1. Sumer’s Civilization
Why Does This Matter?
*The Sumerians made important advances in areas such as farming and writing that laid the foundation for future civilizations.

2. How does geography influence the way people live?
Mesopotamia is a geographic region where civilization began. It developed between the Tigris and the Euphrates River.
Farming Villages began among the two rivers.
Early Mesopotamian farmers used water from the rivers to water their fields.
Farmers couldn’t always rely on on the river for assistance meeting their needs.
The reason why is because little or no rain fell during the summertime.
How does geography influence the way people live?

3. Geography: Taming the Rivers
During the Spring time, rain and melting snow from the northern mountains would cause the river to overflow.
Sometimes, violent floods swept away crops, homes, and livestock.
The flooded rivers were filled with silt (small particles of soil). When the floods ended, silt was left behind.
The silt turned out to be very good soil for farming.

4. The people in this region (Mesopotamia) had to adapt to the overflow of water and other geographic obstacles. Therefore, they learned to build dams to control those floods.
They also dug canals that would let the water flow from a water source to their fields.
Irrigation allowed farmers to grow extra amounts of food. Then they would store the food (surplus) for later use.
This is important, because when food is plentiful then not all people need to farm.
Therefore, people were able to pick up skills and learn new jobs like weaving cloth and making pottery, tools, and weapons.
Irrigation

5. Irrigation Changes Life
Artisans made more goods and people’s lives changed greatly.
People began living together in places and traded.
Small farming villages grew into CITIES.
By 3,000 B.C.E., several cities developed in Sumer.
Sumer is in Southern Mesopotamia.
Irrigation Changes Life

6. Sumer Sumer’s people were known as Sumerians.
Sumer’s cities were surrounded by mudflats and patches of scorching desert.
The harsh landscape made it hard to travel by land and communicate with other groups.
This meant that each city was largely cut off from its neighbors.
That is why these Sumerian cities became independent.
Sumer

7. Sumer Each city grew their own crops and made their own goods.
As the cities grew, they gained political and economic control.
That is why these cities are known as city-states.
They each had their own form of government.
The population in the city-states ranged from 5,000 to 20,000 people.
Historians think that each Sumerian city-state was protected by a large city wall.
The walls were made by mud (because stone and wood were in short supply).
The gates of the walls were open during the day but closed at night for protection.

8. Sumerian City-States
The center of the city had a “ruler’s palace,” a large temple, and other public buildings.
The city-states often went to war with one another over resources & political borders.
The more resources you have, the more power you have.
What are some important resources that powerful countries have?
City-states created alliances to protect common interests.

9. The Sumerian people worshipped many gods. This is known as polytheism.
The Sumerians thought the gods played different roles. For example, they believed some gods controlled parts of nature like rain or wind.
Although Sumerians honored all the gods, each city-state claimed one as its own.
To honor its god, a city-state often had a large temple called a ziggurat.
Ziggurat means “to rise high” in the ancient Akkadian language.
The top of the ziggurat was a holy place. It was the god’s home and only special priests were allowed to go there.
Sumerian Beliefs

10. Sumerian kings claimed they received their power to rule from the city’s god. The first kings were most likely war heroes.
Over time, their rule became hereditary.
After a king would die, his son took his place as ruler.
Sumer

11. Social Groups/Classes
People in Sumer were divided into social classes.
People usually remained in the social class into which they were born.
Upper class—kings, priests, warriors, and government officials
Middle class—merchants, farmers, fishers, and artisans (largest social group)
Lower class—enslaved people, criminals, and people who couldn’t pay off their debts

12. Women/Men Women and men had different roles in Sumerian society.
Men were the head of the home.
Sumerian women ran the home.
Women had a few civil rights. (Some owned businesses).
The Sumerian law required parents to care for their children.
The law made adult children care for their parents if their parents needed help.
Why would that be significant?
Women/Men

13. Farming Time If you lived in Sumer, you were most likely a farmer.
Trade was another key part of the Sumer’s economy.
Sumerian merchants traded wheat, barley, and tools for timber, minerals, and metal.
The minerals and metals were then used to make jewelry or tools.
Farming Time

14. Sumerian Contributions
First civilization that had a great influence on later history.
Later civilizations copied and improved many ideas/inventions that began in Sumer.
It was the beginning of organized human society.
Of all the contributions, writing is perhaps the most important.
Writing—a method to keep records of their lives and history.
A way to share information.
A way to pass on their ideas to later generations.
This writing system was called cuneiform.
About 1,200 different characters
Written by cutting wedge-shaped marks into damp clay with a sharp reed.
Used clay because they didn’t have paper.
Sumerian Contributions

15. More Contributions Other useful contributions: The wheel
Sumerians developed the sailboat
A wooden plow to help them in the fields
Potter’s wheel (helps shape clay into bowls and jars)
First to make bronze out of copper/tin (bronze stronger tools/weapons)
Created a place-value system of numbers based on 60
Created 60-minute hour, 60-second minute, and 360-degree circle
Made a 12 month calendar based on the cycles of the moon.