Varied
Authors. Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Ed. “Iraq.” Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1985.
Given the forum’s interest in
orbital learning, divine providence (Reformation theology, WCF, 5), patriarchal
origins, the Davidic and Solomonic kingdoms, Assyria, Babylon, the pre-exilic to exilic prophets, the Babylonian Captivity, Daniel, Esther, Ezra,
Nehemiah, Ancient Near Eastern
literature and archaeology, Alexandrianism/Hellenism, the Seleucid Dynasty,
early church history, Islam, the First Amendment and current geo-political
issues, the study is warranted. Of note, this source goes only until 1985 and
much has passed in the last 28 years.
When catechetized, e.g. WCF,
learning is a corollary concern in life; it’s natural.
Outline
Physical
and human geography
1.
The land
A.
Relief
B.
Drainage
C.
Soils
D.
Climate
E.
Plant life
F.
Settlement patterns
2.
The people
A.
Ethnic and religious characteristics
B.
Demography
3.
The Economy
A.
Resources
B.
Agriculture, forestry and irrigation
C.
Industry
D.
Trade
E.
Finance and trade
F.
Transportation
4.
Administration and social conditions
A.
Government
B.
Justice
C.
Armed Forces
D.
Education
E.
Health and welfare
5.
Cultural life
History
1.
The Origins of Mesopotamian history
A.
The background
B.
The emergence of Mesopotamian civilization
2.
Sumerian civilization
A.
The Sumerians to the end of the Early Dynastic
period
B.
Sumer and Akkad in 2350—2000 B.C.
C.
The 3rd Dynasty of Ur
3.
The Old Babylonian period
A.
Isin and Larsa
B.
Early history of Assyria
C.
The Old Babylonian Empire
D.
The Hurrians
4.
The Kassites, the Mitanni, and the rise of
Assyria
A.
The Kassites in Babylonia
B.
Kingdom of the Hurrians and the Mitanni
C.
The Rise of Assyria
5.
Assyria and Babylonia at the end of the 2nd
millennium
A.
Babylonia under the 2nd dynasty of
Isin (c. 1156—1025)
B.
Assyrian between 1200 and 1000
6.
Assyrian and Babylonian (1000—750 B.C.)
A.
Assyria and Babylonia until Ashurnasirpal II
B.
Shalmaneser III and Shamshi-Adad V of Assyria
C.
Adad-nirari III and his successors
7.
The Neo-Assyrian Empire (746—609 B.C.)
A.
Tiglath-pileser III and Shalmaneser V
B.
Sargon II (721—705 B.C.) and Marduk-apai-iddina
of Babylonia
C.
Sennacherib
D.
Esarhaddon
E.
Ashurbanipl (668—627 B.C.) and
Shamash-shum-ukin (668—648 B.C.)
F.
The Decline of the Assyrian Empire
8.
The Neo-Babylonian Empire (625—539 B.C.)
A.
Nebuchadnezzar (Nabu-kudurri-usur) II
B.
The last kings of Babylonia
9.
Mesopotamian art and architecture
A.
Sumerian period
B.
Akkadian period
C.
Sumerian revival
D.
Assyrian period
E.
Neo-Babylonian period
10. Assyro-Babylonian literature
11. Mesopotamia
under the Persians
12. Babylonian under Alexander, the Seleucids, and
the Parthians
13. Iraq
from the Arab conquest to 1918
A.
The Arab conquest
B.
The Umayyads
C.
The ‘Abbasids
D.
The Buyids
E.
The Seljuqs
F.
The Mongols
G.
The Ottomans
14. Iraq
since 1918
A.
British occupation and the mandatory regime
B.
Independence (1932—1939)
C.
World War II and British intervention (1939—1945)
D.
Postwar reconstruction and social upheavals
(1945—1958)
E.
The revolution of 1958
F.
Recurrence of military coups, 1963—1968)
G.
The Arab Ba’th Socialist regime since 1968
Iraq is an independent country. It is in the “northwestern” end of the Persian
Gulf. Interesting perspective of the
writer, viewing Iraq as a “western” country.
Turkey is to the north, Iran to
the east, the Persian Gulf to the southeast, Syria and Jordan to the west, and
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south.
It was called “Mesopotamia” in the classical world, the “land
between the rivers.” It was known as “Iraq”
by the 7th century A.D. It remains largely agricultural, although it
has become the “major source of the world’s oil.” Political instability
followed the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958. The Army and the Ba’th Party
emphasized Iraq “unique national culture.”
It has
169,000 sq. miles (rounded off).
Comparsions:
·
Russia: 6, 602, 000
·
US: 3,
974, 000
·
China: 3, 748, 000
·
Canada: 3, 855,000
·
Saudi Arabi: 830, 000
·
Egypt: 386, 700
·
France: 260, 558
·
Afghanistan: 251, 850
·
Spain: 195, 364
·
Iraq: 169,000
·
Germany: 136, 846
·
State of North Carolina, US: 53, 819
·
England: 50, 346
Land:
·
Twin valleys and lowlands obtain between the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, being divergent in the north but conjoining in the
southeast
·
Lower Iraq: Baghdad to the Persian Gulf is 330
miles. The Tigris River has a “tortuous
course”
·
Upper Iraq: a region with valleys between the
two main rivers
·
Northeastern region: Kurdistan area, a
mountainous area with some heights to 8000-10,000 feet
·
Western regions, west of the riverine valleys:
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on the south with Jordan and Syria on the west
Climate:
·
A straightforward and alternating regime: 2
seasons
·
May to October: very dry and very hot (as a
witness to that, you can say that a few times, a very distinct change beginning
in late March and April)
·
December to March: cool, humid winters, but the
mountainous areas can have “severe winters”
Soils:
·
Two types: (1) heavy alluvial deposits from the
two rivers and (2) light soils elsewhere
·
Both types suffer from high salinity and alkali
deposits inhibiting vegetation
·
The alluvial soils from the riverine areas are
high in humus and clay content: they are easily dried and turned to bricks for
building
·
The light soils lack this
·
It is easy to infer demographic and settlement
patterns—near rivers
Plants/animals:
·
Brushes, low shrubs
·
South and west: thorn bushes and tamarisk trees
·
Riverine areas: poplar, willow, licorice and
tamarkisk trees
·
Mountainous areas: oak forests in Zagros
Mountains, although there has been serious deforestation
·
Animals: jackals, hyenas, wildcats, pigs,
gazelles, reptiles, snakes
·
Onryx, ostrich and asses largely extinct
Settlement
patterns:
·
As expected, topography governed settlement
patterns. Demographic densities along
the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers with varied tributaries to them
·
Major cities: Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Kirkuk,
al-Hillah, Irbil
·
Smaller distinction (than the West enjoins) between
towns and cities: most have 10,000 to 25,000.
·
The western regions are still occupied by
nomads
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