Iraq: Outline, Land, Soils, Rivers, Climate, Plants/Animals, & Settlement Patterns

          Varied Authors.  Encyclopedia Britannica, 15^th 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 3^rd 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 2^nd millennium

A.    Babylonia under the 2^nd 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 7^th 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