[Compiled by: Kandiah Thillaivinayagalingam]
Written
Laws
A tablet and a copper statue of King Ur-Nammu, found at Nippur
in Iraq, dating to approximately 2100 B.C.As the Sumerian city-states began to
grow and flourish, a need for order began to arise, so the kings issued uniform
laws, rooted in precedence, and applying to all citizens. The earliest evidence
of this was two tablets uncovered from the city-states of Ur and Nippur from
around 2100 BC, issued by the king Ur-Nammu. They contained about 17 ordinances
that outlined various offenses, and the penalty for each one.
Among the inventions of the Sumerians, the most persistent and
far-reaching was their invention of this above law called "The Code of
Ur-Nammu" . While all cultures have some system of social regulation and conflict
resolution, law is a distinct phenomenon. Law is written and administered
retribution and conflict resolution. In early sumeria,legal disputes followed a
set course of action. Before reaching court an attempt was made to settle the
matter between the parties involved.This process was presided over by an
arbitrator known as a maskhim.Failing that the dispute was brought to the court
were a panel of professional judges, known as dikuds, heard the arguments. By
2400 B.C. laws were common on Sumerian society. These laws were designed to
protect the weak, poor, widows, and orphans against the rich.Ur-Nammu is also
credited as the builder of the Great Ziggurat of Ur.Unlike what would come
later, such as the popular “eye for an eye,”[The Code of Hammurabi] these early
laws focused on providing monetary compensation for harm done. The task of
administrating justice rested with the king, but his duties often made it
impossible to hear every case, so he would often delegate them to a panel of
justices who would rule on a particular case with his authority. There were no
juries.A case usually required both parties to swear to tell the truth, plead
their case before the justices, and present any evidence. If there was a
conflict in the stories, it was assumed that the accused party was lying, so
they would do a trial by ordeal, seeking divine guidance by throwing the
accused into a river. If he/she survived, they would be deemed innocent.Also
either party was allowed to appeal the verdict to the king if they felt the
ruling of the justices was not fair. This concept of appeals still exists
today, particularly in Anglo-Saxon law.
Ziggurat
A reconstruction of the ziggurat found at Ur. The original
ziggurat was built by King Ur-Nammu in the twenty-first century B.C. and was
made of mud bricks.
Like many ancient people, the ancient Sumerians believed that
powerful gods lived in the sky. They built huge structures, called ziggurats,
with steps climbing up to the top in the center of town.Religious ceremonies
were held at the very top. People left offerings of food and wine. The priests
enjoyed these offerings, as the gods could not eat for themselves. the Ziggurat
courtyard was gay and lively. You might see an artist painting, a boy racing by
on his way to school, someone milking a cow or making a basket.These ziggurats
or temple mounds were built in the shape of flattened pyramids, and appeared in
most cities throughout Mesopotamia (now modern Iraq). Most were crowned with a
temple or shrine where priests & people worshipped the gods of each
city.The earliest ziggurat was built at Eridu in about 5000 BC. Ziggurats were
solid structures with no rooms inside them. It is uncertain why they were
shaped the way they were, but it seems likely that the Mesopotamians thought of
them as altars or, perhaps, as stairways to and for the gods. Built by slaves,
the largest ziggurats were over 45 metres high.This height, however, is just
speculation, as only the foundations of this ancient monument survive
today. The priests wanted their gods to keep living in their city. To do
this, they encouraged the citizens to pray and bring offerings of food.The gods
also owned lands that were governed for them by the priests. They collected the
god's taxes practically everything was taxed in some way in Mesopotamia .These
taxes were huge, requiring values to be paid depending on what one did. From
trading, to fishing or farming, there was some kind of tax. Sometimes there
were even a number of taxes on a single action.Because of this,one of the sumerian
proverb even says:"You can have a lord, you can have a King, but the man
to fear is the tax collector!"
An analysis of The Standard of Ur:
The Standard of Ur
consists of four panels inlaid with shell and lapis lazuli. The two larger
panels, shown here, depict scenes of war and peace.
The 5000-year-old,decorated panels found buried in royal graves located in
the Sumerian city-state of Ur in modern-day Iraq.The Standard continues to
attract world-wide attention as one of the richest clues to Sumerian
civilization in the third millennium B.C.
The Standard of Ur
illustrate the six characteristics of civilization such
I am glad also to see that many scholars are slowly waking up to
the enormous importance of Sumero Tamil studies and through that study &
research they will proof to the world that Tamils are the oldest people who
have established the first world civilization.
PART :49 WILL
FOLLOW
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