Mesopotamia Achievements

Please copy this. Question Mesopotamian Accomplishments Impact on today Visual How did technology and culture influence future civilizations?

Writing The Sumerians invented the world’s first system of writing - Cuneiform.

Cuneiform The ancient Sumerians believed in education. Record keeping was very important to them. They wanted their sons to learn how to read and write.  Their written language began as pictographs, pictures of things that acted as words. Pictographs worked, but they were rather cumbersome (difficult to work with).  Soon, the clever ancient Sumerians started to use wedge-shaped symbols for objects and ideas instead of pictures. Today, we call this written language of wedge-shaped symbols cuneiform.

Writing We know a great deal about the ancient Sumerian civilization from the written records they left behind in stone and clay. The ancient Sumerians kept excellent records and lists of things. They listed: household goods court activity sales and purchases list of their kings that was updated from time to time, as new kings came to power.

Words Some Mesopotamian words are still in use today. Words like: crocus, which is a flower, and saffron, which is a spice, are words borrowed from the ancient Mesopotamians.

Does any of this impact your society?

Gilgamesh One of the best things the ancient Sumerians wrote down was a great story called The Epic of Gilgamesh. The Epic (long poem) of Gilgamesh is perhaps the oldest recorded story in the world. It tells about the adventures of a king of Uruk, one of the city-states in ancient Sumer. King Gilgamesh may actually have existed. His name is on the list of Sumerian kings, a list we know about because the ancient Sumerians wrote it down.

Gilgamesh According to the story, Gilgamesh was not just a hero. He was the first superhero! He was part god and part human. He had many special powers.

Do you have super heros in your society?

Advances & Inventions Frying pans Razors Cosmetic sets Advances and Inventions – Mesopotamians achieved in many forms of technology! Wheel Sailboat Plow Sewers Bronze tools and weapons Glass and Jewelry Math Science Astronomers and the Lunar Calendar Medicine Frying pans Razors Cosmetic sets Shepherd’s pipes Harps Kilns to cook bricks and pottery Bronze hand tools like hammers and axes Plow seeder

Math and Science Sumerian Calendar They invented a system of mathematics based on the number 60. Today, we divide an hour into 60 minutes, and a minute into 60 seconds. Circles divided into 360 degrees. Year into 12 months.

Science Calendars were created to keep track of the seasons – and more importantly – the Floods!

Are any of these accomplishments in your society today?

Art Lyre – plays music The Arts – the Mesopotamians designed great building and numerous works of art! Architecture – the study of building Arch Ziggurat Music Instruments Sculptures Jewelry Cylinders

Ziggurat – with arches as doorways

Cylinders A cylinder seal is a cylinder engraved with a 'picture story', used in ancient times to roll an impression onto a two-dimensional surface, generally wet clay. Cylinder seals were invented around 3500 BC. Cylinder seals are important to historians as they often tell a story about a specific timeline and civilization. Images depicted on cylinder seals were mostly theme-driven, often sociological or religious

Seals and Cylinders

Is anything you just read about influencing your society?