The mystery of Sumer’s fall

 

The mystery of Sumer’s fall

 

 

The Sumerian civilization, which was 3,000 years earlier than the ancient Chinese civilization, reached a highly developed stage of civilization and created astonishing achievements in mathematics, water conservancy, architecture, art, biology, agriculture, education, religion, legal system, astronomy, etc. However, Sumer eventually embarked on the path of national subjugation and annihilation. There is still no very detailed explanation and it has become a century-old mystery.

The foreigner John, the archaeological expert Aza, Lacuo and Agudengba talked about the Sumerian civilization, and also talked about the mysterious mystery of the Sumerian subjugation.

Mr John said:

The earliest Sumerian period consisted of several independent city-states separated by canals and boundary stones. At the center of each city-state was the temple of the city's patron god or goddess. Each city-state was ruled by a priest or king who presided over the city's religious rites.

The larger cities include Eridu, Kashgar, Lagash, Uruk, Ur and Nippur. The cities had been at war with each other for almost a thousand years over matters such as water rights, trade routes, and tribute from nomadic tribes.

The Sumerian king list includes a number of early dynasties, most of which are probably legendary. According to research, the earliest dynasty was a king that existed in history, such as Enmebal Geshe, King of Kashgar. His name is also mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, so some people believe that he was an Uruk king.

The dynasty of Lagash built many important large buildings. One of the earliest recorded empires was established by King Ainaton, who conquered almost all of Sumer, including Kashgar, Uruk, Ur, and Lhasa, and he reduced the power of Lagash's archenemy Wenma. Tribute was paid, and his domain also included Irum and the Persian Gulf coast.

The priest-king of Uruk, Rugar-Sag-si, overthrew the hegemony of the Lagash dynasty, captured Uruk, made it his capital, and established the Kingdom of Ur. He claimed that his empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. He was the last king of the Sumerian nation, after which the Semitic king Sargon of Akkad became the ruler of Sumer.

Some people believe that the word Sumerian should only refer to the Sumerian language, and that in fact there was no Sumerian nation independent of other Semitic peoples. In ancient linguistics, Sumerian is an isolating language structure. The Akkadian-speaking people who destroyed the early Sumerian city-states belong to the Semitic language family.

Archaeological expert Aza said:

It is said that after the long river of history entered the second millennium BC, under the ruthless attack of external hostile forces, the Kingdom of Ur was quickly on the verge of collapse, and the internal disputes were endless.

Mr John said:

Indeed.

As we all know, in times of peace, civil servants have a high status, while in times of war, generals have a high status. When Ibisin, the last king of the Third Dynasty, was on the throne, the Sumerian general Ishbiela launched a rebellion in the city of Yishin, proclaimed himself king, and gained the support of many other cities. Soon after, the city of Ur was captured by the Semitic army, and the Third Dynasty of Ur perished.

Fortunately, Ishbiela was not only good at planning coups, but also good at fighting: he quickly drove the Semites out of the city of Ur, and then temporarily restored the old territory of the Kingdom of Ur.

It is a pity that the Sumerians were naturally dissatisfied with each other and did not buy each other's opinions. After Ishbiela's death, various cities declared independence from the Yixin Dynasty, the most powerful of which was the city-state of Larsa.

The Sumerians' internal disunity gave the Assyrians a golden opportunity to attack. They launched a large-scale expansion war around 1800 BC and occupied Mesopotamia, including Nineveh and Mari. Northern and central Asia; at the same time, the Indo-European Hittites became more and more powerful in the Anatolian Plateau and Syria, and several ethnic groups in the Iranian mountains also moved westward. The Sumerians who finally revived Our nation is in danger of national subjugation and genocide in the blink of an eye.

After the Hittites ruled Mesopotamia for 800 years, the Assyrians, another Semitic group, probably the present-day Kurds, decided to first open a road from their homeland to the Mediterranean, so they joined forces with the Hittites in Fighting broke out in the north of Levant, and later the Babylonians took the opportunity to light a fire in Assyria's backyard. As a result, the life span of the Sumerian nation was greatly extended.

However, the Semites improved a lot of military technology during the civil war. For example, the structure of the chariot wheels became lighter and the movements were more flexible. However, the Sumerians learned nothing during the civil war. This is a wake-up call. their final death knell.

In 1793 BC, Hammurabi the Great, a Semitic Amorite, came to the throne in Babylon, and a new unification war began in the Mesopotamian plains; in 1763 BC, the last Sumerian king The city of Larsa, the capital of King Remousin, was captured by the Babylonian army. From then on, the Sumerians disappeared from history.

Old man Aza sighed:

Mesopotamia, including parts of present-day Iraq, Iran, Türkiye and Kuwait. Mesopotamia is one of the three cradles of human civilization in Asia. It has given birth to many civilizations such as Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

The abundant water resources and fertile soil of the two river basins gave birth to ancient civilizations. About 10,000 years ago, the ancestors here gradually transitioned from hunting and gathering to settled life, and learned to raise goats and grow wheat. Local residents mastered agriculture and irrigation technology early. The Sumerians from the eastern mountains learned to make pottery, and their smelting technology also developed significantly. They also invented one of the world's earliest writings - cuneiform, and the famous written code - "Code of Hammurabi" is also here Birth. For thousands of years, multiple ethnic groups have communicated and integrated here, jointly creating a glorious era of civilization in the Mesopotamia. The mysterious Sumerian civilization left precious material and spiritual wealth to human history. Unfortunately, behind civilization is endless competition for interests and killing.

Mr John said:

After the Eastern Expedition of Macedonian King Alexander in the 4th century BC, Greek classical civilization and Asian civilization began to merge. At that time, Alexander established an empire spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa, and multiple civilizations developed symbiotically in the two river basins.

Civilizations are colorful due to exchanges, and civilizations are enriched due to mutual learning. The history of Macedonian King Alexander bringing Greek civilization to West Asia and even South Asia more than 2,000 years ago after his eastern expedition, or the spread of Chinese silk to the Western Regions through the Silk Road, are all vividly presented.

In 190 BC, the Bactrian Greeks from the Amu Darya River Valley conquered the Gandhara region, which was called "Bactria" in Chinese history. The Greeks began a rule that lasted for more than a century. Due to the deep penetration of Greek culture, unique Gandhara Buddhist art was formed in this region. There are many Gandhara Buddha statues from Pakistan. Some are wearing shoulder-length draped robes, some have high noses and deep eyes, and some have wavy curly hair tied back with hairbands, reflecting a distinct Greek style.

"Laitong Cup" also reflects cultural exchanges. "Laitong" comes from Greek, meaning "outflow". The "Laitong cup" is essentially a horn-shaped cup, mostly in the shape of an animal horn. It was popular in ancient West Asia and Europe. It functions like a funnel and is used to pour sacred wine. It is often used in rituals and sacrificial activities. In 1500 BC, Laitongbei appeared on the ancient Greek island of Crete and spread widely in West Asia, Central Asia, and East Asia, and was later introduced to China and other East Asian regions via the Silk Road.

In 1970, a Tang Dynasty hoard was unearthed in Hejia Village in the southern suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. One of the agate cups inlaid with gold animal heads was very similar to the Western Laitong cup. This cultural relic that witnessed the cultural exchange between the East and the West has also become the "treasure of the museum" of the Shaanxi History Museum.

Mr. John added:

The long Silk Road has become a testimony of cultural exchanges between the East and the West. The cheerful and enthusiastic Hu Xuan Dance entered China from Central Asia and was once popular in the Tang Dynasty. Not only did Bai Juyi write about its elegance in poetry, but a Tang Dynasty tomb in Ningxia even decorated the tomb door with a Hu Xuan dance scene. The famous Tang Sancai also influenced the artistic aesthetics of the Middle East along the Silk Road.

Agudemba said:

For thousands of years, various civilizations in Asia have enjoyed their own beauty and shared their needs with each other. History has transcended the superiority of civilizations through the coexistence of diversity, transcended the conflicts of civilizations through harmonious coexistence, transcended the estrangement of civilizations through integration and sharing, and transcended the solidification of civilizations through prosperity and common progress.

Sumer eventually embarked on the path of national subjugation and annihilation, but Sumerian civilization still shines in the world. Only when human beings jointly write a glorious chapter of civilization of harmonious symbiosis can the world be beautiful and beautiful.

Agudemba sang a song "The Polyphony of History":

 

History is like a great polyphony,

There is always a sound repeated in the song,

The society’s call for civilization has always sounded.

 

Civilization is a slogan we take for granted,

Reality is the pursuit and expectation of people’s soul,

It is also a process of combining ancient and modern national wisdom.

 

Sumerian civilization has experienced centuries of development,

But it’s not the theorems and formulas in math books,

But it did once stand on its own in the forest of the world.

 

A world that does not rely on civilization as its pillar,

Society is full of dirty competition for fame and wealth,

Siege cities, plunder lands, and seize resources. The strong will dominate.

 

Behind the war is a dangerous game,

Stimulated national enthusiasm is madness,

Roses cannot be grown in a powder keg.

 

Personality and conscience are the seeds of civilization,

Civilization cannot be bought with money.

Violence will be buried with civilization.