La «Rivoluzione Urbana» nella Mesopotamia meridionale. Replica ‘ versus ’ Processo

This work explores the economic phenomena that occurred in central, north-central, south-central, and north-central Mesopotamia, from the Late Ubaid period to the end of the Early Dynastic period. The analysis focuses on each economic transformation as it can be recognized by statistical and mathematical models compiled by American survey projects. The data collected since the sixties investigate the region comprised between Ur plain and Diyala valleys, a southern sector of the so-called «Greater Mesopotamia». On the methodological level, this contribution intends to formalize some of the rules that determined the birth of the early urban settlements. For this reason it is opposed to the tendencies, which is evident in recent research, that describe the Sumerian urbanization as a systemic model linked ideological principles and limited by pre-determined rules; the “Urban Revolution” plays a central role. It is a “substantial phenomenon”, unique but able to occur again in different regions and periods as it can assume a “ h a b i t u s ” reflecting numerous types of arrangement and a great richness of cultural “ m i l i e u x ”. For these reasons the mechanism set up was not just an anthropological, gradual, orthogenetic, multilinear, evolving process, but an even stronger indication stamped on these fragile fragments of cultural material is conscious choice (therefore revolutionary) by man.