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4th Period Sumer – Characteristics of a Civilization Introduction -Sumer: located in southern Mesopotamia -Tigris River and Euphrates River flow thru Mesopotamia and empty into Persian Gulf -Sumer made up of 12 city-states -city-state is a city ruled like a country Characteristics Of a civilization 1. stable food supply 2. social structure 3. government -farming -invented the plow (wood) to turn up the soil so seeds could be planted -built dams, canals, irrigation systems to water crops regularly -very top: king -near top: priests, landowners, Government officials - middle: merchants, farmers, Artisans(craftsmen), Fishermen -bottom: slavery -head of government is the king -Sumerians believed their gods Chose their kings -kings led army into battle -warriors drove chariots into Battle –pulled by horses -king appointed officials to help Him - Obeying the wills of gods was Very IMPORTANT to the Sumerians 4. Religion -believed in many gods (Polytheism) -worshipped in temples called ziggurats -believed the gods lived at top of ziggurats -believed the gods climbed down the Steps of ziggurats to get to earth -sacrificed people, animals, fruits and Vegetables to the gods 5. Arts -wrote songs - gave feasts -played music for the gods -played a harp called a LYRE 6. Technology - they invented wheel - they created the arch in buildings - invented plow, sailboat, water clock 7. Writing - they invented a writing called cuneiform -cuneiform started out as pictographs which were pictures that stand for real objects -a stylus – a sharp pointed tool- was used To write with (reed, bone, wood) -clay tablets used for paper Cuneiform invented 2400 BCE -a professional writer/reader: scribe