24: The Late Uruk industrial revolution in Unug, 3500-3200 BCE (Hoe vs Plow)

Guest: Liyan

First, another debate poem! Hoe, child of the poor, bereft even of a loincloth, starts a quarrel with the Plow. A surprising amount of Sumerian literature boils down to the logistical complexity of various tasks facing early state institutions, not least among them the upkeep of various agricultural tools.

Then, we look at the Late Uruk state from the perspective of its labor force. To paraphrase Bertolt Brecht, somebody had to haul up all those lumps of rock, and it certainly wasn’t the priest-kings depicted in visual art. We also look at an industrial revolution of sorts, as unskilled workers started to mass-produce undecorated (beveled-rim) bowls to fulfill the growing needs of the elite households at the center of the state.

Finally, Enlil (god of kingship, king of the gods) intervenes in the debate between Hoe and Plow. Praise be to Nisaba!

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