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1、2005年10月12日開始第一次加試SumerianCivilizationItisanastonishingfactthathumancivilizationshouldhaveemergedintothelightofhistoryintwoseparateplacesatjustaboutthesametime.Between3,500and3,000B.C.whenEgyptwasbeingunitedunderpharaonicrule,anothergreatcivilizationaroseinMesopotamia,the“l(fā)andbetweentherive
2、rs”.Andforclosetothreethousandyears,thetworivalcentersretainedtheirdistinctcharacters,eventhoughtheyhadcontactwitheachotherfromtheirearliestbeginnings,andtheirdestinieswereinterwoveninmanyways.ThepressurethatforcedtheinhabitantsofbothregionstoabandonthepatternofNeolithicvillagelifemaywellha
3、vebeenthesame.ButthevalleyoftheTigrisandEuphratesrivers,unlikethatoftheNile,isnotanarrowfertilestripprotectedbydesertoneitherside.Itresemblesawide,shallowtroughwithfewnaturaldefenses,crisscrossedbytwogreatriversandtheirtributaries,andiseasilyencroacheduponfromanydirection.P2:Thusthefactsofg
4、eographytendtodiscouragetheideaofunitingtheentireMesopotamianareaunderasinglehead.Rulerswhohadthisambitiondidnotappear,sofarasweknow,untilaboutathousandyearsafterthebeginningsofMesopotamiancivilization,andtheysucceededincarryingitoutonlyforbriefperiodsandatthecostofalmostcontinuouswarfare.A
5、saconsequence,thepoliticalhistoryofancientMesopotamiahasnounderlyingthemeofthesortthatdivinekingshipprovidesforEgypt.Localrivalries,foreignincursions,thesuddenupsurgeandequallysuddencollapseofmilitarypower–theseareitssubstance.P3:TheoriginoftheSumeriansremainsobscure.Theirlanguageisunrelate
6、dtoanyotherknowntongue.Sometimesbefore4,000B.C.theycametosouthernMesopotamia,fromPersia,andthere,withinthenextthousandyears,theyfoundedanumberofcity-statesanddevelopedtheirdistinctiveformofwritingincuneiform(wedge-shaped)charactersonclaytablets.Unfortunately,thetangibleremainsofSumeriancivi
7、lizationareextremelyscantycomparedtothoseofancientEgypt.BuildingstonebeingunavailableinMesopotamia,theSumeriansusedmudbrickandwood,sothatalmostnothingisleftoftheirarchitectureexceptthefoundation.NordidtheysharetheEgyptians’concernwiththehereafter,althoug
