Writing and City life - Class 11th - History

HANDWRITTEN NOTES 

CLASS 11TH 'HUMANITIES'
HISTORY 

Chapter 2-
WRITING AND CITY LIFE 

Mesopotamia: It is a greek word made up of two words - 'Meso' - Middle  and 'Potamas' - Rivers. Means the area between two rivers.

Mesopotamia is known as Iraq in today's time.

Mesopotamia and its geography

1] Iraq is a land of diverse environments.

2] In the North East is green undulating plains, gradually rising to tree covered moutain ranges.

3] In the north, there is a stretch of upland called steppe where animal herding offer people a better livelihood.

4] The South is of desert of arabia where as on east lies mediterranean and black sea.

5] Euphrates after entering desert, flows into small channels and provide irrigation to fields of wheat, barley etc. so, it makes southerns mesopotamia productive.

 Significance of Urbanism features of Urbanization -

1) The mesopotamia was self sufficient and a good producer of food grain due to the fertile soil, abundent amount of water and favourable climatic conditions.

2) Mesopotamia is rich in food resources but lacks in mineral resources. 

Example - No metal for tools, vessels and Ornaments.

3)Mesopotamians also traded their abundent textiles and Agricultural produce for wood, tin silver etc.

4) Mesopotamsians have division of labour. It mean's diff. people had diff occupation.

5) As in modern time we possess records similarly they used to have written records.

6) Besides food production, Urban economies comprise food production, trade, manufac- turers and services.

7) Efficient transport is also imp. for urbanization, the cheapest mode of transport is over water as animals need to fed for transportation.

8) The canals and natural channels were good transport routes of mesopotamia.

Short note on development of writing in mesopotamia

1] writing too is verbal communication- but in different way.

2] Initial: The King of uruk considered as the first person who wrote on clay tablets.

3] Pictographic: The language was such that the symbols were used to convey the message and it was written in same manner on clay tablets.

4] The first mesopotamian tablet written around 3200 BCE

Formation of clay tablet- 

5] A scribe would wet clay and pet into a size of he could  hold comfortably in one hand.

6] Then he would carefully smotthened its surfaces.

7] with the sharp end of reed, he would press wedge shaped signs. Then, after drying, it is used for sending message.

8] By 2600 BCE, the letters became cuneiform and language was sumerian.

9] writing was now used for keeping records and making dictioneries.

10] After 2400 BCE, Sumerian language replaced by Akkadian.

11] Akkadian language and cuneiform writing continued till 1st century. 

Uses of writing by mesopotamians:

Mesopotamians used writing for several purposes:

1] They used writing to convey their messages by writing symbols on clay tablets.

2) They used writing to maintain written trade records.

3] They used writing to keep legal records.

4] They used writing for storing information.

5] The monuments also describes the Attribute of Kings.

6] The mesopotamian writing give info about religious activities of that pesiod.

7] The writing was also used for exchange of message in trade.

 Short note on urbanization in Southern Mesopotamia:

1] From 5000 BCE, settlements had begun to develop in Southern mesopotamia. The earliest cities emerged from these settlements were temples, trading centres, imperial cities.

2] The earliest settlers began to build houses and temples at selected spots in villages.

3] The earliest known temple was a small shrine of unbaked bricks.

4] Temples were residence of gods - moon god of Ur, Inanna the goddess of love and mars. The mesopotamians used to dedicate fish, food grains and curd to god.

5] In spare time, oil pressing, grain grinding, spinning cloth and weaving of wollen cloth was also done in temple.

6] In Southern mesopotamia, agriculture was a subject of hazard as euphrates became a source of flood to field which destroyed crops.

7]  At the time of warfare in region, those chiefs who were successful in war distributes loot to his followers and could take prisoners from defeated groups to employ their guards and servants.

8] War captives and local people were put to work for temple or directly to the ruler. Agriculture tax was compulsory.

• Short note on life of mesopotamia:

1] Nuclear family system was practised in mesopotamia. The father was the head of family.

2] There was a absence of town planning in mesopotamia. There were narrow winding streets, irregular shapes of house.

3] There was no cleanliness as people swept all their household refuse into street, to be trodden under foot.

4] There was no proper ventillation in houses as light come into the rooms not from windows but from doorways opening into courtyards.

5] The arrange marriages were very common in mesopotamia.

6] There were superstitions regarding the house. eg: a front door that did not open towards another house was lucky, but if not then wife would be torment do her husband.

7]  At the time of marriage, gifts were exchanged by both the parties.

8] When bride's mother in law come to fetch her, then the bride was givem her share of inheritence by her father.

 Short note on mesopotamian trading from MARI:

1] After 2000 BCE, the Royal capital of mari flourished.

2] The animal rearing and herding was the main occupation of people of this region.

3] zimrilim was the king of mari and constructed a beautiful palace over 204 hectares and having 260 rooms

4] Most of territory was used for pasturing sheep and goat.

5] The people of mari used animals for Baster system.

6] When the people need credit, ornament, metal tools etc. they exchanged their young animals in return of these items.

What was the legacy of mesopotamians to the world?

1] The scholarly tradition of time reckoning and mathematics is the greatest legacy of mesopotamians to the world.

2] Some tablets have been found which are dated around 1800 BCE. These tablets are the tables of multiplication and division, tables of square and square roots, tables of compound interest.

3] The mesopotamians divided the year into 12 months, a month into four weeks. a day into 24 hours and an hour into 60 minutes. This is one of their greatest contributions to the world.

4] Mesopotamians also noted occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses. 

5] They also observed position of stars and constellations in night sky and kept their records.

Cuneiform: It is a word derived from the latin words Cuneus meaning "wedge'and forma meaning "Shape".

Gilgamesh: It was the Greatest would famous epic.

• Note on mesopotamian civilization

Important centres-  were Sumer, Babylon, Assyria and Akkad.

Society into 3 classes-

• Higher class: This class represented the King and his relations priests and government officials.

• Middle class: this class consisted of the landlords, merchants, craftsmen and

shopkeepers.

• Lower class: In this class. there were farmers, labourers, prisoners and slaves.

Main occupation - Agriculture, they produced many crops like wheat, barley, pulses etc.

→the mesopotamians were skilled in art and Crafts- they practised various occupations like ironsmith, black smith etc.

.

→ Hummurabi's code of law 

He was a Great king of the mesopotamia. He prepared a code of law in 2025 BCE. Some of the key features of these code laws are: 

- They were 282 in number.

- They deal with every aspect of life.

- These code recognise the division of society in 3 classes

- Main principle were that strong shall not injure the weak.

• It also included rules which dealt about family life, trades etc.

• Sumerian civilization of mesopotamia: 

It was the first civilization to flourish in mesopotamia 

It's main features are:

1] Political life: Many city states. King had to perform many duties and ruled with the help of officials.

2] Economic life: Main occupation was Agriculture, domestication animals and trade. They were skilled craftsmen. They were first to cultivate wheat, invention of wheel.

3] Art: Introduction of columns and arch, Ornamentation of temples and buildings, Various Crafts.

4] Social life: Society into 3 classes: Slavery prevailed there, women occupied high position.

5] Religious life: Worship of many Gods, Enlil was the chief God. Building of temples called Ziggurats, Belief in life after death, priests occupied high position in society.

6] Literature: It consists of stories, songs, Epics and hymns.

7]  Science-  Great progress in mathematics,astronomy, astrology, medicine, calender and  Eclipses.

END

Happy learning. 

Keep fighting. 

You're doing well. Have faith.

For any queries or a community in general. My telegram group link - 

https://t.me/+oqkQTOfECbM0ZmI9