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The
Development of Mesopotamia
Written by Michael Black
In its most reserved practice, anthropology is a discrete science
that uncovers the origin and nature of human beings. In its most
aloof practice, anthropology is a guessing game, an arbitrary
assumption of the past that is merely a pseudo-science. At its
best, though, anthropology seems to be a compromise between the
two. A science that not only allows for imagination and creativity
but also promotes it. Given that time-travel is currently for
all intents and purposes a scientific impossibility, it is up
to anthropologists to painstakingly and imaginatively piece together
the known events of the past to help create and complete our perception
of it. Such is the case with the origin of civilization in Mesopotamia.
Existing archeological record is not nearly enough to solely determine
how cities and states came to prevalence in Mesopotamia, and thus
many archeologists have tried to fill in the gaps from what has
been left behind. Many of the proposed theories are feasible,
but few if any are full proof. Of these existing theories, however,
using framework of Kent Flannery's systems theory, and using climate
change, irrigation, and trade as the key subsystems, most accurately
describes the rise of civilization in Mesopotamia.
The
main strength behind Flannery's Systems theory is that it is more
expansive than many of the linear theories offered up by other anthropologists
such as the Urban Revolution theory, the irrigation theory, or the
circumscription and warfare theory. In turn, the Systems theory
can offer "multiple, and often intricate, causes" rather
than a single one (Fagan 2001: 377). This can allow for additional
explanation where other theories might lose focus, and it can also
help mold already existing theories together to form a more accurate
model. Indeed, the complexities of Mesopotamian civilization are
so intricate that it would be impossible to site its origin down
to the finest details; however, I suggest that climate, irrigation,
and trade expansion were the main subsystems in the system that
helped shape the civilization of Mesopotamia. Like links in a chain,
they were all very important aspects that were integral to the system.
The following presentation of each force will have a sense of sequential
order, but because of this dependent relationship, one must remember
that they are all very dependent upon one another and thus not presented
in a rigid order.
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