Ancient Mesopotamia

I General Information

A1. Time Period: 5,000 B.C. - 539 B.C.

  • First organized civilizations occurred around 3,000 B.C.
  • The period ended with the takeover by the Persians in 539 B.C.
  • Later taken over by Alexander the Great, and later by the Romans.

 

A2. Location

Located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the part of the world that today forms much of the mideast. (Iraq, eastern Syria and SE Turkey).


   

 

A2. General Comments

    • groups of people, no one unified group.
      1. Sumerian (cultural),
      2. Babylonian (not much progress),
      3. Assyrian (Military) and
      4. Chaldean or Neo-Babylonia (restored some of the culture).
    • King Hammurabi (Babylonian) and Nebuchadnezzar (Chaldean)

 

 

B. Social

  • Classes were divided as follows:
    1. Patricians or aristocrats (land holders)
    2. Burghers or common citizens
    3. serfs (own land) and slaves

 

 

 

C. Econimic
  • Agriculture
  • Chief Products
  

 

D. Commerce
  • Exports
  • Imports
  • Barter system

 

 

 

E. Religion
  • Polytheistic
  • Sha-Mash and Ishtar
  • present world belief

 

 

 

F. Literature and Art

  • Depicted scenes of daily life and events around them.
  • Ziggurat

 

 

Royal Standard of Ur

Used cylinders to imprint motifs on tiles.

 

G. Intellectual
  • Cuneiform
  • Commerce related systems
  • Law
  • Water clock and lunar calendar -
  • Math - used in building, area, volume, etc.
  • Astronomy
  • Medicine

 

Personalitites

Sumerian - Sargon I

Babylonians - Hammurabi (Code of Hammurabi)

Assyrians - Ashurbanipal

Chaldeans - Nebuchadnezzar (built the terraced roof known as the Hanging Gardens ,one of the 7 wonders of the world).

II Costume Overview

A. Motifs
  • Plant-life motifs and geometrics.
  • Motifs were used on fabrics.

 

 

 

B. Materials

  • Wool
  • Cotton
  • Linen and Silk through trade

 

 

 

 

C. Silhouette

  • Tubular or Triangular (through tiering).
  • Fringing
  • Draping

 

 

 

 

D. Other Information

 

 

 

III Costume Items

A. Garments

Syrian and Phoenician
Cape/Wraps - a meld of Egyptian and Asian

 

Sumerian: Men and Women
Tunic

Skirt
Sumerian: Men and Women
Kuanakes

Sumerian: Men and Women
Capes

Girdles

Belts

Men were clean shaven but wore beads
Assyrians and Babylonians
Tunic or Candys
Skirt
Cloak Like Overgarment
Stole or Scarf
Persians
  • War-fare, militaristic, hunters and horsemen.
  • These were the first people to cut and sew clothing (as opposed to drape)
    Anaxiride - trousers tightly fitted at the ankles.
Hebrew
Ephod
Aba
Caftan

 

B. Accessories

Jewelry

 

Turbans

Assyrians brimless hat

 

 

C. Hair

Assyrian small curls


 

 

IV What Am I?

 

Current and not so current fashion