The Chaldean Assyrian culture or Mesopotamia it developed in the Near East, in the region that the Greeks called Mesopotamia , which means city between rivers. It covers 140,000 square km of surface, enclosed between the courses of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. , which are born in the mountains of Armenia, running from north to south. Currently in its territory is Iraq with its capital Baghdad.
Its limits were; to the north with the mountains of Armenia; to the south with the Persian Gulf; to the east with the plateau of Iran and to the west with the deserts of Syria and Arabia.
Historical evolution:periods of the Assyrian Chaldean Culture
Chaldean Assyrian history spans from 3000 years B.C. time when the first inhabitants from the mountains of Elam settle, until the year 533 AD, when they are conquered by the Persians. Throughout this time, the Assyrians fought against the Chaldeans; that is, the peoples of the north against those of the south, dominating each other alternately and giving rise to the following historical periods:
Sumerian Akkadian Period
It begins with the establishment of the Sumerians in the region adjacent to the Persian Gulf and the Akkadians in Akad, with its capital Agade. Both territories are located in Lower Mesopotamia .
The Sumerians invented cuneiform writing.; they practiced metallurgy and pottery; they knew the wheel and were organized in city-states, governed by kings. The Akkadians , founders of Babylon, although they dominated the Sumerians, they adopted their culture.
First Babylonian Empire
It arose when the city of Babylon it reached great development and the Akkadians dominated the Assyrians, thanks to Hammurabi, the true founder of the Empire. This character, in addition to being a great warrior, was a great legislator, as he developed the code that bears his name , one of the oldest on Earth. It contains a series of laws on the family, marriage, property, commerce, agriculture; establishes the punishment with the death penalty for thieves and those who do not comply with compulsory military service. The penalties were severe due to compliance with the Talion Law, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth .
Assyrian Empire
The Assyrians were people of shepherds and warriors. For a long time they were subject to the Babylonians; but as they began to decline, they regained their freedom. They formed an independent state with their capital Assur and later Nineveh on the banks of the Tigris. Later they conquered several towns, thanks to the fact that they had chariots and horses, helmets, breastplates and iron weapons, becoming a powerful state.
Second Babylonian Empire
After successive rebellions the Babylonians achieved their independence. King Nabopolassar was the architect of the second Babylonian revival.
Another famous ruler was Nebuchadnezzar II who ordered large and luxurious constructions in which the hanging gardens stood out. considered one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
After a century of heyday, it went into decline, until it fell into the power of the Persian armies, led by Cyrus the Great .
Cultural manifestations
The culture of Mesopotamia developed different disciplines whose manifestations can be found in the arts, sciences, writing and religion.
The arts
The architecture
The architectural constructions of the Mesopotamian culture were much inferior to that of Egypt. However, with the use of brick, they revolutionized the buildings that until then were made of earth, wood or stone. With this invention it was easier for them to build the walls. They excelled in the construction of temples and palaces .
The temples The most characteristic of the culture of Mesopotamia were the stepped temples or Zigurats , which commonly had seven quadrangular floors, which diminished in size as the last one approached. They communicated with each other by means of ramps or stairs. The highest floor was considered the abode of the divinity, from where the priests could observe the stars of the firmament.
The Borshipa Ziggurat is known , near Babylon, in which each floor was dedicated to a star, the first black to Saturn; the second white to Venus; the third purple to Jupiter; the fourth blue to Mercury; the fifth scarlet to Mars; the sixth silver to the Moon and the seventh gold to the Sun.
The palaces of the Mesopotamian culture were built on elevated areas and on firm rectangular bases. High and wide walls surrounded them, protecting them from floods and providing them with greater resistance and solidity. Inside there were patios and numerous surrounding rooms decorated with reliefs, wall paintings and glazed bricks. Usually the wall decorations represented scenes from the life of some kings. On the sides of the monumental doors there were side bulls which according to them, protected them from evil spirits.
The largest and most majestic palace was that of Sargón by Korsabab , which had 208 rooms. I also draw attention to that of Asurbanipal because of the library that it housed inside.
The sculpture
Worthy of mention in the culture of Mesopotamia are the statues and low reliefs. Among the statues, the beautiful sculptures of winged bulls with human heads stand out. . The low reliefs reproduce hunting scenes or combats of warriors where the animals appear traced with an extraordinary realism; tigers in agony; lions showing the body encrusted with arrows or horses in full race.
Science
The culture of Mesopotamia were great astronomers, whose knowledge has reached our days. They also showed their progress in math and writing.
Astronomy
The constant observations of the sky by the priests of the Mesopotamian culture allowed an excellent and extraordinary progress in astronomy. His achievements were the following:
They measured time , calculating the day in 24 hours; the hours in 60 minutes; the minute in 60 seconds; the week in 7 days and the year in 12 lunar months (6 of 28 days and 6 of 29 days).
They determined the eclipses of the Sun and the Moon , attributing them to the momentary concealment of one star by another.
They created the signs of the Zodiac , representing them by means of 12 figures of animals and things, corresponding to the 12 months of the year. These signs, according to the Chaldean magicians, received the influence of other stars and determined the character of a person (Horoscope).
They distinguished the opaque stars (planets) of the stars with their own light (stars), They studied the planets closest to the Sun:Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Mathematics
The Sumerians and Chaldeans mastered multiplication, which the Egyptians had not known, they invented the 360-degree circle; devised decimal and sexagesimal numbering; as units of length they used the span of 27 centimeters, the cubit of 49 centimeters and the stadium of 114 meters; they knew the measures of weight as the mina of 305 grams and the talent of 60 mines.
The writing
The Mesopotamian script is called cuneiform , because its signs have the shape of wedges or nails. These signs were originally drawings of animals or things, later they were simplified to horizontal, vertical and oblique characters.
They wrote with an awl or bone cane on small tablets of soft clay that later hardened by drying or being subjected to the action of fire. In the Ashurbanipal library, 3 thousand works written on this material were found.
Cuneiform signs were more difficult to translate than Egyptian hieroglyphics; for each sign represented a syllable or different syllables and sometimes whole words. The German Grotefend (1802) and the English Rawlinson (1837). The investigations of the latter were made possible by the discovery of the Rock of Behistun .
The main literary works of the culture of Mesopotamia have been transmitted on clay tablets, mythical stories such as The Poem of Creation which tells how the world was in the beginning and the Poem of Gilgamesh or a version of the Mesopotamian flood.
Religion
The culture of Mesopotamia deified the earth, the rivers, the mountains and above all the stars. Their religion was polytheistic .
In the early days of Sumer and Akad there were two mighty trinities; the first, formed by Anu (the sky), Enlil (the earth) and Ea (the water); the second was made up of Sin (the moon), Shamash (the sun) and Ishtar (Venus).
Later, when Babylon established its power in all of Chaldea, Marduk prevailed. over the previous ones and was considered created of the world. Assur also stood out among the Assyrians.
Men worshiped the gods for protection. The cult consisted of large animal sacrifices and offerings that were deposited in the temples. On some occasions, the statue of the god was paraded through the streets of the city, giving rise to a popular festival. To Marduk It was taken from him on the first day of each year, because it was believed that the following week he would meet with all the gods to determine with them the events of the year.
Chaldean Assyrian cultural contribution:Mesopotamia
The culture of Mesopotamia bequeathed to posterity the famous Code of Hammurabi, mathematical calculation and astronomical knowledge.
In the Code of Hammurabi one of the oldest on Earth, gave wise and even severe civil, criminal and commercial laws, in order to build a peaceful society.
In astronomy we owe him the measurement of time in hours, minutes and seconds; the determination of eclipses, the creation of the 12 signs of the zodiac and the study of the planets closest to the Sun.
Finally, in mathematics, they contributed the multiplication rule, the creation of the 360-degree circle, and decimal numbering.