Section 3: Sumerian Civilization

1
Section 3 Sumerian Civilization
2
The Story Continues Almost 4,000 years ago in
the town of Sumer, a father gave his son
theadvice that would be repeated by
fathersthroughout history Go to school, stand
beforeyour school-father, recite your
assignment . .After you have finished your
assignment . . .come to me. . . . Dont stand
about in the publicsquare, or wander about the
boulevard. Thestory of the Sumerians shows how
early peoplesof the Fertile Crescent passed
their cultures on tofuture generations.
3
I. The Fertile Crescent

• A strip of fertile land runs from the Isthmus of
  Suez to the Persian Gulf

4
I. The Fertile Crescent

• The southeastern part was known as Mesopotamia

5

• A. Rivers
• The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers rise in Turkey
  and flow through the Fertile Crescent

6
B. Flooding

• The Tigris and Euphrates flooded often and
  deposited rich soil

7
B. Flooding

• Unlike the Nile, the floods were unpredictable in
  size and timing

8
A. Rivers

• Farming began here Neolithic farmers settled in
  the area called Sumer between 5000 and 4000 B.C.

9

• Sumer (or Shumer, Sumeria, Shinar, native
  ki-en-gir) formed the southern part of
  Mesopotamia from the time of settlement by the
  Sumerians until the time of Babylonia. The
  Sumerians called their country ken.gi(r)
  'civilized land', their language eme.gir and
  themselves 'the black-headed ones'

10
B. Flooding

• Farmers built canals and dikes to irrigate their
  fields and return floodwater to the rivers

11
C. Invasions

• With little natural protection, wandering tribes
  often invaded and conquered the valley

12
C. Invasions

• Around 4000 B.C. a people called Sumerians moved
  into Mesopotamia

Ashurnasirpal II at War c. 875 BCE
Statues found at the Abu Temple in Tell Asmar
from c. 2700 BCE
13
II. Achievements

• A. Writing

14
A. Writing

• By 3000 B.C. Sumerians developed a form of
  writing called pictographs

15
A. Writing

• They wrote by pressing marks into clay tablets
  using a stylus

16
A. Writing

• Sumerian writing is called cuneiform, from the
  Latin word for wedge, cuneus

17
A. Writing

• Sumerians had about 700 cuneiform signs

18
A. Writing

• Education was important - upper-class boys
  learned to write, spell, draw, and do arithmetic

19
B. Architecture

• Sumerians probably invented the arch, a curved
  structure that provides added strength

20
B. Architecture

• They built temples to their gods called
  ziggurats, made of bricks placed in layers

21
C. Innovations

• The Sumerians are credited with inventing the
  wheel

22
C. Innovations

• The Sumerians wrote arithmetic based on units of
  60

23
C. Innovations

• They mapped the stars and divided a circle into
  units of sixty

24
C. Innovations

• Sumerians created a lunar calendar that was kept
  accurate by adding an extra month every 4 years

25
III. Society

• A. Government
• Sumerians developed a form of community called
  the city-state

26
A. Government

• From early on, Sumer consisted of 12 city-states
  Adab, Akshak, Bad-tibira Erech, Kish, Lagash,
  Larak, Larsa, Nippur, Sippar, Umma and Ur. These
  city-states were independent entities that often
  waged war against each other

27
A. Government

• Some city-states had thousands of residents each
  city-state had one or more gods

1. Himurta--Thunder Showers 2. Innanna--Morning
Star 3. Thunderbird 4. Ntu--Sun God. 5. Enki--God
of Sweet Waters..6. Isimud--Enki's Vizier
28
B. Social classes

• Kings, priests, and nobles were at the top of
  society

29
B. Social classes

• Below them were by merchants and scholars

30
B. Social classes

• At the bottom were peasant farmers and slaves

31
C. Agriculture

• Sumerians grew dates, grains, and vegetables and
  raised animals

32
C. Agriculture

• They grew flax for linen and wove wool for
  clothing

33
C. Agriculture

• Surplus food was produced, allowing for job
  specialization

34
C. Agriculture

• By 3000 B.C. Sumerians were trading by land and
  by boat

35
D. Religion

• The Sumerians practiced polytheism and their gods
  were linked to nature, the sun, and the moon

Anu the god of the highest heaven Marduk
national god of the Babylonians Tiamat dragon
goddess Kingu husband of Tiamat Enlil god of
weather and storms Nabu god of the scribal arts
Ishtar goddess of love Ea god of wisdom
Enurta god of war Anshar father of heaven
Shamash god of the sun and of justice Ashur
national god of the Assyrians Kishar father of
earth
36
D. Religion

• The Sumerians buried food and tools with their
  dead

The 5,000-year-old Sumerian cemetery at Umm
al-Ajarib contains hundreds of thousands of
brick-lined graves in neat rows, with a variety
of burial goods.
37
D. Religion

• The dead went to a shadowy lower world, where
  there was no reward or punishment

38
(No Transcript)
39
(No Transcript)
40
(No Transcript)
41
(No Transcript)
42
(No Transcript)
43
(No Transcript)
44
(No Transcript)
45
(No Transcript)
46
(No Transcript)
47
(No Transcript)
48
(No Transcript)
49
(No Transcript)
50
(No Transcript)