1. Achievements and Legacies of the Sumerians
Lesson 2

2. Photo by Stockbyte - Getty Royalty-Free License
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3. Class Discussion on assignment
S/No.
Achievement
Impact on present day 1
Irrigation
Canal system started
Supported agriculture 2
Construction of the Ziggurat
Height gave a clear view of the city 3
Pottery / bronze making
Specialisation / division of labour 4
Arch
Bridges and temples 5
Writing /
Cylinder Seal
Documentation for trade, government, personal uses
These are only some of the possible answers. Collect the worksheet to check pupils’ work.

4. Which figure do you think represents the king in each picture
Which figure do you think represents the king in each picture? What does this tell us about his duties?
King was clearly a symbol of power (evidence : from the size depicted)
He is portrayed both at Peace and at War – he had to make decisions in peacetime and lead armies in war
The chariots depicted were a demonstration of might and power of the Sumerian civilization.

5. What does this panel of the Standard of Ur tell us about Sumerian society?
The figure shows 3 levels. Bottom row were people working as labourers, middle row were traders and top row were the king, the nobles and the entertainers. This depicted the societal structure.
Most probably, the Sumerians were able to engage in different activities in the society because they have sufficient food supply

6. Legacies of Sumerian Civilisation
Writing
Cuneiform (with use of stylus)
Uses : trade, history, laws, letters, magic spells, recipe, scientific texts and stories
Impact : use of cuneiform spread to other parts of Mesopotamia

7. Pictograms and Cuneiform
How cuneiform helps us understand more about the people who lived in Sumeria.
Over five thousand years ago, people living in Mesopotamia developed a form of writing to record different types of information. The earliest writing was based on pictures that represent words or phrases—these are called pictograms. Pictograms were used to communicate basic information about crops, taxes, and lending (loans). This type of writing required hundreds of symbols. Over several hundred years, the pictures developed into a type of writing we call cuneiform. Cuneiform was different because the symbols now stood for sounds, similar to our alphabet.  At some point scribes began using a new wedge-shaped tool to press into the wet clay tablets. Paper had not been invented so they wrote on wet clay tablets.  Scribes were the only people who knew how to read and write. Over thousands of years, Mesopotamian scribes recorded daily events, trade, astronomy, and literature on clay tablets. The first alphabet would develop around 1000 BCE by a different civilization along the Mediterranean called Phoenicia. All modern alphabets can be traced back to this extremely important development in writing. 

8. Ancient Schoolwork in Cuneiform
If you were born in Sumeria, your homework would look like this!
The teacher would write a proverb on one side, and the pupil would memorise it and write on the other side.
Almost all wealthy families had such tablets in their homes. What does this tell you?
The first thing a boy (and very rarely a girl) had to learn was how to make a tablet and handle the stylus which made the impressions in the clay. After learning the basic cuneiform signs the pupil went on to learn the thousands of different Sumerian words. The teacher would write out some lines on one side of a tablet (here it is a proverb). The schoolboy studied these, turned over the tablet and tried to reproduce what the teacher had written. Finally the pupil reached the stage of learning and writing Sumerian literature.
After completing their training, the students became entitled to call themselves dubsar or scribe. They then became a member of a privileged class. School tablets have been found in almost all of the private houses in southern Mesopotamia of this date that have been excavated. This suggests that in wealthy families all the male children went to school.

9. Scribes
Those who were privileged to learn writing became known as Scribes.
Cuneiform was used in trading to keep track of business records.
The scribe, or writer, had the responsibility of recording items traded.
In addition, scribes could be hired to work for the government or in the temples.

10. Epics
While cuneiform’s original purpose was to record business deals, Sumerians later discovered the joy of writing.
Sumerians wrote down stories, poetry, and songs, usually about the gods or war.
A long poem about a hero is called an epic.
The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the story of the legendary Sumerian king. It was written on stone tablets c.2500BC.

11. The Wheel
Sumerians were the 1st group of early people to construct carts and wagons using the wheel.
The potter’s wheel used in making clay pots and bowls was another invention of the Sumerians.

12. Math and Science
Sumerians developed a number system based on 60. Examples included: dividing a circle into 360 degrees and the year into 12 months.
They wrote down the names of plants, minerals, and animals and used them to create their own medicine.

13. Irrigation
Despite living in a dry climate, Sumerian agriculture flourished thanks to the invention of Irrigation
Canals were dug to bring water from the river to fields

14. Irrigation Dams controlled the water flow
Reservoirs stored water for later use
The surplus food produced allowed division of labour

15. Ancient irrigation map
This was created by the Babylonians, who succeeded the Sumerians in that region. They still used irrigation, cuneiform and clay tablets!

16. Architecture The arch was used in buildings
The most impressive display of Sumerian architecture was a ziggurat.
Ziggurats were temples shaped like stepped pyramids.
Long staircases led up to the platform and shrine at the top.

17. Other inventions The plow was used in planting crops.
An early clock that used water to measure time was invented by the Sumerians.
Bronze was used to make stronger weapons and tools.
Sumerians were also skilled in making jewellery and fine objects for the royalty such as this headdress

18. “Ram in a Thicket”
A famous artefact which shows the advanced craftsmanship of the Sumerians

19. Art and Music Cylinder seals were used to show ownership of an item.
The cylinder had a specific design that when rolled over clay would leave an imprint.
Other cylinder seals were used for decorative purposes.
Musical instruments such as the tambourine, lyre, and drums were used for entertainment.

20. Optional Activity Making a cylinder seal

21. Feature of Civilisation
WS : Features of Ancient Civilisations
As seen in SUMERIAN Civilisation
Feature of Civilisation
Specific examples
Cities
A system of government
Economic activities which showed division of labour
(i.e. people had specialised roles)
Sophisticated Arts and Craftsmanship
Knowledge of Mathematics, Science and Technology
Sophisticated architecture
A form of writing

22. References SS TB 5A : Inquiring into Our World pp 59 to 67