Chapter 1
Subject:
I. Gilgamesh's story
*'Recruited' the man-beast Ninurta to 'civilization' with the help of a prostitute
*Different cultures, like Sumerians, equate civilization to the ways of their own culture.
*Mesopotamia and Egypt around 3000 B.C.E. Common understanding.
*Civilization marked by settled agricultural life, political, social, economic, and technological advancements. Includes:
(1) cities as administrative centers,
(2) a political system based on defined territory rather than kinship,
(3) many people engaged in specialized, non-food-producing activities,
(4) status distinctions based largely on accumulation of wealth,
(5) monumental building,
(6) a system for keeping permanent records,
(7) long distance trade, and
(8) sophisticated interest in science and art.
