Civilization of Sumer

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Civilization of Sumer

• Location Fertile Crescent in the Middle East
• Includes Mesopotamia
• land between rivers in present-day Iraq
• Rivers were the Tigris and Euphrates

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Agriculture in Mesopotamia

• Soil is rich and fertile
• Farming, raising of sheep and cattle
• Rivers carried fertile soil called silt down from
  mountains
• Heavy spring floods, harsh summers
• Sumerians irrigated the land (supplied water)
• Built irrigation canals
• Used technology to grow crops in a harsh
  environment

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City-states of Sumer

• 3400 BC cities started to emerge
• First city was Uruk.
• Other Cities Ur, Lagash, Nippur
• City-states independent state that includes a
  city and surrounding territory
• Each city-state had its own government
• City-states were center of trade
• Barter exchange of goods without use of money
• Used rivers as transportation
• Developed social classes

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Sumerian Religion

• Practiced Polytheism
• Belief in more than one god
• Believed these gods controlled every aspect of
  life
• Believed gods needed to be kept pleased
• Gave offerings to the gods
• Only priests could communicate with gods
• This gave great power to priests
• Ziggurats temples that were pyramid-shaped brick
  towers
• Priests kept grain and other farming products
  close to the temple

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Sumerian Writing

• At first, they used pictographs, simple pictures
  that represent objects
• Cuneiform (3400 BCE) new system of writing that
  uses triangular shaped symbols to stand for ideas
  or things
• Wedge shaped marks in clay tablets
• Originally used to record trade
• Later used to record poems (ex. Epic of
  Gilgamesh) 2000 BC
• Stories were myths but they might have been based
  on real people

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Sumerian Government

• First leaders were priests
• Conflicts between cities started over resources
• Priests would choose best suited warriors to lead
  cities
• Some military leaders kept control after wars
  were over
• Kings and Priests needed each other to stay in
  power
• Priests said that kings had been chosen by gods
• Kings created code of laws for their cities
• 2100 BCE Ur-Nammu oldest developed laws
• Rules on slavery, marriage, etc.
• Produced great achievements wheel, sail,
  irrigation
• Started using bronze
• Better for tools and weapons

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Sumerian Civilization

• Video - Sumerian Civilization