The Tones of the Sumerian and Harappan Civilizations

Both Sumerian and Harappan civilizations existed for a similar amount of time of roughly one thousand years. They both centered around rivers that challenged their people with the advent of flooding. They both utilized tools and they both developed writing, irrigation systems and religious structures that put priests in a special class. The religions of both cultures set them up for a hierarchy of a priestly class which acted as intermediaries between people and gods (Stearns 31, 53). Examining the artistic and technological creations of these societies as well as how they tie in with their religious structure allows reflection on core differences in their tones. Sumerian culture was more sensational and creative whereas what we know about the Harappans suggests a rigidity in the orderliness of their society. Sumerians also seemed more driven to expand their skill and knowledge than the Harappans, reflecting the warring nature of their society.

The beginnings of the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia stretch back to 3500 B.C.E. Its existence is marked by their advances in technology and science. They developed the first known alphabet and contributed the first epic to literary history. Their intellectual contributions to human history suggest a freedom that enabled them to pursue these ventures.

Somewhere around 2500 B.C.E. the Harappan civilization of the Indus River valley took form. The two main cities, Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, shared similarly and well organized designs. The social and political structures are reflected in this organization with the larger dwellings apparently for priests and supporting upper class such as merchants (53). Central to the existence of the Harappan civilization was its orderliness which is further reflected in its religion, artwork and technological innovations.

The Sumerians demonstrated their reverence of gods through artwork by the decoration of temples and home with statues and frescoes created in their likenesses (30) and ziggurats, large shrines built in pyramidic shape which served as dwelling for the gods (worldIQ.com). The artwork discovered in Harappan times is also dominated by objects of worship. Two common figures are a horned man which is associated with the upper classes and priests; and the nude female goddess figure which is associated with worship by the lower classes. This division of focuses for worship between the classes seems to be an extension of the organization of these Indus River people that goes to the level of artistic expression. A certain practicality in the values expressed artistically shows in the focus on fertility that shows up in the abundance of symbols for fertility including jewelry adorned naked female figures, phallic shapes and wild bulls (Stearns 53). Fertility was a necessary element to the survival therefore its representation in art as a subject of worship fits in with their structured society and religion.

The Harappans architecture and design of their cities was very structured. The layouts of the two Harappan capitals, Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, shared similarly and well organized buildings which all possessed consistent plans for cooking and sleeping rooms around a central courtyard (51 – 52) The social and political structures are reflected in this organization with the larger dwellings apparently for the class which supported the bureaucracy of the priests. Citadels were built from which the priests ruled (53). Lacking is the decoration and monumental design of the Sumerians however, ever putting things in their place, the Harappans did have the ingenuity to develop toilet and sewage systems (52).

The Epic of Gilgamesh, the first of great epics (29), was an example of a more dynamic expression of Sumerian culture than that of the Haparran people. While the story of Gilgamesh is rich with information about the gods and how they were perceived by the people it is also a tale of a super-hero, part man and part god, who was a match for any power or obstacle that challenges him, as this translation describes him:

The tale follows him on adventuresome drama involving the god’s and their whims and his courageous travels as well as his interactions with women (Kovaks, Tablet I and II) in a way that goes beyond acknowledging the gods to entertaining with this story that had been passed on orally for millenniums previously (Stearns 29).

Writing in Sumerian culture played a very large role not just in literature but in record keeping, tax records, recording scientific knowledge, and sending messages sent to trading contacts (31). While writing form has also been found among Harappan artifacts, the nature of the artifacts do not suggest anything nearly as extensive as the Sumerian’s use of writing, nor as dramatic. Stone seals closed over containers used in trading displayed animals, humans, gods and a writing system that unfortunately remains undecoded (52) however the utility of the seals would negate any entertainment value.

The Bronze Age gave both societies a history of weaponry and tools however those of the Harappans lacked the sophistication of the Sumerians (52). The Sumerians were stimulated by the invasive nature to create more effective weapons while the Harappans exposure to nomadic invaders came much later in the history of their civilization and though they had trading contact with outsiders they did not have the same history of recurrent invading and invasions the the Sumerians did. The creativity of the Sumerians also extended to tools of intellect as astronomical observations were made, calendars developed and numbers systems used (30).

While similarities can be acknowledged the general tone reflected in the creativity is consistently more expressive and perhaps more emotional and sensational in Sumerian culture than it is in Harappan culture. The Harappans were dominated by the organization of their civilization. Their arts and technology reflect this where the nature of their religious organization more likely caused it. The legacy of the Sumerian’s creativity and breadth of science and math was not oppressed by rigidity as the Harappans’ structured society seems to have been. They expressed themselves more fully through there art and intellectual endeavors. Information on these ancient civilizations is undoubtedly incomplete but despite the limitations of knowledge and some basic similarities between them there seems to be a definitive and opposing trend between them.