ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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Mesopotamia: the Rise and Fall

From the first city‑states of Sumer to the Assyrian empire, the documentary traces the political, legal and cultural milestones that shaped ancient Mesopotamia.

Chapters

0:07 City‑States of Sumer
1:44 The Akkadian Empire
2:53 Babylonian Golden Age
4:38 Assyrian Dominance and Decline

On-screen text

0:07 City‑States of Sumer
0:23 Urukagina's name on a clay tablet Historical record · Uruk IV tablet (c. 3400 BCE)
0:41 King List shows long reigns Historical record · The Sumerian King List (c. 2100 BCE)
0:59 Gilgamesh seeks eternal life Tradition / scripture · Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 1200 BCE)
1:17 Uruk's grid streets uncovered The Institute's interpretation · Excavations at Uruk, Tell al‑Muqayyar (c. 3000 BCE)
1:35 Eannatum's victory carved in stone Historical record · Stele of the Vultures, Lagash (c. 2450 BCE)
1:44 The Akkadian Empire
1:51 The Akkadian Empire
2:08 Sargon claims 32 cities Historical record · Royal inscription of Sargon of Akkad (c. 2300 BCE)
2:26 Ur tablets list grain rations Historical record · Ur III administrative tablets (c. 2100–2000 BCE)
2:44 Eannatum's victory carved in stone Historical record · Stele of the Vultures, Lagash (c. 2450 BCE)
2:53 Babylonian Golden Age
3:00 Babylonian Golden Age
3:17 Hammurabi's law code on stone Historical record · Code of Hammurabi stele (c. 1754 BCE)
3:35 Chronicle notes Babylon's fall Historical record · Babylonian Chronicle (c. 600 BCE)
3:53 Marduk's rise in myth Tradition / scripture · Enuma Elish (Babylonian creation myth, c. 1100 BCE)
4:11 Babylonian tablet with √2 Historical record · YBC 7289 (c. 1800 BCE)
4:29 Ishtar Gate's glazed bricks The Institute's interpretation · Archaeological survey of Babylon's Ishtar Gate (c. 575 BCE)
4:38 Assyrian Dominance and Decline
4:45 Assyrian Dominance and Decline
5:02 Ashurbanipal's lion hunt relief Historical record · Lion Hunt reliefs, palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh (c. 645 BCE)
5:20 Deportations recorded by Tiglath‑Pileser Historical record · Annals of Tiglath‑Pileser III (c. 745–727 BCE)
5:38 Nineveh library holds 30k tablets Historical record · Ashurbanipal's library tablets (c. 650 BCE)

Sources

Historical record: Uruk IV tablet (c. 3400 BCE) · The Sumerian King List (c. 2100 BCE) · Stele of the Vultures, Lagash (c. 2450 BCE) · Royal inscription of Sargon of Akkad (c. 2300 BCE) · Ur III administrative tablets (c. 2100–2000 BCE) · Code of Hammurabi stele (c. 1754 BCE) · Babylonian Chronicle (c. 600 BCE) · YBC 7289 (c. 1800 BCE) · Lion Hunt reliefs, palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh (c. 645 BCE) · Annals of Tiglath‑Pileser III (c. 745–727 BCE) · Ashurbanipal's library tablets (c. 650 BCE)

Tradition / scripture: Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 1200 BCE) · Enuma Elish (Babylonian creation myth, c. 1100 BCE)

The Institute's interpretation: Excavations at Uruk, Tell al‑Muqayyar (c. 3000 BCE) · Archaeological survey of Babylon's Ishtar Gate (c. 575 BCE)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 96 s of CPU.

Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (4) — the next things to make

City‑States of Sumer: Understand how writing, law and myth emerged in the first urban societies.
Close‑up of a clay tablet with cuneiform numbers and a diagonal square.
Close‑up of a clay tablet with cuneiform numbers and a diagonal square.
Scholars copying tablets in a vaulted library.