User:SomeGuyWhoRandomlyEdits/Early Dynastic IIIa
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The Early Dynastic IIIa period (abbreviated EDIIIa period or EDIIIa; also, may sometimes be called the, "Fara period") is the third out of four sub-periods to an archaeological culture of Mesopotamia collectively referred to as the Early Dynastic (ED). Depending on which chronological timeline for the Ancient Near East (ANE) is preferred among the present-day general consensus of mainstream historians, the Early Dynastic IIIa is usually said to have begun after the preceding Early Dynastic II c. 2600 BCE by the Middle Chronology (MC), or c. 2500 BCE by the Short Chronology (SC); then, gradually transitioning into the Early Dynastic IIIb period c. 2450 BCE (MC), or even up to c. 2375 BCE (SC). The Early Dynastic IIIa period saw an expansion in the use of writing and increasing social inequality. Larger political entities developed in upper Mesopotamia and southwestern Iran. The Royal Cemetery at Ur along with the archives of Tell Fara and Tell Abu Salabikh date back to ED IIIa period.
Alternative names | Fara period |
---|---|
Geographical range | Lower Mesopotamia |
Period | Early Dynastic |
Dates | c. 2600 – c. 2450 BCE |
Preceded by | Early Dynastic II |
Followed by | Early Dynastic IIIb |
Defined by | Henri Frankfort |
The EDIIIa 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 BCE at the beginning of this period.