Transcript File - International School of Sosua

River Valley Civilizations
Guiding Question: What role did the physical
environment play in the development of
Sumerian civilization?
Mesopotamia is
located in the
Middle East.
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.
Mesopotamia
was located in
what is now the
country of Iraq.
•Mesopotamia was part of a larger region called the Fertile Crescent.
•This area 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
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 Formed Along the Rivers
•Many city-states formed along the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers in Mesopotamia.
Tigris River
•The Tigris River forms
the eastern boundary of
Mesopotamia, and is
1,850 Km long.
Euphrates River
•The Euphrates River
forms the western
boundary of
Mesopotamia, and runs
approximately 2,800 Km
long.
City-States Formed Along the Rivers
•Each City State had their own form of government. Eventually,
they each had their own kings.
City-States Formed Along the Rivers
•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.
Why Did These Cities Develop?
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.
Sumerian Writing
•Writing first began in Sumerian
cities. The first schools were set
up in Sumer over 4,000 years
ago.
•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.
Cuneiform – “Wedge Shaped” Writing
•Sumerian writing is called “Cuneiform”. They made wedge
shaped impressions on clay tablets, which were baked in the sun.
Scribes used a sharp point
called a stylus to etch
words into clay tablets.
These tablets have been
discovered by
archaeologists and
looked at by historians.
Deciphering Cuneiform
Bellringer
We know from our studies so far that the Sumerians
invented the first written language (Cuneiform).
What are two other important inventions made by
the Sumerians? Why were they able to make more
technological innovations than earlier humans?
Page 17
You have 5 minutes to write your answer in complete sentences.
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.
They believed gods
ruled the cities,
making the state a
theocracy
(government
established by the
authority of the gods)
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.
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
Waters of Wisdom
Sumerians believed that the world floated on an ocean of fresh water called Apsu.
This was ruled over by Enki, the god of water. In places the waters of Apsu burst
through the earth to form rivers, which Sumerians thought were the source of all
wisdom. Enki therefore became the god of wisdom itself. It was Enki who warned
humankind of the great flood described in Sumerian mythology and in the bible.
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.
Excavation of Royal Cemetery at Ur
The ancient city of Ur was
excavated by C. Leonard Woolley
between 1922 and 1934.
Much of his focus was on the
Royal Cemetery, estimated to be
from 2600 and 2450 BC. Among
these were 16 'royal tombs'
Revealed evidence of the deaths of
people thought to have been
sacrificed at the time of the ruler's
death.
One tomb, called the "Tomb of
Death" or "Great Death Pit" held
over seventy bodies.
Excavation of Royal Cemetery at Ur
This photograph and the
previous one show the progress
of the excavation, undertaken
from 1933-1934. The large-scale
excavation removed 13,000
cubic meters of soil and involved
over 150 workers.
These tombs were PACKED
WITH TREASURE!!
What kind of treasure? Let’s find
out.
Head Dress of Queen Puabi
The most splendid grave at Ur
belonged to Queen Puabi
and her 23 attendants.
She was buried with golden
necklaces and headdresses that
show the skills of Sumerian
jewelers and goldsmiths.
Puabi was about 40 years old
when she died. She was
probably a priestess and a
member of the royal family.
Bull Headed Lyre
One of the bodies buried in the
Great Death Pit near Queen
Puabi was draped over a lyre,
the bones of her hands placed
where what would have been
the strings.
Music seems to have been
extremely important to Early
Mesopotamia. Many of the
graves in the Royal Cemetery
contained musical instruments,
and quite possibly the
musicians that played them.
Ostrich Egg Shaped Bowl
The people buried at the
Royal Cemetery were
members of the elite
classes, who held
important roles in the
temples or palaces at Ur.
Evidence suggests that
feasts were associated
with royal tomb burials.
Many of the banquet
attendees still hold a cup
or bowl in their hands.
Statue of Ram Caught in Thicket
Each of the statues recovered
from Ur's Great Death Pit was
a goat standing on its hind
legs, framed by gold branches
with rosettes.
Bodies of the goats are made
from a wooden core applied
with gold and silver; the goat's
fleece were constructed from
shell in the lower half and
lapis lazuli in the upper. The
goats' horns are made of lapis.
The Standard of Ur
“War side”
The Standard of Ur
“Peace side”