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Difference in Cities
Q. In what ways did cities in Mesopotamia and Egypt differ from pastoral nomadic communities? How did the development of these cities introduce a hitherto unknown urban-rural divide?
When we talk about the pastoral nomadic communities, they survived by herding trained animals who had manageable grazing needs. These communities were quite small, and they migrated yearly amid pasturelands. They lived alongside and made a trade with agrarian people. On the contrary, the cities had a completely different setup. Around 3500 BCE, more developed societies came to being. They supported various cultural changes and technical development, and were known as cities. In the cities of Mesopotamia and Egypt, there were people present who were responsible for farming. The people of the city kept themselves fed with the help of rigorous irrigation agriculture. The cities consisted of various rulers, workers, craftsmen, priests, and administrators. They had a complete change of methods when it came to organizing the communities. They managed all of this by the worshipping of newfound Gods. They believed in following the divinity inspired Royalty and Government. It was like a proper city system, in which a hierarchy was being followed.
The cities became adaptive of the lifestyle which included the specialized labor for every other task like farming and the bulk manufacturing of the goods. On the contrary, the people who lived in the countryside continued with their lifestyle, which included cultivation of the land or they were inclined towards the livestock, which was the animals that they owned. This is the reason why the urban-rural divide was created. The difference is what set them apart.
Q. In what ways does the “Queen’s Lyre” show the wealth and hierarchy the developed with the rise of cities?
Material items can at times portray history better than any piece of written proof. When it comes to our early civilization, the study of the items used by them helps shed light on the type of society they were. The example of "Queen's Lyre" can be taken for better understanding. A monumental grave perspective dating back to around 2500 BC. An object like the Lyre can project so much about the Mesopotamian civilization. The lyre is made of lapis, wood, bitumen and red limestone, and the way it is constructed is quite detailed and intricate. This indicates that there was indeed labor specialization and interregional trade present in order to make the object. Another fact to be noted is that it was found in the arms of a lyrist, in the grave of a royalty, again indicates labor specialization. There is hierarchy being followed; the lyrist was probably killed to be put in the grave of the royal queen. The wealth accumulation can also be witnessed as one can see all the treasure that is present in the grave and taken out of the rotation. A single object the Queen's lyre hit as evidence for wealth accumulation, social stratification, interregional trade and so many other characteristics that can help in studying the early civilization (Pollard 44-81).
Work Cited
Pollard, Elizabeth. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart. , 2016. Print.
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