Download Sumerian Achievements

KEY Chapter 3: Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent Section 3: Sumerian Achievements Big Idea The Sumerians made many advances that helped their society develop. The Invention of Writing Vocabulary
1) Cuneiform: the world’s first system of writing
2) Pictographs: picture symbols
3) Scribe: a writer
4) Epics: long poems that tell the stories of heroes
The Sumerian’s developed the world’s first system of writing called cuneiform from early
symbols called pictographs. They used styluses to make wedge-shaped symbols on clay tablets.
Cuneiform symbols also represented syllables, so writers could combine the symbols to express
more complex ideas.
A scribe used cuneiform to keep business records of the items people traded. They also kept
records for Government officials and temples. Sumerian students went to school to learn to
read and write. The Sumerians also wrote works on history, law, grammar and math. They also
created works of literature about gods and military victories. Some of these were epics, like the
Epic of Gilgamesh.
Advances and Inventions Technical Advances Sumerians made many other advances and discoveries. •the wheel •wheeled vehicles, including carts and wagons •a potter’s wheel that spins clay •the plow, which helped to increase farm production •a clock that used falling water to measure time •sewers were built under city streets •used bronze to make stronger tools and weapons •produced makeup and glass jewelry Math and Sciences Sumerians excelled in math. They developed a math system based on the number 60, which they used to divide a circle into 360 degrees and divided a year into 12 months. They calculated the areas of rectangles and triangles. Sumerian scholars also studied science. They recorded names of thousands of animals, plants, and minerals. Sumerians also made advances in medicine. They produced healing drugs using ingredients from animals, plants and minerals. They also included milk, turtle shells, figs and salt in these medicines. Sumerians categorized their medical knowledge according to symptoms and body parts. The Arts of Sumer Sumerians provided us with examples of creativity in the fields of art, metalwork and architecture. Vocabulary 1) Architecture: the science of building 2) Ziggurat: a pyramid shaped temple tower Architecture Sumerian rulers lived in large palaces, and other rich Sumerian had two-­‐story homes with as many as a dozen rooms. Most people lived in one-­‐story homes with six or seven rooms arranged around a courtyard. Homes were constructed with bricks made of mud. The largest and most impressive buildings were temples, and a ziggurat rose above each city. The Arts Sculptors provided many fine works, including statues of gods for the temples, and sculpted small objects out of ivory and rare woods. Jewelry was made out of imported gold, silver and gems. Cylinder seals were the most famous works of art. Each seal left it’s own distinct imprint when rolled over clay. They were engraved with designs, and people used them to sign documents and decorate other clay objects.