Cultural Identity Facets Which Make Up Culture

Facets of Culture Religion Food Behaviors –Mannerisms Apparel – Clothing – Jewelry Government

Facets of Culture (cont.) Shared History Land usage Language Arts –Music –Poetry –Stories/ myths –Visual Arts

Facets of Culture (cont.) Values Geography Technology Contacts and trade Economy

First Civilizations – Sumer Sumerians settle in Tigris Euphrates valley around 4000 B.C.E.

Geography and Climate Tigris Euphrates River valley – “Fertile Crescent” River floods each spring leaving behind rich soil. Little rainfall (led to advances in irrigation) Such a flat area – very open to invasion

Technology Civilization largely dependent on advances in 4 th century B.C.E. Pottery wheel Irrigation Wheel Writing (cuneiform) Shipbuilding improvements

Technology Bronze working (around 4000 B.C.E) –Hoes –Plows –Weapons More technology increased specialization and artisan class Glass New about movement of moon and stars

Technology (cont.) Sumerian system of numbers based on 12, 60, 360.

Food Came from agriculture Increased agriculture technology created a surplus Could focus on more than survival Date trees, onions, garlic, etc Oxen used for farming

Land usage Land rights and ownership Agriculture largely led to this concept of private land Owning land provided incentive for improvements –Irrigation ditches, etc Difficulty of irrigation led to greater communities

Religion People buffeted by fate Gods are temperamental and must be appeased Built centers of worship and pilgrimage Elaborately decorated temples for grim gods that ultimately controlled human destiny

Religion (cont.) Believed every object in nature should have a separate name to ensure place in universe. Thus, writing quickly took on religious purposes. Priests controlled writing (mostly done on clay cylinders) Beliefs greatly influenced later Muslim, Christian and Jewish cultures.

Behaviors Relied on slave labor Had vast armies to help protect land

Government First code of laws comes and records kept –Largely an advance allowed by writing Based on tightly organized city-states –Urban king with great authority Ruled agricultural hinterland –Local councils to advise the king –Helped define boundaries/ land use Kings and priests had control Regional rule

Government Cont. Connected to religion

Shared History Can be seen in epic story of Gilgamesh

Arts First book: Epic Poem Gilgamesh –Adapted from oral poem –Hero does good deeds but often bumps up against the gods. Art often had a somber tone Large Ziggurats were monumental architecture with religious purpose.

Values Increased stratification of social rank

Contacts and trade Traded food and good Adopted silver as a means of buying and selling Traded with lower Persian Gulf to western Mediterranean and to India

After the decline of Sumer Sumerian culture greatly influenced later Akkadian and Babylonian cultures