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The Early Dynastic period (abbreviated ED period or ED) is an archaeological culture in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) that is generally dated to 2900–2350 BC. It was preceded by the Jemdet Nasr period and followed by the Akkadian period. The ED period is divided into three sub-phases termed Early Dynastic (ED) I–III, with the ED III period being further subdivided into ED IIIa and ED IIIb. The period was coined in the 1930s by archaeologist Henri Frankfort during excavations in the Diyala region in Iraq. Subsequent research has led to various proposals to modify the dates, sub-divisions, and characteristics of the Early Dynastic. No inscriptions have yet been found verifying any names of kings that can be associated with the Early Dynastic I period. The ED I period is distinguished from the ED II period by the narrow cylinder seals of the ED I period and the broader wider ED II seals engraved with banquet scenes or animal-contest scenes.〔Georges Roux, ''Ancient Iraq'', page 129〕 The Early Dynastic II period is when Gilgamesh, the famous king of Uruk, is believed to have reigned.〔Georges Roux, ''Ancient Iraq'', page 502〕 Texts from the ED II period are not yet understood. Later inscriptions have been found bearing some Early Dynastic II names from the King List. The Early Dynastic IIIa period, also known as the ''Fara period'', is when syllabic writing began. Accounting records and an undeciphered logographic script existed before the Fara Period, but the full flow of human speech was first recorded around 2600 BC at the beginning of the Fara Period.〔Early Ancient Near Eastern Law. By Claus Wilcke. Eisenbrauns, 2003. Pg 26.〕 The Early Dynastic IIIb period is also known as the Pre-Sargonic period. Hegemony, which came to be conferred by the Nippur priesthood, alternated among a number of competing dynasties, hailing from Sumerian city-states traditionally including Kish, Uruk, Ur, Adab and Akshak, as well as some from outside of southern Mesopotamia, such as Awan, Hamazi, and Mari, until the Akkadians, under Sargon of Akkad, overtook the area. ==History of research== The term Early Dynastic (ED) was coined by archaeologist Henri Frankfort, analogous to the similarly named period in ancient Egypt. The periodization was developed in the 1930s during excavations that were conducted by Frankfort on behalf of the Oriental Institute on the sites of Khafajah, Tell Agrab, and Tell Asmar in the Diyala region in Iraq. The subdivision into Early Dynastic I, II, and III was primarily based on complete changes through time in the plan of the Abu Temple of Tell Asmar, which had been rebuilt multiple times on exactly the same spot.〔 Since then, the ED I–III has been widely applied to excavations elsewhere in Iraq. During the 20th century, many archaeologists also tried to impose the scheme of Early Dynastic I–III upon archaeological remains of the third millennium excavated elsewhere in Iraq and in northeastern Syria. However, accumulating evidence from sites elsewhere in Iraq has shown that the ED I–III periodization as reconstructed for the Diyala region cannot be directly applied to other regions. Research in Syria has likewise shown that developments there were quite different from those in the Diyala or southern Iraq, rendering the traditional southern Mesopotamian chronology useless. During the 1990s and 2000s, attempts were made by various scholars to arrive at a local northern Mesopotamian chronology, resulting in the Early Jezirah (EJ) 0–V chronology that encompasses the entire third millennium BC.〔 The use of the ED I–III chronology is now generally limited to southern Mesopotamia, with the ED II period sometimes being further restricted to the Diyala region, or discredited altogether.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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