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For nearly 5000 years.
the scorching sands of the lraqi desert
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have held relics
of the oldest known civilisation -
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the Sumerian.
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Our world owes
the Sumerians everything.
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They invented writing and the wheel.
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They divided time
into minutes and seconds.
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They tamed nature
and built gigantic cities.
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They loved culture and the arts.
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Their caravans crossed the desert.
opening up the first trade routes.
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Their stories
inspired our founding myths.
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and their memory lives on
in the Old Testament.
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They wrote the history
of the birth pangs of mankind.
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Yet. 4000 years ago.
this brilliant civilisation died out.
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For a long time. its very existence
remained a mystery.
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But today. the desert sands
are at last yielding
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some of the secrets
of this fascinating civilisation.
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ln southern lraq. a crushing silence
hangs over the dunes.
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The temperature is around
the 50-degree mark.
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The climate has not changed
for thousands of years.
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Yet men and women once lived here.
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Sandwiched between the Mediterranean
and the Persian Gulf
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is the region that the Greek historian
Polybius called Mesopotamia -
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"the country between two rivers" .
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lt was irrigated
by the Euphrates and the Tigris.
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ln the mid-1 9th century.
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all we knew of ancient Mesopotamia
was what we read in the Bible.
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French and British archaeologists
competed to discover more.
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and their finds were amazing.
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They uncovered
an unsuspected buried past.
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Mesopotamia had once been
the cradle of a civilisation.
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But what was so special
about these finds?
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And why did a civilisation develop
in that part of the world at all?
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(Speaks French )
The discovery just 1 50 years ago
of the Syro-Mesopotamian civilisation
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was exceptional
because we gradually realised
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that it was an extremely diversified.
extremely developed civilisation.
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lt had known
many different ways of life.
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had gone through
many social experiments
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in a world we were not aware of.
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We believed everything began
with Greek civilisation
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but we saw there had been
something else before
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that influenced the development
of classical civilisation.
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The history of
the Syro-Mesopotamian civilisation
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matches the Syro-Mesopotamian
geographical region.
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the area irrigated
by the Tigris and the Euphrates.
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But water was not only important
for survival. farming and people.
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it was also important for transport.
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lt was an area where waterways
became shipping routes.
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And in a country like Mesopotamia.
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which had agriculture
but was short of wood. stone
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and of metal-bearing ore
when bronze or copper were needed.
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in a country like this one.
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the river became
the preferred shipping route
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between two complementary
economic spheres.
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Our journey begins
in the mountains of Armenia.
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where the Tigris
and the Euphrates both rise.
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Fed by melting snow
from the high plateaus.
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the rivers tumble down
the mountain slopes.
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tearing away tonnes of silt
as they go.
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They run parallel
for over 2000 kilometres
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then merge to form
the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
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The rivers are calmer
in the wide desert plains to the south.
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They deposit fertile soil
all the way to the Persian Gulf.
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But the Tigris and the Euphrates
could also be a terrible enemy.
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The spring floods would sweep away
everything in their path.
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How were people able to settle a land
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that was so vulnerable
to the whims of nature?
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That question takes us to Baghdad.
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the lraqi capital
on the banks of the Tigris.
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ln the narrow streets of the Old City.
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the visitor is steeped
in the scents of the Orient.
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Dense crowds and a cheerful tumult
are all around.
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ln the colourful bazaars. lraqis display
their ancient talent for commerce.
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The heritage of the Sumerian civilisation
is everywhere.
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The markets have sold the same varieties
of fruit and vegetables
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for thousands of years.
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ln the cool of the arcades. you can buy
pomegranates from northern lraq
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and the yoghurt that the Mesopotamians
were specially fond of.
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On street corners. there are
earthenware pots of drinking water.
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The water beads
on the surface of the jar
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and. in evaporating.
keeps the water within cool -
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a Sumerian invention 5000 years old.
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But who were the Sumerians?
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Where did they come from?
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On the fertile plateaus of Anatolia.
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several thousand kilometres
from Mesopotamia.
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archaeologists have solved
one part of the Sumerian puzzle.
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They discovered what made it possible
for the population to expand
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and found a civilisation.
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lt was einkorn wheat. which grows wild
throughout eastern Turkey.
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People have lived in this fertile region at
the crossroads of great migration routes
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since time immemorial.
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Tribes of hunter-gatherers
found everything here
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that they needed for their survival.
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The Kurds keep up
the age-old traditions.
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Every day. the women cook
sac ekmegi, a wheat pancake
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that forms the whole family's
staple diet.
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ln 1 958. archaeologists discovered
the 9000-year-old ruins
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of the village of Çayönu.
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3500 years before Sumer.
people settled on this fertile land.
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They didn't yet make ceramics.
but they were builders.
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Their houses had mud-brick walls
on dry-stone foundations.
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One day. the people of Çayönu
made a discovery
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that would change the world.
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When this discovery was made
around 1 5.000 BC
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in the hilly region where
the Euphrates flows into Syria.
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when the very unusual
situation arose
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of wheat growing wild
all over the hills.
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allowing people
to settle down in one place.
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it was something entirely new.
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When they discovered
that wheat produced seeds
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that they could use.
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and above all
that they could store.
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the storage of food
became very important.
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lt meant that instead
of having to look for food
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within three days
of killing an animal.
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people could store food
for several weeks or months.
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From then on.
people s lives changed.
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Realising they had this crop.
they remained where it was.
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Wheat could only be harvested
at a certain time of the year
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but it couldn t be transported
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so after the harvest
it had to be stored
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and protected from anyone
who might want to take it.
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So the settlement of that region
at that time
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happened for a definite reason.
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to store food that could only
be harvested at a given time.
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The human mind played
a fundamental part in this.
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We may call it
"an accidental discovery"
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but l think the human mind
is constantly observing. discovering.
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trying to understand
recurrent phenomena.
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until it can go beyond its limits
on its own
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and do something new.
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That s how agriculture was born.
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As they set about
mastering their environment.
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these first farmers
were full of invention.
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They developed their tools.
they bettered their daily lives...
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and they left behind a legacy
of immense importance - writing.
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Cereals were the main source of wealth
for the Sumerian civilisation.
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This alabaster vase.
more than a metre high.
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depicts the Sumerians'
gratitude towards nature.
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lt also expresses
their religious fervour.
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The vegetable and animal worlds
are represented
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as ears of wheat
and herds of sheep.
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A procession of men bearing offerings
approaches the sanctuary of lnanna.
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the goddess of heaven and earth.
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The pilgrims are welcomed
by the high priest in his robes.
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Thanks to these successes in agriculture.
the population grew.
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The first groups began
to colonise land along the rivers
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all the way to the great plain
of Mesopotamia.
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The main preoccupation of the farmers
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was finding ways to boost
their production of crops.
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This clay tablet shows a device
for more economical sowing.
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The seeds are deposited via a funnel
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that ensures regular.
even distribution in the furrows.
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The Sumerians' secret lay in taming
their unpredictable sources of water.
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For in Mesopotamia. the balance
between man and nature
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could easily tip against man.
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To take control of their water.
the Sumerians invented the wheel.
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and they dug hundreds of kilometres
of irrigation canals. reservoirs and dams.
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lrrigation was the mainstay
of the Sumerian civilisation.
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By subduing the turbulent waters
of the Tigris and the Euphrates.
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they turned the power of nature
to their own use.
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The farmers reaped the benefits.
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with bountiful crops from hundreds of
thousands of hectares of fertilised land.
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ln some areas. wheat. millet and barley
were harvested twice a year.
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ln the oases
along the irrigation canals.
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millions of palm trees grew
as far as the eye could see.
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lt's the same when the Tigris
and the Euphrates merge
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to form a single body of water.
the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
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On each side of the Shatt al-Arab.
an agricultural province prospers
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thanks to the bountiful water
from the two great rivers.
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Only barges can reach
the heart of this maze of tall reeds.
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The Sumerians
built fishing villages here.
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The people still live
as their ancestors did.
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They still build reed huts just like
the ones seen in ancient bas-reliefs.
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The huts stand on a foundation of layers
of soil. interlaced with braided reeds.
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The floor. roof and walls
are made of interwoven stalks.
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The supporting columns and beams -
very strong -
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are made
of tightly packed reed bundles.
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5000 years ago.
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40.000 fishermen and farmers -
an entire people -
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lived in the marshland
around the port city of Ur.
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ln their frail reed boats.
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they had made a huge area habitable.
one metre at a time.
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The first archaeologists
to see the ruins of Ur
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must have been speechless.
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Before them
lay narrow streets. squares.
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and the remains of houses.
granaries and temples.
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5000 years ago. when Western Europe
was still in the Stone Age.
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this was a city of 34.000 people.
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When they built cities like Ur.
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the Mesopotamians were shaping
the world in their own image.
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The transformation of the world
and the environment
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by the people of Mesopotamia
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is a fundamental phenomenon.
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Not only did they build villages.
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they also used the land for farming.
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Later. when they built cities.
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they didn t simply let them expand.
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they also developed the region.
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And they developed a way of life
that dominated nature.
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which is absolutely amazing.
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They dominated their natural world
to make it serve their own survival.
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Made to last with fired bricks
covered in tar.
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the Ziggurat of Ur is impressive.
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lt's estimated that it took 1 500 men
five years just to build its base.
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Farmers up to 20 kilometres away
could see the house of their god.
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00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:11,070
Drawings by the British archaeologist
Leonard Woolley in the early 20th century
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help us imagine what Ur looked like
4000 years ago.
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This immense city was surrounded
by 4000 hectares of cereal fields.
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Traders from the Persian Gulf
sailed into its harbour
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and exported food
to the Arabian peninsula.
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several thousand kilometres away.
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00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,118
The daily life of the city
centred on the temple.
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00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:44,950
where the people prayed. and political
and economic decisions were taken.
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00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:03,998
Behind an 8-metre-high city wall.
the houses were haphazardly piled up.
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00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:08,239
The streets were narrow.
winding and unsewered.
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00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:13,468
Garbage was burnt outside the house.
when it wasn't simply left on the road.
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00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:17,116
Three-storey buildings
jostled with single-storey ones
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and none of the houses was aligned
with its neighbours.
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Their facades had no openings.
just low doors and a few air vents
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in order to keep the interior cool
and to keep the dust clouds out.
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For a long time.
little was known of life in Ur.
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Leonard Woolley had spent years
excavating the ruins
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00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:56,637
when. in 1 926. he discovered
what was dubbed "the death pit" .
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lt was the tomb of Queen Puabi -
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and of more than
20 servants and soldiers
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who were sacrificed and buried with her
in order to serve her in the afterlife.
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Among the skeletons covered
in gold and silver. Woolley found this...
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00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:16,116
the so-called 'Standard of Ur'.
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00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:21,155
lts mother-of-pearl figures show
Sumerian fishermen. slaves and soldiers
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00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:26,150
walking for eternity
against a sky of lapis lazuli.
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00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:35,635
Like stills from a movie.
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00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:41,119
its amazingly detailed panels show
war chariots crushing the enemy...
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or the frozen smile of a scribe
having a drink with friends.
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00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:58,318
ln the arid desert
that now surrounds the site.
236
00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:01,956
the traces of the past are still visible.
237
00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:16,477
When they found the ruins
of Sumerian dams on this barren land.
238
00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:18,875
several kilometres from the rivers.
239
00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:23,119
1 9th-century archaeologists
faced an enigma.
240
00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:29,434
How had people lived in this desert.
so far from the source of water?
241
00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:41,313
The desert city of Nippur.
250 kilometres south of Baghdad.
242
00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:45,115
The ruins of a temple
rise above the dunes.
243
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,914
lt was during
excavations of this site
244
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:51,635
that archaeologists
found the key to the enigma.
245
00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,478
This clay tablet is a map of Nippur.
246
00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:04,878
lt shows the exact locations
of the temple and the city wall.
247
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,118
The Euphrates
ran to the west of the wall.
248
00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:15,108
lt had been diverted
to supply the city with water.
249
00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:27,148
The cities had therefore
been built beside the water.
250
00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:31,399
But changes in landform
and the sheer force of the floodwaters
251
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,034
changed the course of the rivers.
252
00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:39,558
Satellite images help us reconstruct
the map of this part of the world
253
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:43,036
as it was 5000 years ago.
254
00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,552
Nippur. Uruk. Girsu and Ur.
255
00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,638
the main cities
of the Sumerian civilisation.
256
00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:52,798
evolved in
a vastly different landscape.
257
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:57,710
At that time. the Tigris and the Euphrates
ran through much of Mesopotamia
258
00:23:57,920 --> 00:23:59,717
as a single river.
259
00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:03,674
They separated
only downstream from Nippur.
260
00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,392
Sunrise over ancient Ur.
261
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,673
lt is midsummer and the day
will be scorchingly hot.
262
00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,440
Slowly. the city comes to life.
263
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,316
People slept on their rooftops.
264
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:27,479
which were much cooler at night
than the small rooms of their houses.
265
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,672
Ancient texts
listing real estate sales
266
00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,237
show that the houses' floor space
was less than 70 square metres.
267
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,910
ln the early morning.
people come onto the streets.
268
00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:50,271
Merchants try to entice
the passers-by.
269
00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:53,756
They try to do business
while the day is still cool.
270
00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,949
( MlDDLE-EASTERN MUSlC )
271
00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:22,469
ln the courtyards of some houses.
men relax and drink beer through straws.
272
00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:26,559
Several ancient texts refer
to the Sumerian temperament.
273
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,320
The Sumerians' exposure
to the hazards of nature
274
00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:33,798
made them conscious
of the brevity and fragility of life.
275
00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:09,475
ln the streets.
men often wear kaunakes.
276
00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:14,310
wrap-around sheepskin skirts that go
from the waist to the knees or ankles.
277
00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,954
depending on the season and fashion.
278
00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,869
The wives of dignitaries
wear colourful. lighter garments.
279
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:26,518
Both men and women wear jewellery -
earrings. bracelets and necklaces.
280
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:31,196
Archaeologists have discovered
281
00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:36,349
that forgers operating in the walled city
could replicate gold and turquoise.
282
00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:42,271
People who couldn't afford real jewellery
could buy and wear fancy fakes.
283
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:46,553
This neighbourhood was home
to merchants. shopkeepers and traders.
284
00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:51,151
The homes of the scribes. masons
and carpenters. and the slaves' houses.
285
00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:54,477
were all within a short distance
of the temple.
286
00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:10,355
The treasures discovered in Ur are
enormously important for archaeologists.
287
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:12,630
They reveal Sumerian customs
288
00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:16,310
and they demonstrate the quality
of the craftsmen's work.
289
00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,353
Sumerian goldsmiths
had mastered the techniques
290
00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:21,790
of chiselling and soldering gold.
291
00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:28,269
The bull's head on this harp has eyes
of lapis lazuli turned towards eternity.
292
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:33,156
The harp itself is decorated
with shells and precious stones.
293
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:43,800
For their last journey with their queen.
294
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:49,313
the servants wore a spectacular diadem
of gold bands and precious stones.
295
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,318
A braiding of beech leaves
covered the brow.
296
00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:56,433
and above the head
rose three golden flowers.
297
00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:01,553
The gold. used also in cups
and ceremonial weapons.
298
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:06,231
as well as the lapis lazuli and turquoise.
all came from the East.
299
00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:10,149
The mother-of-pearl and the shells
came from Bahrain.
300
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,998
The raw material
used to make this billygoat
301
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:26,478
shows how prosperous Ur was
and how thriving its trade.
302
00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:30,753
Archaeologists have traced
the origins of some of its materials.
303
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:34,316
To get the lapis lazuli.
the Sumerians sent their caravans
304
00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,956
3000 kilometres
to the Badakhstan mountains.
305
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:40,913
in what is now northern Pakistan.
306
00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:56,113
Peshawar. the merchant city
in northern Pakistan.
307
00:28:56,320 --> 00:29:00,108
This rough lapis lazuli
has been shipped from Afghanistan.
308
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,114
Splashing water on the stones
brings out the intense blue
309
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:10,675
that fascinated the Sumerians.
310
00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:14,477
Archaeologists have established
311
00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,355
that the lapis lazuli trade
began with the Sumerian civilisation.
312
00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:22,075
3500 years before Christ.
313
00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,953
3000 years before the Silk Road.
314
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,756
the Sumerians had opened up the trade
routes that crisscrossed the East.
315
00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:54,316
With the development of trade.
316
00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:58,479
the Sumerians invented
the concept of the contract.
317
00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:03,198
Cylindrical stone seals
were carved and finely engraved
318
00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:05,595
with a negative bas-relief.
319
00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,793
When a contract was entered into.
or goods needed to be identified.
320
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,514
the cylinder was rolled in clay.
321
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:16,508
The mark it left on the clay
sealed the transaction.
322
00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:25,711
That was also how the Sumerians.
who held contracts in great esteem.
323
00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:28,354
began to make laws.
324
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:42,911
Very few legal texts from
the Sumerian period have been found.
325
00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:47,113
But in the early 20th century.
in the Persian city of Susa.
326
00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:52,314
archaeologists discovered
the Stone of Hammurabi. king of Babylon.
327
00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:55,637
lt had been seized as a trophy
by the Elamites.
328
00:30:55,840 --> 00:31:00,595
who went on a rampage through
Mesopotamia in the 1 2th century BC.
329
00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:07,754
Hammurabi had the legal code that
bears his name drawn up in 1 694 BC.
330
00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:10,633
lt enshrined all of Sumeria's laws.
331
00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:15,311
and all 282 articles
were carved on the stone.
332
00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:18,637
They mostly relate
to aspects of everyday life -
333
00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:23,118
to commercial transactions.
marriages and inheritances.
334
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:26,878
As a judge.
the king ordered investigations.
335
00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:30,038
protected the people
from abuse by officials
336
00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:32,515
and oversaw great public works.
337
00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:34,836
The Code of Hammurabi proves
338
00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:38,316
that the Sumerians
were precursors in many areas.
339
00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:44,550
On the back of the stone.
article 1 96 warns " An eye for an eye" .
340
00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:48,435
a principle repeated
in the Law of Moses.
341
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:00,516
To build their garden of Eden.
342
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:05,111
the Sumerians roamed the world
in search of commodities they lacked.
343
00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:14,035
For example. there was no wood
in the Mesopotamian desert.
344
00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:19,360
To get this rare commodity. which they
used exclusively as a building material.
345
00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:24,315
the Sumerians ventured to Syria. Turkey
and the mountains of Lebanon.
346
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:32,949
Today. cedar forests
are few and far between.
347
00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:37,312
After the Sumerians.
all the ancient civilisations used cedar
348
00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:41,638
and gradually they cut down
almost all the cedar trees.
349
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:15,031
Legend has it that some cedars
are over 4000 years old
350
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,391
and grew in civilisations
now vanished.
351
00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:22,559
They could testify
to the efforts of the Sumerians.
352
00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:29,156
Bas-reliefs found in temples
353
00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:32,909
show Sumerian loggers
felling 1 00-year-old cedars
354
00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:37,352
and loading them on to their ships
before sailing down the Euphrates.
355
00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,640
These expeditions lasted
several months
356
00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:45,675
and show the enormous achievement of
a people living in a hostile environment.
357
00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:10,233
Some discoveries made
by the Sumerians 5000 years ago
358
00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:13,193
are still used by lraqis today.
359
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,949
Tar. for instance. is used
for waterproofing boat hulls
360
00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:19,549
and sealing the roofs of houses.
361
00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:50,239
This is Hit. a small town
on the banks of the Euphrates.
362
00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:53,512
600 kilometres
from the Sumerian cities.
363
00:34:53,720 --> 00:34:56,871
Tar and sulphur
erupt from the earth here.
364
00:34:57,080 --> 00:34:59,674
Tar floats.
and archaeologists believe
365
00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:03,031
the Sumerians could have collected
tar from the riverbanks
366
00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:05,595
as it floated down the Euphrates.
367
00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:13,715
The people of Hit still collect tar
368
00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:17,310
by methods that haven't changed
for thousands of years.
369
00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:22,548
Before taking the tar out of the water.
you have to coat your hands in sand.
370
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:30,875
The Sumerians too used tar
for waterproofing boats.
371
00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:33,878
but they mainly used it
for sealing bricks
372
00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,629
and for waterproofing
the foundations of public buildings.
373
00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:43,198
This precaution reflected
a major event in their lives - floods.
374
00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,553
George Smith.
a 1 9th-century Londoner
375
00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:49,718
who studied Sumerian tablets
in the British Museum.
376
00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:54,471
deciphered some legends
about devastating floods.
377
00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:03,831
WOMAN: The wickedness of men
so displeased En-Lil. the supreme god.
378
00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:07,635
that he decided to swallow man up
in a huge flood.
379
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:11,674
Enki, protector of men.
pleaded with him. but in vain.
380
00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:14,872
So Enki decided
to preserve a remnant.
381
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:18,038
He asked Ziusudra to build an ark
382
00:36:18,240 --> 00:36:21,676
and to take animals in pairs
on board with him.
383
00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:28,109
After six days and nights of storm.
the world was submerged.
384
00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:31,869
On the seventh day.
the storm abated.
385
00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:39,198
Ziusudra released a dove that.
finding no resting place. returned to him.
386
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:44,599
On the eighth day. he released
a raven that never returned.
387
00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,314
Mankind was saved.
388
00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,956
We discovered
the Mesopotamian myths
389
00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:22,310
only a little over 1 00 years ago.
390
00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:26,115
particularly in texts
from the library of Nineveh.
391
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:29,118
in particular. the Deluge.
392
00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:36,908
ln fact. all of Western civilisation.
all of Western Christianity.
393
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:40,032
is steeped in Biblical texts
394
00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:42,708
and in those texts are myths
395
00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:45,639
that come directly from
the Mesopotamian world.
396
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:49,071
And the whole history
of Western Christianity
397
00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:51,236
is dominated by these myths.
398
00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:54,432
understood or not.
often re-interpreted
399
00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:59,714
perhaps not always understood
for the deep meaning they held
400
00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:04,789
for the people of Mesopotamia.
401
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:09,232
But our civilisation
is suffused by these myths.
402
00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:37,598
The gods instilled fear and respect.
403
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:40,792
They symbolised
the Sumerians' mistrust of nature.
404
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,310
Each divinity in their pantheon
played a role.
405
00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:46,829
Each one ruled over a city.
406
00:39:01,240 --> 00:39:06,553
En-Lil. god of wind. ruled over
air and earth in the city of Nippur.
407
00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:11,197
Enki. god of water and the world.
was worshipped in Eridu.
408
00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:15,632
Udu. god of justice and truth.
was worshipped in Larsa.
409
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:20,550
lnanna. known to the Babylonians
as the fertility goddess lshtar.
410
00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:22,796
was worshipped in Uruk.
411
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:25,275
She inspired both love and war.
412
00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:30,237
To the Greeks. she was Aphrodite.
and to the Romans. Venus.
413
00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:35,751
The smooth curves
of this alabaster statue
414
00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,316
reflect the skill
of the Sumerian artists.
415
00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:44,469
Their art and their religious devotion
are highlighted by the statues' finish
416
00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:47,319
and their expressive faces.
417
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:56,278
The Mesopotamians religious feelings
are not easy to grasp.
418
00:39:56,480 --> 00:40:05,036
We find temples.
texts full of myths and rituals.
419
00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:09,199
namely. what had to be done
during religious ceremonies.
420
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:14,520
But their deeper feelings are not
well understood or explained.
421
00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:17,632
ln Mesopotamian culture
422
00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:23,039
there is a general concept
of divine power.
423
00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:27,677
There are forces
which men have to serve
424
00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:31,839
and with which
they must come to terms.
425
00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:34,031
Make a compact with them.
426
00:40:34,240 --> 00:40:41,476
Their religion was
a religion of man serving God.
427
00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:44,634
What did it mean?
428
00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:47,593
lt ensured
that life ran smoothly.
429
00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:53,079
that there would be food and drink
for the day s meals.
430
00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:57,637
that one would have fine clothes
befitting one s status.
431
00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:01,799
and wear necklaces or not.
depending on the occasion.
432
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:06,152
From time to time. they paraded
their gods through the town
433
00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:09,591
and returned them to the temple.
434
00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:16,034
From the facts we know. that s what
the Mesopotamian religion was like.
435
00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,797
Prayer was part of daily life
for the Sumerians.
436
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,468
The upkeep
and ceremonies of the temple
437
00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:28,036
required a large body of priests
and other staff.
438
00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:31,391
and every day the faithful
brought their offerings.
439
00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:33,795
The archives of the city of Uruk
440
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:38,312
describe the daily meal
of its four main gods as follows:
441
00:41:38,520 --> 00:41:43,469
250 loaves of bread.
1 000 tarts. 50 sheep.
442
00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:47,309
eight lambs. two oxen
and one calf -
443
00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:50,478
celestial food
that was offered to the gods
444
00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:54,958
and later fed the temple's
1 200 priests and staff.
445
00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:01,672
The scribes recorded
the hopes of the Sumerians.
446
00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:04,713
ln exchange for their devotion.
their virtue.
447
00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:07,718
and their respect
for the established order.
448
00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:11,549
the Sumerians hoped for eternal life
in the next world.
449
00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:17,512
The never-ending struggle
to tame nature
450
00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:20,473
made them conscious
of the fragility of life
451
00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:23,638
and inspired
their most beautiful myths.
452
00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:37,950
Gilgamesh. the fifth king of Uruk
in the third millennium BC.
453
00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:40,230
was a historical figure.
454
00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:42,556
He was the Sumerians' hero.
455
00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:47,117
and the stories of his adventures
were famous throughout Mesopotamia.
456
00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:50,995
They sum up the history
of the Sumerian civilisation.
457
00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:55,117
Gilgamesh was a just king
and a great builder
458
00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:57,550
who also challenged the gods.
459
00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:02,038
He tamed savages. and he went
to the distant forest of fragrant cedar
460
00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:05,789
to confront
the fire-eating monster Humbaba.
461
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:10,039
During their fight.
Gilgamesh cut off the monster's head.
462
00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:13,118
He returned to Uruk in triumph.
463
00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:21,798
To punish him. the goddess lnanna
sent the celestial bull to destroy the city.
464
00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:26,391
The bull dried up the meadows and rivers.
and opened deep crevices
465
00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:30,195
into which people fell to their deaths.
466
00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:57,556
The Sumerians' vision was prophetic.
467
00:43:57,760 --> 00:44:01,355
After ruling Mesopotamia
for 3000 years.
468
00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:06,031
their civilisation.
attacked from all sides. collapsed.
469
00:44:06,240 --> 00:44:10,631
The pomp of their cities was over.
and so was their influence.
470
00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:13,957
The irrigation canals
gradually dried up.
471
00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:18,278
the walls of the houses collapsed.
the temples themselves collapsed
472
00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:22,519
under the combined assault
of the sun. the rain and the wind.
473
00:44:22,720 --> 00:44:25,314
The clay of the bricks turned to dust.
474
00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:28,796
leaving only a shapeless mass
above the dunes.
475
00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:32,879
the last vestiges
of a civilisation's grandeur.
476
00:44:48,600 --> 00:44:51,797
How can we explain
the complete disappearance
477
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:54,309
of such a brilliant civilisation?
478
00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:57,956
Or the decadence of a people
who left behind only ruins
479
00:44:58,160 --> 00:45:01,232
and the remains of looted temples?
480
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:03,635
Can we speak of "a decline "?
481
00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:08,789
To a certain extent. yes.
but a better word might be sclerosis.
482
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:15,269
All these great discoveries
made in the fourth millennium BC.
483
00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:21,555
all their philosophy displayed
in religious representations
484
00:45:21,760 --> 00:45:24,877
or within the framework of religion...
485
00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:30,712
all that changed.
and in the long term.
486
00:45:30,920 --> 00:45:35,948
they realised there was
less and less freedom
487
00:45:36,160 --> 00:45:39,118
to express a number of things.
488
00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:46,510
For instance. Mesopotamian art
was infinitely more diverse.
489
00:45:46,720 --> 00:45:51,316
more flourishing.
in the third millennium BC
490
00:45:51,520 --> 00:45:53,511
than it was in the first.
491
00:45:53,720 --> 00:45:57,315
What happened around 1 200 BC?
They discovered iron.
492
00:45:57,520 --> 00:46:00,751
lron was an asset.
lt was better than copper
493
00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:05,272
and easier to work.
even if at a higher temperature.
494
00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:09,553
lt had many applications.
so it was an improvement.
495
00:46:09,760 --> 00:46:12,991
But Mesopotamia
had little iron ore.
496
00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:18,354
The question of a source arose.
as they had to go much further.
497
00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:21,677
Therefore.
the regions which had iron ore
498
00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:26,078
began to play a much bigger part
than Mesopotamia.
499
00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:33,312
For almost a century. in the tablets
archived in the temples.
500
00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:37,559
scribes patiently recorded
the decline of crop yields.
501
00:46:37,760 --> 00:46:42,959
From 2350 BC.
wheat production fell by 40% .
502
00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:46,311
Only barley production
remained stable.
503
00:46:47,080 --> 00:46:50,675
How could a people who had developed
such advanced techniques
504
00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:54,839
be powerless to keep their resources
from dwindling?
505
00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:58,953
For decades. archaeologists
pored over texts for an answer.
506
00:46:59,840 --> 00:47:02,513
But the answer lay in the field.
507
00:47:16,160 --> 00:47:19,789
The irrigation system
made the Sumerians powerful.
508
00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:23,037
but it also contributed
to their destruction.
509
00:47:23,240 --> 00:47:26,277
As 3000 years
of irrigation water evaporated.
510
00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:31,190
the salt buried deep in the land
rose to the surface.
511
00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:35,188
ln the end. a white cover of salt.
hardened by the sun.
512
00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:39,871
made the soil sterile.
and the wheat could no longer grow.
513
00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:46,715
The local people are still plagued
by this problem today.
514
00:47:46,920 --> 00:47:52,472
ln some areas. the earth is cracked.
lt resembles uncultivated desert.
515
00:48:03,560 --> 00:48:07,633
This is what the great fields
around the cities looked like.
516
00:48:07,840 --> 00:48:10,912
Faced with climate change
and desertification.
517
00:48:11,120 --> 00:48:14,556
Sumerian farmers
could find no solution.
518
00:48:30,160 --> 00:48:35,029
But can one speak
of the decline of a civilisation?
519
00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:39,949
To talk of a decline is not correct.
520
00:48:40,160 --> 00:48:43,038
lt was a power that developed.
521
00:48:43,240 --> 00:48:49,315
a civilisation that reached its peak
after producing wonderful things.
522
00:48:49,520 --> 00:48:53,399
These things and its philosophy
never perished.
523
00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:56,114
Their thought was transmitted.
524
00:48:56,320 --> 00:49:01,553
The Greeks and Persians.
who were very well educated.
525
00:49:01,760 --> 00:49:05,070
like the Mesopotamians.
well. l mean. certain elites.
526
00:49:05,280 --> 00:49:09,751
transmitted their science
and their knowledge.
527
00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:14,158
They passed through Anatolia
towards the Greek world
528
00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:18,638
and through the Greeks.
to the whole Mediterranean.
529
00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:23,197
lt inherited the achievements
of the Mesopotamian civilisation
530
00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:28,190
without realising their source
was the Mesopotamian civilisation.
531
00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:35,437
The weakened Sumerian cities were
unable to face the economic competition
532
00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:39,076
from the large cities
to the north of Mesopotamia.
533
00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:43,239
Other civilisations.
inspired by the Sumerian example.
534
00:49:43,440 --> 00:49:46,671
planted their standards
on the conquered land.
535
00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:51,317
By 2004 BC.
Sumer was finished.
536
00:49:51,520 --> 00:49:54,512
The Assyrians
dominated Mesopotamia.
537
00:49:54,720 --> 00:49:58,076
The epic of Babylon
could now begin.
538
00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:02,956
Beneath the pitiless sun.
539
00:50:03,160 --> 00:50:06,038
the Sumerians' wealth
returned to the dust.
540
00:50:09,160 --> 00:50:12,391
lt's their story that the Bible tells.
541
00:50:12,600 --> 00:50:15,319
Like the builders
of the Tower of Babel.
542
00:50:15,520 --> 00:50:20,355
the men and women of Sumer were
scattered upon the face of all the earth.
543
00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:27,831
The water the Sumerians feared
brought on their destruction.
544
00:50:28,040 --> 00:50:31,555
Having controlled the floods
of the Tigris and the Euphrates.
545
00:50:31,760 --> 00:50:34,957
having drawn their life-force
from their waters.
546
00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:40,632
the Sumerians were swept away
by history. and disappeared.
547
00:50:40,840 --> 00:50:43,798
They left mankind
the legacy of their wealth.
548
00:50:44,000 --> 00:50:46,673
traces of their creative genius
549
00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:53,228
and a sense of the extraordinary
fragility of civilisations.
550
00:51:53,360 --> 00:51:57,114
Subtitles SBS Australia 2007