The Ancient Mesopotamian CityClarendon Press, Nov 13, 1997 - 284 pages Urban history starts in ancient Mesopotamia. In this volume Marc Van De Mieroop examines the evolution of the very earliest cities which, for millennia, inspired the rest of the ancient world. The city determined every aspect of Mesopotamian civilization, and the political and social structure, economy, literature, and arts of Mesopotamian culture cannot be understood without acknowledging their urban background. - ;Urban history starts in ancient Mesopotamia: the earliest known cities developed there as the result of long indigenous processes, and, for millennia, the city determined every aspect of Mesopotamian civilization. Marc Van De Mieroop examines urban life in the historical period, investigating urban topography, the role of cities as centres of culture, their political and social structures, economy, literature, and the arts. He draws on material from the entirety of Mesopotamian history, from c. 3000 to 300 BC, and from both Babylonia and Assyria, arguing that the Mesopotamian city can be regarded as a prototype that inspired the rest of the ancient world and shared characteristics with the European cities of antiquity. - |
Contents
City and Society in Ancient Mesopotamia | 1 |
The Origins and Character of the Mesopotamian City | 23 |
The Mesopotamian View | 42 |
The Urban Landscape | 63 |
Social Organization | 101 |
King Citizens and Officials | 118 |
Feeding the Citizens | 142 |
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Common terms and phrases
administration agricultural Akkadian Amorites Anatolia ancient Mesopotamian city Ancient Near East archaeological assembly Assyriologie Babylon Babylonia Babylonian cities barley Borsippa building canals century Chicago citizens city walls civilization communities countryside craft craftsmen cult culture cuneiform developed documentation Dur-Sharrukin dynasty early second millennium economy empire Enlil enormous entire entrepreneurs Euphrates excavated existence extended family gate grain Greek hectares hinterland houses I. J. Gelb I. M. Diakonoff Iddin-Marduk important inner cities instance institutions Iraq Kalhu Kanish labour land Larsa late layout litres loans located London Marduk Mario Liverani Meso Mesopo Mesopota Mesopotamian history military monumental needed Nineveh Ningirsu Nippur Old Babylonian organization Parthian period Persian planned political population production records region remains residents role royal rulers Sargon Sasanian scholars sectors seems Seleucid settlement Shubat-Enlil silver Sippar social society southern Mesopotamia suburbs Sumerian texts textual third millennium Thorkild Jacobsen tion town trade Uruk villages