3. The first civilisations
65
52.
Read the two texts and answer the questions:
a) Who is the narrator of each text? Write briefly what
you know about both of them.
b) Which civilisation or civilisations do they refer to and
which period do they correspond to?
c) Which social group do the narrators come from?
d) How does the governor in the first text explain his rise
to power?
e) The king in the first text speaks about the ‘black heads’.
That is what the people in the south of Mesopotamia
called themselves. Which civilisation does it refer to?
f) In the second text, why did the important Egyptian
men kiss the narrator’s feet?
g) In the second text, who does the emperor attribute his
success in the conquest of Thebes to?
50.
Look at this detail of the Standard of Ur and
describe each of the scenes. Then answer the
questions:
a) Which civilisation and period do you think it comes
from? Explain why.
b) Which is the most important figure in these scenes?
How do you know?
c) Which social groups are represented?
51.
Research the Temple of Debod, which is situated in
Madrid. Why is it there? Did the Ancient Egyptians
reach and occupy the Iberian Peninsula? Write a
brief report describing this monument and the
most interesting aspects of its history.
3
Sargon, the powerful king of Akkad I am. / My mother
was humble, and I never knew my father, / My father’s
brother lived in the mountains. / My city is Azupiranu,
on the banks of the Euphrates. / My humble mother
conceived me and gave birth to me in secret. / She threw
me in the river. (…) / The river sustained me and took me
to Akki, the irrigator. / Akki the irrigator pulled me out of
the river. / Akki the irrigator raised me, / Akki the irrigator
appointed me as his gardener. / When I was his gardener,
the goddess Ishtar loved me, / And for fifty-four years I
governed the kingdom. / I reigned over the black-headed
people and I governed them. / And I destroyed the
powerful mountains with bronze axes.
Albert C
HAMPDOR
Babilonia,
Orbis
(Translated)
‘During my second campaign I went towards Egypt and
Ethiopia. Tanwetamani (the pharaoh) discovered that
my army was advancing and that I (Ashurbanipal) was
invading Egyptian territory. He abandoned Memphis
and fled to Thebes for safety. The kings, prefects and
governors who he had installed in Egypt came to kiss
my feet. I went in search of Tanwetamani, and arrived
in Thebes, his fortress… I captured the whole city with
the help of Ashur and Ishtar. There I found silver, gold,
precious stones, brightly coloured furniture from his
palace, white clothing, big horses, people, men and
women and two large obelisks…which were beside the
temple gates, and I took it all to Assyria.’
Albert C
HAMPDOR
Babilonia,
Orbis
(Translated)
