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Sumer
Mesopotamia - The Land
Between Two Rivers
Mesopotamia was a place where many cities began to grow. As
its name suggests, Mesopotamia was located between two
rivers. The two rivers were the Tigris River and the Euphrates
River.
Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East, and surrounded
by desert. People came to Mesopotamia because the soil
between the two rivers was very fertile.
USA
Mesopotamia was
located in the
Middle East.
Mesopotamia
was located in
what is now the
country of Iraq.
Mesopotamia was part of a larger region called the Fertile Crescent.
This area, that stretched from the eastern edge of the Mediterranean
Sea down to the Persian Gulf, had fertile soil and was where many
civilizations started. The shape is somewhat similar to a crescent
(think of a crescent roll, or a crescent-shaped moon).
The Cradle of Civilization
Mesopotamia is located in the Middle East, which is located
in Southwest Asia. As we’ve discussed before, the first
civilizations and examples of writing were found in
Southwest Asia. These things began in Mesopotamia.
When a newborn baby begins life, he or she is placed in a
cradle. Mesopotamia is called the cradle of civilization
because the first civilizations began there, about 5,500 years
ago in 3500 B.C.
CITY-States Arise
The area around Sumer was either scorching desert or
mudflats.
For this reason, Sumerian cities were independent because
they were cut-off from the others with little if any
communication.
They raised their own crops and made their own goods.
They gained control of the area around it. These formed
city-states. City-states were SELF GOVERNING. Most
had between 5,000 and 20,000 people.
City-States Formed Along the Rivers
They each had their own
form of government, and
the people worshipped
different gods and
goddesses. Eventually, they
each had their own kings.
The region where the two
rivers meet was called
Sumer. The people who
lived in the Sumer region
were called Sumerians.
Why Did These Cities Develop?
Due to the fertile soil in
Mesopotamia, farming was
very successful. In fact,
people were able to create
surpluses of food. This
meant that some people
could stop farming and
begin doing other things,
like building a city.
As cities began to develop, people
began to worry about others who
might come and invade their city.
They wanted to protect themselves
from enemies, so people in
Mesopotamia built walls around
their cities.
Sumerians
Remember, Sumer is the
region where the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers
meet.
Writing first began in Sumerian
cities. The first schools were set
up in Sumer over 4,000 years
ago. Sumerian schools taught
boys the new invention of
writing. Those who graduated
became professional writers
called scribes. Scribes were the
only people who could keep
records for the kings and priests.
Boys that wanted to be scribes
had to attend school from the
age of 8 to the age of 20.
A Sumerian City
Sumerian city
streets were so
narrow that you
could hardly get a
cart through them.
Sumerian houses
faced away from
crowded streets.
Instead, they faced
onto courtyards
where families ate
and children played.
Narrow Streets
Courtyard Area
Sumerian Cities
On hot nights,
people slept
outdoors on the top
of their house’s flat
roof.
Sumerians had a form of light
at night. They burned oil
lamps.
Sumerians even had plumbing!
Clay pipes that were buried
underground carried their waste
away. Inventions like plumbing
wouldn’t come around for
another thousand years in other
parts of the world!
Sumerian Religion
Sumerians
worshipped
many gods, not
just one. This
belief in many
gods is called
polytheism.
“Poly” means
many and
“Theism”
means gods.
Each city-state
claimed a god
as their own.
The picture above shows a ziggurat.
Ziggurats were the main temples used to
worship the gods of a city. Ziggurats were
built in the center of the city. They had steps
and ramps, and it was believed that the gods
descended to the Earth using the ziggurat as a
ladder. The very top was a holy place.
Sumerian Mythology
Sumerian myths, or stories, explained people’s
beliefs. Sumerians believed that a person must keep
the gods happy by going to the ziggurat and praying
to them. They believed that the gods would reward
them for good service. They also believed that the
gods would punish the people who made them angry.
ziggurat
Gods
SOCIAL GROUPS IN SUMER
• If you were a Sumerian, you usually stayed in the class
you were born into.
• Upper class – Kings, priests, warriors, government
officials
• Middle Class – merchants, farmers, fishers, artisans. Was
the LARGEST SOCIAL CLASS.
• Lower Class – enslaved people, criminals, debtors, war
prisoners. They worked for the UPPER CLASS.
Males & Females
Males
• Head of the home
• Boys went to school and
were trained for a specific
job.
• Any Sumerian was required
by law to take care of their
own children or their adult
parents if they needed help.
•
•
•
•
Females
Ran the home
Trained daughters to run the
home
Cared for the children
Had few civil rights
Farmers & Traders
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Most men in Sumer were farmers and owned a plot of land in the area around
the city-state.
Wheat, barley, and dates were the major crops. They also raised sheep, goats,
and pigs.
Trade was very important. Skilled artisans needed the materials to do their
work.
Merchants went to other lands to trade.
Trade has been traced as far as India and Egypt.
They traded wheat, barley, and tools for timber,
minerals and metals.
Sumerians valued a red stone called carnelian, but
especially a blue stone called lapis lazuli.
Sumerian Writing
Scribes used a sharp point called a stylus to etch words
into clay tablets because they didn’t have paper. These
tablets have been discovered by archaeologists and
looked at by historians.
Cuneiform
• Made up of about 1200
characters!
• Represented names,
objects, numbers.
• Cuneiform comes from a
Latin word meaning
“wedge.”
• Only a few people
learned to read and write
cuneiform, mostly boys
from wealthy families.
They became SCRIBES.
Gilgamesh
• After writing developed,
storytellers could finally
write down stories they’d
told orally for centuries.
• The world’s oldest story is
from Sumer.
• It was written more than
4,000 years ago and is still
studied today. It is called
the Epic of Gilgamesh.
• An epic is a long poem that
tells the story of a hero.
Other Sumerian Contributions
• Wheel – evidence of a
wheeled vehicle from 3500
B.C.
• Carts – pulled by donkeys
• Chariot – early vehicle
• Sailboat
• Wooden plow – for the fields
• Potter’s Wheel
• Were first to make bronze
• Studied math and astronomy
• Place value system based on
60
• Positions of stars for planting
• 12 month calendar based on
moon
The Downfall of the Sumerians
Each of the Sumerian city-states
had a ruler, and these city-states
began fighting each other. They
fought over land and the use of
river water. Since the Sumerians
were constantly at war with each
other, they became weak. By
2000 BC, Sumer was a weakened
area, and by 1759 BC, Sumer was
conquered by another group of
people - the Babylonians, who
were from the north.