Ancient Mesopotamian Civilisation(5000 BC AD 641)

Temenos A piece of land cut off and assigned as an official domain, especially to kings and chiefs, or a piece of land marked off from common uses and dedicated to a god, a sanctuary, holy grove or holy precinct

Telltell (meaning "hill" or "mound)

A type of archaeological site in the form of an earthen mound that results from the accumulation and subsequent erosion of material deposited by long human occupation

Mostly consists of architectural building materials containing a high proportion of stone, mud brick, or loam as well as (to a minor extent) domestic refuse.

PlanningMonumental organization and planning was carried out only in the centers and complexes of Mesopotamian cities.

These centers were laid out using axial planning (rectangular arrangements) often with solar or astronomical orientations.

In striking contrast, the residential parts of the cities, which were not planned at all.

Housing areas grew from the inside out: the house was based on rooms around a central courtyard, and neighborhoods were based on the houses. The normal building material was sun-dried mud brick--a very efficient and appropriate building material.

With population growth came crowding in the cities: open areas disappeared and thoroughfares became narrow, winding alleys.

Hammurabis Code of lawsA well-preservedBabylonianlaw code -1750 BCConsists of 282 laws with scaled punishments, graded depending on social status (e.g. slave versus free man)

Nearly one-half of the Code deals with matters of contract, for example the wages to be paid to an ox driver or a surgeon. Other provisions set the terms of a transaction, establishing the liability of a builder for a house that collapses, for example, or property that is damaged while left in the care of another.

Early Mesopotamia5000 2000 BC(Ancient Mesopotamian Civilisation 5000 BC AD 641)

City of Ur

UrIn 2000 BC, population of 360,000 persons

Extent: 37 acres (max. 54 acres)

Cuneiform writing invented around 1700 BC

Highly stratified society, with kings and priests representing the divine powers

Wealthy noblemen also belonged to the upper class

Middle class: artisans, businessmen, teachers, scribes

Lowest class: slaves

City of Ur dAt its peak Ur was perhaps the greatest city of Ancient Sumer.

The city was walled for protection, surrounded by protective canals from the Euphrates River. Ships involved in trading could berth in safe harbors. The Great Ziggurat could be seen from a great distance, symbolizing protection and ruler ship of the city over the surrounding countryside

Ziggurat of Ur

Rear view

Babylon, 600 BC

Typical house plan

Actual site

Environmental ImpactGrowth triggered greater dependency on ever larger hinterland

Trees used for building like timber, baking clay for urban construction led to deforestation on massive scale

Caused soil erosion (e.g. shore line of Persian Gulf shifted 150 km in 2000 years)

Injudicious use of irrigation water led to saline of water, deteriorating soil conditions

***********Google image****************