1. Sumeria

2. Mesopotamia - The Land Between Two Rivers
Mesopotamia is located between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Located in present day Iraq.
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3. City-States Formed Along the Rivers
city-states-A state with political and economic control over a countryside
Sumer- Major city-state in the fertile crescent.
Sumerian people were polytheistic.
Sumerian government was a theocracy and ruled by a king.

4. Why Did These Cities Develop?
Cities developed due to surpluses of food.
Farming was a very important part of life for the Sumerians.
Cities had large walls surrounding the city to protect from invasions.

5. Sumerians
Cuneiform- Very early form of writing, first began in Sumerian cities.
Sumerian schools taught boys the new invention of writing.
Scribes- People who learned writing and schools and worked to record written records to the priests and rulers.

6. Sumerian Writing
Scribes used a sharp point called a stylus to etch words into clay tablets. These tablets have been discovered by archaeologists and looked at by historians.

7. A Sumerian City
Courtyard Area

8. Sumerian Cities
On hot nights, people slept outdoors on the top of their house’s flat roof.
Sumerians had a form of light at night. They burned oil lamps.
Sumerians had plumbing in their city built with clay pipes

9. Sumerian Religion
ziggurat- The main temples used to worship the gods of a city.

10. The Downfall of the Sumerians
1759 BC, Sumer was conquered by the Babylonians
Babylonians – empire helped establish the first law codes
Hammurabi’s Code – among first written laws
emphasized “eye for an eye”
public view causes consistency and stability

11. Sumerian Legacy Inventions:
-The Arch- Used as a support structure. Very strong.
-Wagon Wheel- Used to transport people
-Potters wheel- Used to create containers
-Sundial- A method of telling time. Similar to watch.