One study carried out at Abu Salabikh in lower Mesopotamia indicated that the production was distributed between different households of different sizes, wealth, and power, with the large institutions at the top. Southern Iran saw profound socio-economic and political transformations between 6500 and 3000 bc, which are marked by a series of innovations in ceramic production.This paper looks at the pace and nature of change in prehistoric ceramic technology and decorative style to investigate the relationships between processes of culture change, innovation and transmission. La zona arqueològica, Tell al-Warka, mesura uns 5,5 km² i ha estat explorada des de meitat del segle xix. The development of woolworking, which increasingly replaced linen in the production of textiles, had important economic implications. Paléorient 39(1): 15–22. Uruk period vase. [80] This final aspect was especially connected with the cattle, which became essential for work in the fields with the appearance of the ard, and the donkey which assumed a major role in the transportation of goods. But the phenomenon which is known as the Uruk expansion is detected on sites situated across a vast zone of influence, covering the whole Near East, regions which were not all really part of the Uruk culture, which was strictly-speaking limited to Lower Mesopotamia. This was accompanied by a number of social changes resulting in what can fairly be called an 'urban' society as distinct from the 'rural' society which provided food for the growing portion of the population that did not feed itself, although the relationship between the two groups and the views of the people of the time about this distinction remain difficult to discern. It has proven difficult to make the levels at different sites correspond closely enough to attribute them to a single period, making the elaboration of relative chronology very complicated. [113] This phenomenon was characterised by Gordon Childe at the beginning of the 1950s as an 'urban revolution', linked to the 'Neolithic revolution' and inseparable from the appearance of the first states. Study of the buildings on this site shows that it was a planned settlement, which would have required significant means. The fact that these symbols appeared together might indicate a kind of league or confederation uniting the cities of southern Mesopotamia, perhaps for religious purposes, perhaps under the authority of one of them (Uruk?). Remains have been uncovered of an ovoid wall, enclosing several buildings organised around a central court, with a large structure to the north which might be a public building. The king-priest and his acolyte feeding the sacred herd. Thereafter, the buildings were vastly larger than earlier, some had novel designs and new construction techniques were used for the structure and the decoration. But in many cases, the cult foundations of buildings seems very probable, based on the similarity with buildings in later periods which were certainly sanctuaries: the white temple of Uruk, the temples of Eridu, of Tell Uqair. Around 3000 BC, the site was destroyed by a fire. Le Rider, G. 1992 ‘ Les clauses financières des traités de 189 et de 188 ’, Bulletin de correspondance héllenique 116: 267–77 Le Rider , G. 1993 ‘ Les ressources financières de Séleucos IV (187–175) et le paiement de l’indemnité aux Romains ’, in Price , M. , Burnett , A. and Bland , R. 92 les relacions. [64] In the Levant there was no stratified society with embryonic cities and bureaucracy, and therefore no strong elite to act as local intermediaries of Urukian culture and as a result Urukian influence is especially weak. Període primerenc d'Uruk-X XVI (4000-3800 aC). The aspects traced here are mostly those of the Late Uruk period, which is the best known and undoubtedly the period in which the most rapid change took place—it is the moment when the characteristic traits of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization were established. To the east there is a very important group of structures—notably a 'Square Building' and the 'Riemchen Temple Building', which were subsequently replaced by other buildings with original plans, like the 'Hall with Pillars' and the 'Hall with Mosaics', a square 'Grand Court' and two very large buildings with a tripartite plan, 'Temple C' (54 x 22 m) and 'Temple D' (80 x 50 m, the largest building known from the Uruk period). ... Diasporas, Colonies and Interaction in Uruk Mesopotamia. Development of "symbolic technology", accounting and bureaucracy, General works on prehistoric and proto-historic Mesopotamia, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFFrankfort1970 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFLanger1972 (, R. Matthews, "Jemdet Nasr: The Site and the Period,", harv error: no target: CITEREFSumer1999–2002 (, For a summary of the debate on this point, see: J. S. Cooper in (, Convenient summary of the buildings in the levels of Uruk belonging to the Late Uruk period in (, Summary of the excavations of this level, by S. Pollock, M. Pope and C. Coursey, "Household Production at the Uruk Mound, Abu Salabikh, Iraq,", M.-J. Archaeological sites from this period produce large quantities of pottery, showing that a new level of mass-production had been reached, for a larger population—especially in cities in contact with large administrative systems. [114] The causes of the appearance of cities have been discussed a great deal. [93], It is clear that there were major changes in the political organisation of society in this period. Following the same principle, phonetic signs were created (phonograms, one sign = one sound). They are very diverse: some use a sexagesimal system (base 60), which would become the universal system in subsequent periods, but others employ a decimal system (base 10) or even a mixed system called 'bisexagesimal', all of which makes it more difficult to understand the texts. La producció cinematogràfica de tot el món ha omplert les nostres pantalles de gèneres, escenaris i situacions diverses, fantàstiques o reals, presents, passades o futures. [82], The production of pottery was revolutionised by the invention of the potter's wheel in the course of the 4th millennium, which was developed in two stages: first a slow wheel and then a rapid one. and were thus pervasive in everyday life. This theory presents writing as a radical conceptual change, resulting in a change in the way the world was perceived. Les decouvertes de tres nombreux fragments de ceramique permettent de suivre une stratigraphie precise. Le Brun and F. Vallat, "Les débuts de l'écriture à Suse,", For a quick representation of this tradition account, see J. Bottéro, « De l'aide-mémoire à l'écriture », dans. E2.IRI12.GAL, Sumèria: ES-gal) d'Ishtar va ser afegit als districtes d'Anu i Eanna. Al lloc d'Uruk hi ha la població d'al-Warka. The 4th millennium saw the appearance of new tools which had a substantial impact on the societies that used them, especially in the economic sphere. 331-344: Humanities 367: offprint files: Amiet, P. 1986: L'age des échanges inter-iraniens: Humanities 367: offprint files: Amiet, P. 1992 Early urbanisation should therefore be thought of as a phenomenon which took place simultaneously in several regions of the Near East in the 4th millennium BC, though further research and excavation is still required in order to make this process clearer to us.[70][69][116]. The presence of a cult surrounded by institutions and bureaucracy, relying on their capacity to produce or collect wealth and apparently controlled by a royal figure indicates that the religion which is seen in the sources was an official religion, in which the sacrificial act was seen as preserving good relations between men and gods, so that the latter would ensure the prosperity of the former. But the texts of Uruk, which constitute the majority of the total corpus for this period, were discovered in a trash heap rather than in the context in which they were produced and used; this makes it difficult to identify them. He also is shown leading cult activities, as on a vase from Uruk of the Jemdet Nasr period which shows him leading a procession towards a goddess, who is almost certainly Inanna. [60] Some other theories propose a form of agrarian colonisation resulting from a shortage of land in Lower Mesopotamia or a migration of refugees after the Uruk region suffered ecological or political upheavals. El 2003 aC, [98] He is also found in victory scenes accompanied by prisoners or structures. Terracotta, ca. [119] The appearance of institutions and households with some important economic functions was accompanied by the development of administrative tools and then accounting tools. : You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work; to remix – to adapt the work; Under the following conditions: attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. Depuis la découverte en Syrie des sites de Habuba Kabira et de Djebel Aruda dans les années 1970, qui ont rapidement été considérés comme des colonies ou comptoirs des porteurs de la civilisation d'Uruk partis s'installer loin de leurs terres, on s'est interrogé sur la nature des relations entre la Basse Mésopotamie et les régions voisines. Its surface area, the scale of its monuments and the importance of the administrative tools unearthed there indicate that it was a key centre of power. El 1925 aC, va ser conquerida per Larsa. At some other sites, construction from this period has been found, but they are usually known only as a result of soundages. Pottery was simply coated with slip to smooth the surface and decoration became less and less complex until there was basically none. [19] The largest institutions contained multiple 'departments' devoted to a single activity (cultivation of fields, herds, etc.). Beyond the expansion of sheep farming, these were notably in the institutional framework,[81] which led to changes in agricultural practice with the introduction of pasturage for these animals in the fields, as convertible husbandry, and in the hilly and mountainous zones around Mesopotamia (following a kind of transhumance). G. Philip, "Contacts between the 'Uruk' world and the Levant during the fourth millennium BC: evidence and interpretation," J. N. Postgate (ed. Tell Brak has also produced evidence of writing: a numeric tablet and two pictographic tablets showing some unique features in comparison to those of southern Mesopotamia, which indicates that there was a distinct local tradition of writing. Out of these urban agglomerations, it is Uruk, the period's eponymous site, which was the largest by far, according to our current knowledge, and it is the main one from which the chronological sequence of the period has been constructed. From Telloh, ancient city of Girsu. From Telloh, ancient city of Girsu. [139] It is perhaps at the end of the Uruk period that the first signs of anthropomorphism of divinities that became the norm in subsequent periods. (eds. In the model developed by Denise Schmandt-Besserat, the tokens were first reported on the clay envelopes, then on clay tablets and this led to the creation of the first written signs, which were pictograms, drawings which represent a physical object (logograms, one sign = one word). l'Esagila va ser un dels principals )2001 (, M. Paszke, "Date palm and date palm inflorescences in the Late Uruk period (c. 3300 BC): botany and archaic script", in, harv error: no target: CITEREFJoannès_(dir. This writing system is pictographic, made up of linear signs incised in clay tablets using a reed pen (both reeds and clay being very easily accessible in southern Mesopotamia). Els nens/es es veuran submergits en aquest context de la mà d’algun famós director actual i d’un actor o actriu de renom. There is new progress in the development of state-societies, such that specialists see fit to label them as 'complex' (in comparison with earlier societies which are said to be 'simple'). Durant aquesta època, Uruk va ser dividida [31] This site was surrounded by a wall which has been only partially revealed and several buildings have been brought to light, including a platform which supported a building, only traces of which remain. From this point of view, the pre-writing system which developed around 3400–3200 BC functioned as an aide-mémoire and was not capable of recording complete phrases because it only had symbols for real objects, especially goods and people, with a vast number of numerical signs for the multiple different metrological systems, and only a few actions (Englund calls this the stage of the 'numerical tablets' and of the 'numero-ideographic tablets'). of Chicago . Depuis la découverte en Syrie des sites de Habuba Kabira et de Djebel Aruda dans les années 1970, qui ont rapidement été considérés comme des colonies ou comptoirs des porteurs de la civilisation d'Uruk partis s'installer loin de leurs terres, on s'est interrogé sur la nature des relations entre la Basse Mésopotamie et les régions voisines. [63] The case of Susiana and the Iranian plateau, which is generally studied by different scholars from those who work on Syrian and Anatolian sites, has led to some attempted explanations based on local developments, notably the development of the proto-Elamite culture, which is sometimes seen as a product of the expansion and sometimes as an adversary. [90][79], For transport at the local and regional level in Lower Mesopotamia, boats made from reeds and wood were crucial, on account of the importance of the rivers for connecting places and because they were capable of carrying much larger loads than land transport.[91]. J.-D. Forest, "The State: The Process of State Formation as Seen from Mesopotamia," S. Pollock and R. Bernbeck (ed.). Examples of urbanism in this period are still rare, and in Lower Mesopotamia, the only residential area which has been excavated is at Abu Salabikh, a settlement of limited size. However, although long-distance trade is undoubtedly a secondary phenomenon for the south Mesopotamian states compared to local production and seems to follow the development of increased social complexity rather than causing it, this does not necessarily prove a process of colonisation. The Uruk period, particularly in its late phase, is characterized by the explosion of "symbolic technology": signs, images, symbolic designs and abstract numbers are used in order to manage efficiently a more complex human society. They have a tripartite plan, arranged around a reception hall with a foyer opening onto an internal courtyard, with additional rooms arranged around it. 3200 BCE. series a2 = idu . [34] These cylinder seals, as well as bullae and clay tokens, indicate the rise of administration and of accounting techniques at Susa during the second half of the 4th millennium BC. Thus the old rural house was adapted to the realities of urban society. Clay was not the sole building material: some structures were built in stone, notably the limestone quarried about 50 km west of Uruk (where gypsum and sandstone were also found). [53] In his view, which has met with some approval, but has also found many critics,[54] the 'Urukians' created a collection of colonies outside Lower Mesopotamia, first in Upper Mesopotamia (Habuba Kabira and Jebel Aruda, as well as Nineveh, Tell Brak and Samsat to the north), then in Susiana and the Iranian plateau. [117][118] This model of a house with a central space remained very widespread in the cities of Mesopotamia in the following periods, although it must be kept in mind that the floor plans of residences were very diverse and depended on the development of urbanism in different sites. Soundages carried out on the sites of most of the key cities of Mesopotamia in the historic period have revealed that they were occupied in this period (Kish, Girsu, Nippur, Ur, perhaps Shuruppak and Larsa, and further north in Diyala, Tell Asmar and Khafajah). First, although the appearance of writing was undoubtedly connected to the managerial needs of the first state, it led to profound intellectual changes. These different inventions allowed the progressive development of a new agricultural landscape, characteristic of ancient Lower Mesopotamia. On the details and range of changes in this foundational period in Mesopotamia in relation to other civilizations, see especially the contributions in M. Lamberg-Karlovsky (ed. [73] It is in this period that one sees the general appearance of the potter's wheel, writing, the city, and the state. ), et Acculturation à L’ Époque d’Uruk Au Moyen-Orient. "Approche physique de la comptabilité à l époque d Uruk: Les bulles-enveloppes de Suse", in: Préhistoire de la Mésopotamie (17-19 décembre 1984) , pp. [132], The texts of this period are mostly of an administrative type and are found principally in contexts that seem to be public (palaces or temples), rather than private. These gods received various offerings in everyday cult, but also in festival ceremonies like those in subsequent periods. The Uruk period also saw important developments in the realm of pastoralism. Uruk va entrar de nou en un període de decadència, de la qual mai es va Thus this new city has every appearance of being an Urukian colony. Algaze's theory, like other alternative models, has been criticised, particularly because a solid model remains difficult to demonstrate while the Uruk civilization remains poorly known in Lower Mesopotamia aside from the two monumental complexes that have been excavated at Uruk itself. [147], SixteenthDynasty [93] The gods seem to be associated with specific cities - as was characteristic of Mesopotamia from the 3rd millennium BC—rather than being linked to specific forces of nature. The creation of smaller bricks enabled the creation of decorative niches and projections which were to be a characteristic feature of Mesopotamian architecture thereafter. Level V of Godin Tepe could be interpreted as an establishment of merchants from Susa and/or lower Mesopotamia, interested in the location of the site on commercial routes, especially those linked to the tin and lapis lazuli mines on the Iranian plateau and in Afghanistan. The most remarkable constructions are located in the sector called the Eanna (after the temple which was located there in subsequent periods and possibly already at this stage). Additionally, real and fantastic animals were always present on seals, often as the principle subject of the scene. [126] The development of these administrative practices necessitated the development of a system of measurement which varied depending on what they were to measure (animals, workers, wool, grain, tools, pottery, surfaces, etc.). This is demonstrated by the structures created in the Eanna district of Uruk during the Late Uruk period, which show an explosion of architectural innovations in the course of a series of constructions which were unprecedented in their scale and methods. The great vase of Uruk also seems to represent a procession bringing offerings to the goddess Inanna, whose symbol appears on the frieze. Tertius Chandler, Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census, Edwin Mellen Press, 1987, Destrucció de patrimoni per part d'Estat Islàmic, https://ca.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uruk&oldid=25915838, Pàgines amb etiquetes de Wikidata sense traducció, Pàgines amb enllaç commonscat des de Wikidata, Llicència de Creative Commons Reconeixement i Compartir-Igual, Meskianggashe (Dumuzi) el Pescador, abans del 2700 aC. centres de l'astronomia neobabilònic. -A cette époque la voie de l’urbanisation s’ouvre avec l’apparition dans les collectivités villageoises d’une sociétè politique qui les incitaient a la construction d’un territoire commun. The monumental architecture is more imposing than that of the preceding period; 'Temple D' of Eanna covers around 4600 m2—a substantial increase compared to the largest known temple of the Ubayd period, level VI of Eridu, which had an area of only 280 m2—and the Eanna complex's other buildings cover a further 1000 m2, while the Ubayd temple of Eridu was a stand-alone structure. LEufrates (en àrab الفرات, al-Furāt; en turc i en kurd Fırat; en persa فرات, Furât; en arameu, en l'Antic Testament, Prath; en assiri Pu-rat-tu; en persa antic Ufratu; en siríac, Frot o, Prât; en grec antic Ευφράτης, Eufrates) és un riu que en gran part discorre per l'Iraq. [92] Regardless, the institution of state-like political structures is concomitant with several other phenomena of the Uruk period. [120] This, notably, allowed them to administer trading posts with precision, noting down the arrival and departure of products—sometimes presented as purchase and sale—in order to maintain an exact count of the products in stock in the storerooms which the scribe had responsibility for. These are thus very hierarchical habitats, indicating the social differentiation that existed in the urban centres of the Late Uruk period (much more than in the preceding period). From the middle of the 4th millennium, it transitions to the best-known period, "Late Uruk", which continues until around 3200 or 3100 BC. This conformed to the theory of the 'temple-city' which was in vogue during the inter-war period. Some researchers have attempted to explain this final stage as the arrival of new populations of Semitic origin (the future Akkadians), but there is no conclusive proof of this. According to Glassner, this indicates that the invention of writing cannot be entirely linked with material considerations. [49] Further west, the site of Tepecik [de; fr; tr] has also revealed pottery influenced by that of Uruk. Uruk III, which corresponds to the Jemdet Nasr period, sees a complete reorganisation of the Eanna quarter, in which the buildings on the site were razed and replaced by a grand terrace, which ignores the earlier buildings. These figurines have enormous eyes and are definitely votive deposits. The intensification of fieldwork in northern Mesopotamia, the upper region of the Tigris-Euphrates basin, has revealed two cycles of expansion and reduction in social complexity between 4400 and 2000 BC. The 'Eye Temple' (as its final stage is known) has walls decorated with terracotta cones which form a mosaic and with inlays of coloured stones and a platform which might have been an altar and is decorated with gold leaf, lapis lazuli, silver nails, and white marble in a central T-shaped room. The only important structure from the end of the 4th millennium BC so far known from the region outside Uruk is the 'Painted Temple' on the platform of Tell Uqair, which dates to the end of the Uruk period or perhaps the Jemdet Nasr period, and consists of two terraces superimposed on one another with a building of around 18 x 22 m identified as having a cultic function. The change in size reflects a step-change in the ability of central authorities to mobilise human and material resources. [109] Among the main causes proposed by proponents of the functionalist model of the state are a collective response to practical problems (particularly following serious crises or a deadlocks), like the need to better manage the demographic growth of a community or to provide it with resources through agricultural production or trade, alternatively others suggest that it was driven by the need to soothe or direct conflicts arising from the process of securing those resources. [61], Other explanations avoid political and economic factors in order to focus on the Uruk expansion as a long term cultural phenomenon, using concepts of koine, acculturation, hybridity and cultural emulation to emphasise their differentiation according to the cultural regions and sites in question. [16] In Lower Mesopotamia, the researchers identify this as the Jemdet Nasr period, which sees a shift to more concentrated habitation, undoubtedly accompanied by a reorganisation of power;[13][17] in southwestern Iran, it is the Proto-Elamite period; Niniveh V in Upper Mesopotamia (which follows the Gawra culture); the "Scarlet Ware" culture in Diyala.