Civilization of Sumer: Mesopotamia's First Urban Society
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Lesson 1 – The Sumerians
The First Civilizations
3000 BC – first civilizations develop
River Valley Civilizations
Mesopotamia – Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Egypt – Nile River
India – Indus River
China – Yellow River
Mesopotamia
“The land between two rivers”
Tigris and Euphrates
Modern day Iraq
Fertile Crescent
This area had fertile farmland extending from
Israel to Iraq
First civilizations developed here
Why civilizations near rivers?
Floods – causes fertile soil – good for farming
Surplus – extra products that were used to trade
for good they did not have
Writing – developed because of the need to keep
records of trade
Trade – helped spread new ideas and customs
Sumer
First Civilization
Location – Southern Mesopotamia
Settled 3000 BC
They used:
Levees – raised earth to control floods
Irrigation – artificial watering system
Crops: Barely, wheat, sesame, flax, fruit trees,
dates, and vegetables
City States
Used sun-dried mud bricks to build
Greatest Cities – Ur, Uruk, and Eridu
City-States had their own government,
religion, and farmland
Social Classes
Upper class – Kings, priests, warriors, government
officials
Middle class – merchants, farmers, fishers,
artisans
Lower class – slaves
In the City-States
Wars were fought between them
Ziggurat – Temples at the center of the city –
surrounded by markets
Religion
Polytheism – belief in more than one God
Usually based on forces of nature
Edubbas – schools only for the rich
Main subject – writing
Cuneiform – Sumerian writing
Scribe- writer, record keeper
Women – could own property – Husband is the
head of the family
Could sell the wife or children
Priest-Kings
Sumerian priests who were also kings of the city-
state
Gilgamesh – priest-king of Uruk
Gilgamesh Epic – p.84-85
Assembly
Group of freemen who gave advice to priest-kings
and pick a military leader to rule during times of war
Hereditary – kingship passed on from father to son
Contributions of Sumer
Earliest civilization
Written records and laws
Wheel, plow, and sailboat
12 month calendar based on the moon
Number system based on 60
Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, saw the rise of the Sumerians in 3000 BC. Situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Sumerians developed advanced city-states, introducing writing, agriculture, and social classes. Their legacy includes innovations in irrigation, city planning, and culture, shaping the foundation of early civilization.
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Presentation Transcript
Lesson 1 The Sumerians CHAPTER 4 MESOPOTAMIA
The First Civilizations 3000 BC first civilizations develop River Valley Civilizations Mesopotamia Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Egypt Nile River India Indus River China Yellow River
Mesopotamia The land between two rivers Tigris and Euphrates Modern day Iraq Fertile Crescent This area had fertile farmland extending from Israel to Iraq First civilizations developed here
Why civilizations near rivers? Floods causes fertile soil good for farming Surplus extra products that were used to trade for good they did not have Writing developed because of the need to keep records of trade Trade helped spread new ideas and customs
Sumer First Civilization Location Southern Mesopotamia Settled 3000 BC They used: Levees raised earth to control floods Irrigation artificial watering system Crops: Barely, wheat, sesame, flax, fruit trees, dates, and vegetables
City States Used sun-dried mud bricks to build Greatest Cities Ur, Uruk, and Eridu City-States had their own government, religion, and farmland Social Classes Upper class Kings, priests, warriors, government officials Middle class merchants, farmers, fishers, artisans Lower class slaves
In the City-States Wars were fought between them Ziggurat Temples at the center of the city surrounded by markets Religion Polytheism belief in more than one God Usually based on forces of nature
Edubbas schools only for the rich Main subject writing Cuneiform Sumerian writing Scribe- writer, record keeper Women could own property Husband is the head of the family Could sell the wife or children
Priest-Kings Sumerian priests who were also kings of the city- state Gilgamesh priest-king of Uruk Gilgamesh Epic p.84-85 Assembly Group of freemen who gave advice to priest-kings and pick a military leader to rule during times of war Hereditary kingship passed on from father to son
Contributions of Sumer Earliest civilization Written records and laws Wheel, plow, and sailboat 12 month calendar based on the moon Number system based on 60
