Uruk

History glossary

Also called: Warka · Topic: Bronze Age Civilisations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, China · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 1 "Writing and City Life"

Meaning

Uruk, also called Warka, was one of the earliest cities of southern Mesopotamia. People remembered it as "The City" above all others. It was lived in from c. 4200 BCE to 400 CE. By c. 3000 BCE it covered 250 hectares, twice the size Mohenjo-daro would later be. By c. 2800 BCE it covered 400 hectares. At the same time, dozens of villages around it were abandoned as people moved into the city. Uruk built a defensive wall very early.

Example

The first written tablets come from Uruk, c. 3200 BCE. They are lists of goods for the temple. War captives and local people had to do compulsory labour and were paid in rations. Building one temple took about 1,500 men working 10 hours a day for 5 years. By c. 3000 BCE Uruk had bronze tools, brick columns, clay-cone mosaics on temple walls and the potter's wheel. Its finest sculpture is the Warka Head, a woman's head in white marble.

Don't confuse with

  • Ur: a different southern city, known for its houses and royal graves. Uruk is linked with the first writing, the Enmerkar story and Gilgamesh.

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