high. Wide

enough, he said, to allow a four-

horse chariot to turn. The inner walls

were "not so thick as the first, but

hardly less strong." Inside the walls

were fortresses and temples

containing immense statues of solid

gold. Rising above the city was the

famous Tower of Babel, a temple to

the god Marduk, that seemed to

reach to the heavens

Khorsabad:

The city was a royal Assyrian foundation, begun in 706 B.C., and abandoned, unfinished,

shortly afterward.

It covered 2.5 Sq.Km. (almost 1 Sq.mile).

There were two arched gates on each side of the square, guarded by stone demons in the

form of human-headed bulls.

On the North-West side one of the gates had been replaced by a bastion that served as a

platform for the royal place.

The Royal place:

The administrative court of honor is at the top of the plan, with the great Throne Room on the left.

The entrance court is associated with a number of temples grouped along the west side. They were all served by single ziggurat that was no other example of this Mesopotamian

building type.

KHORSABAD

1. Citadel wall

2. Entrance court3. Court of honor4. Unexcavated

Khorsabad (the ancient Dur Sharrukin, Iraq),

Assyrian city founded by SargonII (721-705 B.C.), Plan

2.

3.

4.

Entrance

Court

Court Of

Honor

Temple

Un-excavated

Citadel WallKhorsabad, citadel with royal palace

Khorsabad, citadel with royal palace

Abh i shek K .V.

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