Uruk was one of the most important cities in ancient Mesopotamia (was the most important). According to the Sumerian King List, it was founded by King Enmerkar around 4500 BC. Located in the southern Sumerian region (present-day Warqa, Iraq), Uruk was known as Erech in Aramaic, and is believed to have given rise to the modern name of the country of Iraq (although another possible derivative is Al-Iraq, *** name of the Babylonian region). The city of Uruk is best known for the epic story of the great king Gilgamesh and his quest for immortality, as well as for the many "firsts" in the development of civilization that took place there.

It is considered the first true city in the world, the origin of writing, the first architectural work made of stone and the construction of great stone structures, the origin of the pyramids and the first development of columns The city seal was used by the ancient Mesopotamians to designate personal property or as a signature on documents. Considering the importance of the cylinder seal to people at that time and its representation of personal identity and reputation, Uruk can also be said to be the first city to recognize the importance of the individual in the collective community. The city was continuously inhabited from its founding to BC. In 300 AD, people began to flee the area due to natural and man-made influences. It remained abandoned and buried until AD 1853 when it was excavated by William Loftus for the British Museum.

Uruk Period

During the Ubaid Period (about 5000-4100 BC), the so-called Ubaids first lived in the Sumer area, and then the Ubaids The Rukite Period (4100-2900 BC), during which Mesopotamian cities began to develop, with Uruk becoming the most influential. The Uruk period is divided into 8 phases from oldest, to prominence and decline, based on the level of ruins excavated and the history revealed by the artifacts found there. The city was most influential between 4100-3000 BC, when Uruk was the largest urban center and center of trade and administration.

Exactly how Uruk came to dominate the region, why and how it became the world's first city, and how it exercised its power is not entirely clear. Historian Gwendolyn Lake writes:

There is still much debate about the extent to which Uruk is covered by Uruk artifacts Political control is exercised over large areas, whether this relies on the use of force, and which agencies are responsible. Too little excavation at the site has provided any clear answers to these questions. However, it is clear that at this time a process of urbanization began, centered on Uruk itself. (183-184)

Since the city of Ur had a more favorable trade location, being closer to the south of the Persian Gulf, it would seem to make sense that the city rather than Uruk would have greater influence, but This is not the case.

The city was most influential between 4100-3000 BC, when Uruk was the largest urban center and center of trade and administration.

Artifacts from Uruk appear in nearly every excavation site throughout Mesopotamia. Historian Julian Reed notes:

Perhaps the most striking example of the widespread spread of certain features of Uruk culture is the distribution of what must be the most primitive form that ever existed, the so-called beveled bowl. Such mold-made and mass-produced bowls appeared in large numbers in Mesopotamia and elsewhere. (30)

The bowl appears to be how workers were paid to ladle a certain amount of grain into a standard-sized bowl. The remains of these bowls are found throughout Mesopotamia, indicating that they were "often discarded immediately after use, much like the aluminum foil in which modern takeout meals are served" (Reade, 30). Bevel-edged bowls were so popular that manufacturing centers emerged across Mesopotamia, from Uruk to the city of Mari in the far north. Therefore, it is unclear whether the bowl originated in Uruk or elsewhere (although Uruk is generally considered to be the origin of the bowl). If in Uruk, the Beveled Bowl must be counted among the city's many achievements, as it is the first known example of a mass-produced product.

Urban and Gods

The city is divided into two parts, the Eanna district and the older Anu district, named and dedicated to the goddess Inanna and her grandfather god Anu respectively. . The famous Mask of Varka (also known as the "Lady of Uruk") is a carved marble female face found in Uruk, thought to be an effigy of Inanna, and most likely a large scale representation of a temple in her region part of the work.

The Eanna Quarter was isolated from the rest of the city, but it is unclear whether this was for ceremonial purposes or if the builders for some reason needed a wall when building the new Eanna Quarter. Historian Samuel Noah Kramer believes that the male god Anu ruled the early city until his daughter Inanna grew in popularity, At this time she acquired a private house with walls in the Eanna district.

Since temples were considered to be the true abode of the gods on earth, and since Inanna was often depicted as a goddess who very much liked to have things her own way, perhaps the walled area was simply to provide her with some privacy. Kramer also noted that while Inanna remained a popular deity throughout Mesopotamia (which was eventually incorporated into Ishtar), the goddess's power and prestige simultaneously declined as women's rights deteriorated, And it goes down at the same rate. This being the case, perhaps the Eanna quarter was fenced off to restrict access to the male clerical class. However, like many things about Uruk's history, this theory remains largely speculative.

Inanna plays a pivotal role in the mythological history of Uruk, as it was she who stole the sacred meh from her father-god Enki and brought them to the holy city of Eridu Brought to Uruk. In the words of Kramer (the first person to translate cuneiform), meh was "the divine decree which was the basis of the cultural pattern of Sumerian civilization." Since the Sumerians believed that Eridu was created by the gods The first city of Uruk was also their holy place, so moving meh to Uruk meant a transfer of power and prestige from one city to another.

In the story of Inanna and the God of Wisdom, the god Enki goes to great lengths to bring the meh back to Eridu once he discovers they have been stolen - but in vain. Inanna deceived her father, and now Uruk, not Eridu, would be the center of power. Eridu is associated with rural life and the primordial ocean from which life originated. Uruk was the embodiment of a new way of life - the city. This story would have provided the ancient Mesopotamians with a reason why Eridu declined in importance while Uruk rose to the heights it did: it was the work of the gods.

Importance and Long-term Decline of Uruk

During the Early Dynastic Period (2900-2334 B.C.E.), Uruk remained the dominant A center of power, although its status has been greatly diminished, the major dynasties of the time ruled from this city. The Great Wall of Uruk, said to have been built by King Gilgamesh himself, was still surrounding the city in 2500 BC when King Iannutum founded his first dynasty of Lagash and established the first empire in the region Rising from the ground.

The empire's later king, Lugal-Zage (also known as Lugalzagesi), admired the city so much that he chose Uruk as his capital and center of power. When Sumer came under the rule of the Akkadian Empire in 2334 BC, Sargon of Akkadian continued to hold Uruk in special veneration, and the sacred areas of Inanna and Anu continued to be used and, in fact, they were renovated and improvements.

Although the city lost the preeminent status it enjoyed during the Uruk period, it continued to play an important role during the period of Ur III (2047-1750 BC). The style of rule of the Third Dynasty of Ur gave rise to the Sumerian Renaissance, from which Uruk, like the rest of the region, benefited. With the fall of Ur and the Elamite invasion of Sumeria in 1750 BC, as well as the Amorite invasion, Uruk declined along with the rest of Sumer.

The city continued to play an important role, however, throughout the Seleucid and Parthian periods of late Sumerian history. It is worth noting that many other Sumerian cities performed much worse during the same period. The holy site continued to remain, but to a lesser extent, until the 7th century AD. It was long past the time when many other Mesopotamian cities were abandoned. Historian Bertman writes: "Uruk lived 5,000 years. Its oldest strata have been virtually unexplored, buried deep in the mud of the alluvial plains from which its life once sprouted" (37) . Perhaps being buried in ancient ruins is why the world's first city rose as it did, where it did, and was so important to the people of Mesopotamia for so long. Unlike other cities throughout the region, it was not abandoned until the conquest of *** Mesopotamia in 630 AD.

However, the answer to the mystery of Uruk's rise to fame may be simpler than it seems. Historian Paul Kriwaczek noted that any significant change in society results from "a debate between progressives and conservatives, forward-thinkers and backward-thinkers, proposing, 'Let's do something new. ’ people and think ‘the old way was best.’ Without such competition, there would be no great cultural shift” (21).

Perhaps the story of Inanna and Enki and the transfer of power from Eridu to Uruk tells the story of the game and shows how the old rural way of life, exemplified by the ancient city of Eridu, gave way to the rise of cities and new A kind of community. Once urbanization began, it had to happen somewhere, and where it happened was Uruk.