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The First Country To Be Civilized by blueAgent(m): 8:53pm On Oct 08, 2015 |
There is one country that is
acclaimed for almost single-
handedly opening the door for
the world to the modern civilisation we enjoy
today. The people of this land created the
wheel and the plough, they became the first
bankers. This nation has a rich culture of
poetry and epic literature and even the first
written alphabet was created here.
Mesopotamia This country, which is known
as the Cradle of Civilisation, is not Greece or
Rome, not even Egypt - but Iraq. Originally
known as Mesopotamia, the land was
profoundly fertile thanks to the great Tigris
and Euphrates rivers. Even its earliest
farming populations, dating back to 9000BC,
were successful at growing vast quantities of
food, mostly cereal crops. As they adopted
more advanced farming techniques, including
irrigation and division of labour, from 5000BC
they even produced surplus amounts. By
3700BC the Sumerian people had invented
the wheel and the plough to help their
agriculture, an invention that would change
the face of the world forever. The success of
the fledgling civilisation and its excess
produce led to the need for trade and
commerce. The Sumerian people put this into
a structured form by creating counting
systems using first of all clay tokens then
early accounting tablets. Within two
millennium, the Sumerians, with their zest
for advancement had formed the first written
alphabet and fair trade practices were
commonplace - whereby the producer got a
good price for his merchandise, whoever
bought it. Literature Culturally, a literary
tradition sprang up, establishing itself to a
level of prominence that its themes are seen
in the Christian bible read today. The epic
story of Gilgamesh was created in 2700BC
which included the tale of an ancient and
wise man who survived a great flood by
building an ark. Noah was in fact believed to
have lived in Fara about 100 miles southeast
of the grand capital Babylon (meaning Gate
of God). Other biblical figures thought to
have come from Mesopotamia included
Abraham -recognized by Muslims, Christians
and Jews as the father of prophets - who
lived close to Eridu (now Mughair) which is
thought to be the location of the Garden of
Eden. The Tower of Babel, a massive
structure built to reach the heavens,
according to the Old Testament, was also
said to have been erected in Borsippa, south
of Babylon. However, it has never been
proven whether the mythical tower ever
existed outside the mind. However, in
2340BC a powerful military leader from the
Arabian peninsula, Sargon, led his army of
Akkadan soldiers and successfully overthrew
the Sumers. But his victory was relatively
short-lived in the history of Iraq as the
Sumers revolted in 2125BC and reclaimed
much of the country - which by now was
known as Babylonia - as their own. Empire
The Sumerian civilisation - which was made
up of two main populations, the Assyrians in
the north and Babylonians in the south -
dwindled and was not put back on track until
King Hammurabi came to power in 1700BC.
After expanding his empire to as far west as
the Mediterranean, Hammurabi then went on
to establish a fair sense of social justice for
his country - including establishing the edict
'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,'
which was known as the Hammurabi code.
After his death, the country fell under the
power of several dynasties before the
Assyrians asserted their power and enabled a
period of stability. The Assyrians were great
mathematicians and scientists and were the
first to split a circle into 360 degrees. The
next great emperor was Nebuchadnezzar who
expanded the borders into Jerusalem in
586BC. But it was his son Nebuchadnezzar II
who transformed the city of Babylon - a
couple of hours drive south of modern-day
Baghdad - into the envy of the world. It was
he who created the Hanging Gardens of
Babylon on the banks of the Euphrates, one
of the seven wonders of the world, for his
wife Amyitis who was homesick for the
mountains of her home while living on the
plains near Baghdad. Following his rule, the
country was invaded several times - including
by Alexander the Great who died there -
before the Persians were beaten to the
territory by the Muslims in the mid 7th
century AD. Cultural capital Baghdad was
to become the cultural capital of the Islamic
world under the Abbasid empire and an
important commercial centre. It remained
powerful until Ghengis Khan swept through
the country in the 13th century. The country
became destabilised in the following
centuries and was repeatedly battled over by
the Ottoman Turks and Iran. The Turks
eventually won out and effectively stayed in
place until the First World War when the
Ottoman empire collapsed. The British
invaded and after a few years agreed to an
independent Arabian government which, with
several wars and coups along the way, has
led to the present day ruling of Iraq. |
Re: The First Country To Be Civilized by pet4ril(f): 9:04pm On Oct 08, 2015 |
oh, like seriously |
Re: The First Country To Be Civilized by Nobody: 9:07pm On Oct 08, 2015 |
I agree with you OP. it is most likely that the garden of Eden and the creation story which was the popular legend of the Sumerian and those that lived around Mesopotamia were actually situated in Mesopotamia, a very fertile expanse of land which had beautiful Flora and fauna and could have inspired the creation legend as told in the Bible. *not saying the Biblical story ain't true though* 1 Like |
Re: The First Country To Be Civilized by Greyworld: 6:11am On Oct 09, 2015 |
Most historical articles claims modern civilization began in the east. Op plz space this beautiful write up e ease n encourage readn. |
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