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Mesopotamian Achievements Agricultural Techniques • Innovation: a new way of doing things • People of Mesopotamia began mixing tin with copper and created bronze. • Bronze is much stronger than copper. • By 2,500 B.C., people were using bronze tipped plows which could turn soil more easily. This led to larger fields and larger crops. • People developed a way to plow soil and plant seeds at the same time. They attached a funnel to the plow and filled it with seeds. As the plow moved, seeds were released. • This allowed fewer farmers to produce even more crops. Agricultural Techniques • Experienced farmers started to write advice for future farmers. • These were a form of almanacs (a annual calendar containing important dates and information for agriculture.) • Written on clay tablets they described the best ways to plant, to irrigate, and to care for crops. • One tablet read: “When you are about to cultivate your field, take care to open the irrigation works so that their water does not rise too high in it.” Measurement • • • • • • • • • • • • City-states needed larger farms to fed larger populations. Ownership of land became increasingly important. City officials wanted to keep track of how much land each farmer used. This led to a standardized system of measurement for land. They developed the iku. 1 iku = 37,600 square feet We still use a similar system today: 1 acre = 43,560 square feet. Standard units of measurement were also set for weights and volume. (Including the quart) This made for accurate and fair trade. The Sumerians created a number system based on the number 60. Our division of time into hours, minutes, and seconds comes from the Sumerians. By 2,100 B.C., Sumerians counted off days in a year, using a 360-day calendar. They also divided the circle into 360 degrees. Building • There were very few trees for building, so many cities used mud. • They built simple flat-roofed, mud-brink houses. • They had thick walls that kept them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. • Kings and high-ranking officials had larger homes of two or more stories. • Artists would decorate their walls with designed clay tiles. Buildings ~ Ziggurats • The largest and tallest building in each city-state was the ziggurat. • These were grand temples that had evolved from idea of the one-room temples of Ubaid. • Ziggurats grew in size as the cities grew in power. • Ziggurats were constructed of layers of mud-bricks. • Some stood as tall as 7 stories high. • At the top there was a shrine for the city’s special god. • Kings’ palaces and high-ranked officials’ homes stood inside a wall with the ziggurat. • Overtime, they built smaller homes outside the wall for less wealthy people, usually of reed and mud plaster. • They also built shops, workshops, and parks near the ziggurat. • The ziggurat was a busy center for the city. Walled house for a wealthier family. Often many generations lived in a single building Transportation • The world’s oldest wheel was found in Mesopotamia from 3,500 B.C. • Sumerians were the first to build carts, two-wheeled and fourwheeled carts and chariots that were pulled by oxen or donkeys. • Caravans traveled the same path over and over, creating a path and eventually a trade route. • They created boats for water travel. The boats were shaped like a basket and built from reeds and covered by animal skins. A mast and sail were in the center of the boat. • They also created canoe boats that they guided with poles. Writing & Literature • The earliest known writing was found on a clay tablet from Kish 3,500 B.C. • On the tablet were picture symbols that recorded trade. • Hundreds of clay tablets have been found at Uruk, evidence that by 3,100 B.C. Sumerians had a system of writing. • They developed cuneiform, writing using wedge-shaped symbol. • They developed 700 symbols, each standing for a different syllable. • Syllables and symbols were based on the spoken language. Writing & Literature • Few people knew how to read and write. • Scribes (people who recorded things for others) became very important members of society. • (KNOWLEDGE = POWER!!) • Scribes used sharpened reeds to write in cuneiform on soft clay. • Writing allowed government, economy, and society to develop further. • The were able to record boundary lines, wars, lists of kings, and gifts given to the temples. • They recorded trade of food and supplies. • They recorded literature, wrote down songs, and stories. • Most famously, The Epic of Gilgamesh Art • Sumerian craftsmen made many different kinds of jewelry from gold, silver, and gemstones including crowns, headdresses, rings, bracelets, and pins. • The Sumerians believed that gifts of jewelry would help to keep the gods and goddesses of the underworld happy. • Many examples of Sumerian jewelry have been found in graves of both men and women. • Another important creation of Sumerian artists were cylinder seals which would be rolled over clay to create patterns. Some of these seals were used to sign important documents. Music • Music in Sumer was used both for religious services and entertainment. • The Sumerians were one of the earliest people to create stringed and wind instruments such as the lyre and flute. • Artists often made musical instruments in the shape of animals – especially bulls. • Like scribes, musicians trained in special schools for many years to master their instrument.