Mesopotamian Politics

II. The Record

Resources

Figures

Marco De Pietri – November 2023

Introduction
Figure 1a: Ancient Syro-Mesopotamia
Figure 1b: Modern countries in Syro-Mesopotamia
Figure 2a: The “trimorphic” landscape
Figure 2b: The “Fertile Crescent”
Figure 2c: Early Transcaucasian sites
Figure 3a: The “Four River Banks”
Figure 3b: Urkesh
Figure 3c: Norther and Southern Mesopotamia
Figure 4: Uruk
Figure 5a: The Sumerian core
Figure 5b: The scribal koiné
Figure 5c: The urban diffusion
Figure 5d: Sumerian city-state model
Figure 6a: Commercial routes
Figure 6b: “Epic” expeditions
Figure 7a: Hurrian city-state model
Figure 7b: Hurrian city-state model: the outer boundary

[NB: STUB page; the selection of figures is not yet defined; in any case, they do not necessarily correspond to figures in the Origins volume (references to figures in the book will be provided) (ZHy07 mDP)]

NOTE: click on figures to open them larger in a new tab

Introduction

This page displays some figures published in the volume At the Origins of Politics, while others are not present in the printed book.

Figure 1a: Ancient Syro-Mesopotamia

Ancient Syro-Mesopotamia with indication of the most important regions and geographical entities

Figure 1b: Modern countries in Syro-Mesopotamia

Modern countries insisting on the area of ancient Syro-Mesopotamia with indication of modern countries' borders

Figure 2a: The “trimorphic” landscape

Ancient Syro-Mesopotamia presented a kind of "trimorphic" landscape, characterized by rainfall in the North, an arid and poorly irrigable area to the South-West, and an irrigated zone in the South-East

Figure 2b: The “Fertile Crescent”

The so-called "Fertle crescent," i.e. the most fertile area in ancient Syro-Mesopotamia

Figure 2c: Early Transcaucasian sites

To the North of the "Fertile Crescent," early Transcaucasian sites developed, having contacts to the South already in the 4^th millennium BC

Figure 3a: The “Four River Banks”

The core area of ancient Mesopotamia was known as the land of the "Four Rover Banks," and was located along the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers

Figure 3b: Urkesh

The location of ancient Urkesh/Tell Mozan within the land of the "Four Rover Banks," whose extension is here compared to that of modern California

Figure 3c: Norther and Southern Mesopotamia

Urkesh/Tell Mozan represented in the North (the "Khabur triangle") a parallel phenonemon of urban and state organization and development, contemporary to that happening in Southern Mesopotamia

Figure 4: Uruk

This figur shown the commercial routes leading from Uruk to the North (towards Malatya, in modern Turkey) and the South (to the region of Susa); note the peculiar spot of Qraya, which was deeply involved in sal production in the 3^rd millennium BC (cf. Buccellati 1990a and Buccellati 1990b)

Figure 5a: The Sumerian core

The very core of the Sumerian land was located in southern Mesopotamia

Figure 5b: The scribal koiné

From the Sumerian core, writing was "exported" toward Upper Mesopotamia and Syria, leading to the creation of a variagated "scribal koiné"

Figure 5c: The urban diffusion

Along with writing, the very idea of urban development spread from its original Sumerian core towards the North, the West, and the South-East

Figure 5d: Sumerian city-state model

A graphic representation of the Sumerian city-state model (cf. "The core" ...)

Figure 6a: Commercial routes

From Mesopotamia, commercial routes where established towards the South-East (the Persian Gulf) and to the Noth-West; some of these routes are also mentioned in expeditions attested in literary compositions, such as the "Epic of Gilgamesh" (cf. below, Fig. 6b).

Figure 6b: “Epic” expeditions

In the "Epic of Gilgamesh", some expeditions are told referring to actual or mythical locations situated all around the Mesopotamian world

Figure 7a: Hurrian city-state model

A model of the Hurrian city-state structure

Figure 7b: Hurrian city-state model: the outer boundary

A wider, "expanded" model of the Hurrian city-state structure, including expansion towards areas outside of the main city; various citadel nuclei developed within the outer boundary of the core center