1. City-States of Ancient Sumer
Chapter 2 Section 1
City-States of Ancient Sumer

2. Geography Fertile Crescent > Mesopotamia “between the rivers”
World’s 1st civilization > Sumer
Key > controlling two rivers
Epic of Gilgamesh > tells of catastrophic floods

3. Sumerian Cities
1st great cities > Ur and Uruk
Made of clay & water

4. Hierarchy > ranking
Sumerian Society
Hierarchy > ranking
highest
ruling family, leading officials, high priests
lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans
middle
lowest
peasant farmers

5. Sumerian Govt., Society, and Religion
Ruler was the government
Did everything
Sumerians were polytheistic
Gods behaved like ordinary people
Built ziggurats > dedicated to chief god
Invented earliest known writing > cuneiform
Developed in stages
Needed schooling

6. Lasting Legacy of Sumer
Cuneiform passed on
Astronomy and Mathematics
Number system
Calendar
Oral narratives
Influenced Greeks & Romans