Mesopotamia (UR) Unlocking The Past. George Paige & Adrian Abbott

Introduction  Mesopotamia (Otherwise Know As UR.)  Was the worlds first civilisation.  It was situated in modern day Iraq.  Mesopotamia means “The Land Before Rivers.”

More About Mesopotamia……..  6500 years ago there was a civilization in between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers located in Modern day Iraq.  The area was known as Mesopotamia and the city was called Ur. The southern half of Ur was called Sumer.  Ur was near the river Nile, and this enabled farmers to have a healthy crop.

The Ziggurats  The Ziggurats was a pyramid constructed of sun-baked mud bricks, which were then colourfully decorated with glazed firebricks. In each Ziggurat had a God or Goddess, and only Priests and Priestesses were allowed in because of their high status.

Cuneiform – First Writing System  Cuneiform was the worlds first writing system, created of course by the Sumerians. Cuneiform means wedge shaped because of the pen used. The pen was called a stylus, and it was made of reed.

The Tablet Houses – Part One  Cuneiform was learnt in Sumerian schools called eddubas or tablet houses. The students who went there were usually sons of very wealthy citizens.  Students worked very hard at Sumerian schools, and the school day started from early morning until early evening. Students were taught reading, writing, and maths. The teachers strictly regimented the students. For example, a mistake on a clay tablet could mean a beating.

The Tablet Houses – Part Two  All the forfeit and schooling was worth it. Once a student effectively finished twelve years of school, he was an official scribe, or writer. This was a important position in Sumerian culture. Scribes were very expensive in order to continue and recover the evidence keeping that the Sumerians considered so very necessary.  The Sumerians also used cylinder seals. They were made out of stone, and they were used as ID. For example, in order to identify himself, a Sumerian would roll his cylinder seal across a wet clay tablet. This would make an imprint on the tablet that would become permanent by sun-baking or kiln-firing. Cylinder seals were used as signatures are used today.

Thank You! Adrian and Myself would like to thank you for acknowledging our presentation. Thank You for being so patient.